Tomorrow Chris and I are heading to South Carolina for Britton and Gary’s wedding! We are super excited! Gary is a friend of Chris’ from high school and Gary met Britton in college at Clemson. Chris and I started dating around the same time Gary and Britton did and we have enjoyed hanging out with them in Chicago for Bears’ games, New Years, etc. Gary and Britton actually got engaged under a meteor shower the week after Chris and I did. Needless to say, we have loved doing life and sharing this fun time with our friends Gary and Britton!

A super bonus is that Chris and I will get to visit my dad’s side of the family in Pawleys Island, South Carolina! Lonna and Ron have been so sweet and helped Chris get a tee time to make one of Chris’ dreams come true – golfing in South Carolina. He cannot wait to hit the links and I can’t wait to get to see THE Pawleys Pantry and hang out with Lonna and Hazel!

We are so excited for a little vacation, to drink sweet tea, spend time with family, and be a part of such a special wedding day.

Here’s a gorgeous picture of the future Mr. and Mrs. Gary Swingle and their puppy…

Chris and I have been working hard this weekend to put the finishing touches on our Web site. We are proud to announce that we have posted our favorite restaurants and places to visit in Orange County! You can find them both under the “Wedding” section under the “Out of Towners” tab. We can’t wait to share our home with all of our out of town wedding guests!

Some of the places include:

SAN CLEMENTE BEACH - Where Chris proposed to Mandy! The night Chris proposed, we ate at Fishermans and then took a stroll south of the pier at sunset. Look for lifeguard stand #3 and that's where Chris got on one knee in the sand.

Laguna Beach!

Dana Point Harbor & the Ocean Institue!

The Best Mexican Food in Oragne County!

We have chosen an AMAZING hotel for the wedding – the Renaissance ClubSport Aliso Viejo. We wanted somewhere close to the reception, not too far from the beach, not to costly for all of our “young professional” friends, and somewhere that was great for everyone to congregate. And we found a great spot! Aliso Viejo is just over the hills of Laguna Beach and the hotel sits on a hill with an amazing view of the Saddleback Mountains. The pool has a great restaurant/bar overlooking it and I know our guests will love taking advantage of that in their down time.

For more information visit our Accommodations Page on our Web site.

All reservations must be made by June 24th to secure the special rate of $119/night.

Our florist, the amazingly talented Cindy Babuscio, just launched a Web site for her company, Bohemian Rose Designs. Chris and I got to hang out at the Babuscio home this afternoon and we enjoyed some good laughs. Chris uploaded two photo galleries of Cindy’s gorgeous flower arrangements and her garden art. Check them out! http://bohemianrosegardenart.com/

Bohemian Rose Designs

It’s official. We signed up for the OC Half Marathon. Done deal. On May 2, 2010, we will wind along the Newport Beach Back Bay, along the coast on Pacific Coast Highway and we will run 13.1 miles! We have been training the last couple weeks and ran 9 miles yesterday along the beach in Huntington. We are hanging in there with our training and our main goal is to finish the race at a slow and steady pace. Wish us luck!!