FRI. 3/29:We landed in Charlotte late Friday night and were greeted by my parents and sister who drove from Greensboro to pick us up. We stopped by Cook Out for some hot dogs, burgers, cheese fries, milkshakes and Cheerwine, of course! Nothing says 'welcome to America' like all of that greasy goodness! We got home, got to see the puppies, and I got to open all of the tons of packages that I had ordered from various online retailers...it was like Christmas all over again! Then we called it a night...that trip takes it out of ya!
SAT. 3/30:
I got up early and went on a little shopping spree with mama at Anthropologie...it was definitely one of those trips where I loved everything I tried on (and then some!) Afterwards, we met Leigh at Salon Medusa where we both got haircuts and got to hang out with our adorable friend, Cheri, who owns the salon and also did the hair and makeup for my wedding!
Then, I had to call Drew around noon to wake him up so he and my dad could meet us for lunch. We chowed down on some yummy Natty Greene's downtown, went for our first Target run, then picked up birthday cakes from Maxie B's (one belated one for Drew, and one for Becky!) Then we went by to visit Pa at his new retirement home before heading home and watching the Saved by the Bell movies (that were part of a compilation gift for Drew from my parents.) That night my parents took us to their new favorite restaurant, GIA, which was really great! If you're in Greensboro, you should definitely try it out! Then, because we're old farts, we went to bed early :)
SUN. 3/31:
Happy Easter! We got up early and headed to church where we got to see lots of old friends (some of whom have brand new babies!) Then we went to Green Valley Grill for brunch. It was a fun morning despite the fact that it was about 40 degrees and raining--yuck! Afterwards, we headed home to pack up stuff and head to Raleigh. We dropped Leigh off at the airport before my parents took us to the Peters' house. We got there just as they were arriving home from the beach, but much to Drew's dismay, the dogs weren't home yet! We unpacked a bit, got to chat with Becky & Charlie and then all of the rest of the siblings and their spouses trickled in for a birthday dinner for Becky. We had a great time seeing everyone and had yummy Mellow Mushroom pizza for dinner followed by Becky's favorite lemon cake from Maxie B's.
MON. 4/1:
Drew & I got up early and headed down to Wilmington--it had been almost a year since we had been down there, but it felt like it was just yesterday! We got there just in time to meet my dear friend, Maggie (the one who came to visit us in NZ), for lunch at Two Guys Grille. I can't believe I haven't seen here since she was here in November, but it was great to catch up with her! Then, we dropped off our stuff at the house and headed to Maz's house to visit with her and Julian for a little while. I got an extensive history lesson of the Vail family tree and even got some take-home materials! Then we went on the hunt for some new Rainbow sandals before heading back to the house to relax for about an hour. Then we were off to meet Laura & Densay for dinner out on the deck at Dockside--yay for fried seafood goodness! Then we went to a bar called Banks Channel for a drink and some more quality hang out time with good friends.
TUES. 4/2:
Apparently all of the travel caught up to us because we slept in until 10am which is really late for us! We ran a few errands, grabbed some Chik-Fil-A and then headed back to Raleigh. I dropped Drew off at his dentist appointment, went and got my dressed altered for the wedding, then went on another Target run--yay! Then we headed home for a little while before heading downtown to pick up Brian & Caroline and head to the Carolina Hurricanes hockey game. The game was a lot of fun and it was good to spend some QT with the bride and groom before their big day.WED. 4/3:
Drew had an early morning meeting at the PwC office so I dropped him off and then headed to Fuquay-Varina to see my friend Cameron and her brand new baby daughter. I got to spend a few hours with her and her TWO kids...it's so crazy to me that she already has 2 little ones, but she's such a great mom! Then I picked up Drew and we headed downtown to meet John D & Lisa for lunch at Cooper's BBQ...a must! Then on our way home, we drove through a bunch of different neighborhoods looking at houses and areas we might like to live in. I know we still have more than a year before we move home, but you know us--we love to plan ahead! We finally got a little bit of down time just to relax at home before heading to the Club for dinner with Becky, Charlie, Nick, Megan and Megan's mom who was in town visiting and helping them get their new house situated.THURS. 4/4:
FRI. 4/5:
The weather that morning was not at all promising, but it finally broke and turned out to be beautiful! I went with Catey & Megan to get mani/pedis and it was delightful! I haven't had a real mani/pedi in God knows how long so I figured I would indulge myself just a little ;) Then, it was time to head home, grab some last-minute things at Target, eat lunch and head off to Chapel Hill. The girls all carpooled over to Fearrington, dropped off our stuff for the next day and got to spend the next 2 hours at Caroline's bridal tea. It was so lovely with champagne and delicious food. There were a few tears, but all happy ones!
Afterwards, we headed to the outdoor space for the rehearsal with everyone. Caroline & Brian both seemed so happy and so relaxed...just as they should be! Then we all headed over to Maggiano's for an absolutely incredible rehearsal dinner...the food was great, the company was great and the speeches were great! All in all, it was a great start to the wedding weekend!
SAT. 4/6:
The big day was finally upon us! The girls woke up early and got dropped off at Fearrington so we could get our hair and makeup started. It was a fun day from start to finish! The guys headed over around 3pm and we got to take all of the family pictures ahead of time (without Brian, of course!)
Then, after Care crushed her signature Diet Coke, it was time for the big moment!!
The weather was absolutely perfect and everything went off without a hitch! Lauren & Mackenzie were great little flower girls even though Mackenzie was having way too much fun with her flower petals! We got to all spend a few minutes alone with the bride & groom, eat some food, grab a drink and take some more pictures. We got to enjoy the last bit of the cocktail hour and I finally got some time to chat with my parents (who were there thanks to Caroline's very gracious spirit...knowing that they would want to be able to spend some time with us while we were home.)
Then it was time to head into the reception for the first dances, drinks, dinner and the photo booth! The food was superb and everything was just flawless across the board. After Care & Brian cut the cake, it was showtime! We had all learned a secret dance that we surprised them with as a flash mob.
We all danced the night away and had a wonderful time with friends and family! The weekend was a true success and we could not be happier for the newlyweds!
SUN. 4/7:
Sadly, the next day meant it was time for us to pack up and head back to New Zealand. We got up and had breakfast with everyone who was staying at our hotel and then my parents drove us to the airport. There were a few tears shed this time around, but no meltdowns :) Then, after a few hiccups with our check-in in Raleigh, we were off on our 28-hour adventure back to Auckland. We made it back safely as did all of our bags--woooo hoooo! That morning (which was Tuesday by the time we got back), we relaxed at our place all day and Drew got caught up on some work. Needless to say, we were in bed asleep by about 8pm!
All in all, it was a great trip home...we got to see a lot of people, eat a lot of yummy food, and we got to celebrate a wonderful new couple. The only downfall is that it was too short. Luckily, we've already bought our tickets to go home in September...can't wait!
Cheers,
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