Foodie Bucketlist Review: Bistro Toulouse

R an I had big plans to be in Paris for a few days this November, but thanks to our move we are no longer going be to able to do that.  Needless to say, we are bummed.  But thankfully I am married to a man that knows the way to my heart is food, so he arranged for us to have a lovely lunch, er dejeuner, at Bistro Toulouse, a tiny French restaurant in Mt Pleasant.  Located in a strip mall, you would never expect to find a French cafe in this area, but we gladly added this to our Charleston Foodie Bucketlist many moons ago and we were excited to try it out.    

When we saw the bunch menu, we couldn't quite get past the amazing beignets that were lurking on the menu.  We had to do it.  And it was worth every calorie.  

CMT Instant Jam with Darius Rucker

It was Tuesday night and I was mindlessly scrolling through Twitter per my nightly bedtime routine.  I happened to notice Darius Rucker had tweeted he planned to do a pop up concert tomorrow-somewhere in Charleston-with no details revealed till the next morning at 9am on Twitter only.  Immediately I turned to Rich and declared I had to go.  I knew nothing about the qualifications to get in, and frankly my declaration may have seemed impossible, but as a girl who has snuck gotten herself into any concert she's ever wanted to go to, I knew I was blessed with the skills for the task.

The next morning at 9am, I set an alarm on my phone to remind me to check Twitter as any 21st century social media queen would do, Darius his marketing team posing as Darius, revealed they would be giving tickets out at 11am on the Cistern Yard.  Well, that just worked out perfectly now didn't it.  Now, all I had to do was get in line.  I decided to go see what the line was looking like, and thankfully it was reasonable at that time.  Somehow by the grace of the ticketing goddesses, I was one of the lucky people who received a CMT instant jam wristband, which got me into the show that night at the Windjammer.  

House Hunting and White Kitchens

With the news of our impending move, we've finally gotten the chance to house hunt a little bit as we try to figure out where we will be calling home for the next three years.  Coincidentally, this home buying period of our marriage has always coincided with what I shall call the "White Kitchen" phase of my life.  I want all things white in my home decor (have you seen our bedroom?) and that includes my kitchen.  I have been scouring the Virginia housing market trying to find my white kitchen, knowing full and well what will sell me a house is the kitchen.  So, for now, I will bring you my white kitchen dreams and go back to my full time gig of browsing realtor.com for my white kitchen fantasy....

Those glass cabinets are my dream.

I love the batten board and how its painted creamy blue!

Some realities we must face

Truth be told, I was dreading writing this blog post.  If I write, it means its true.  If I tell people, it means its happening.  And if I hop on Trulia/Zillow/Hotpads/Craigslist/tell our landlord...it means there is no going back.  So it's time to face the reality that I must face, and I will begin here.  We are moving.  


In a seemingly cruel scene of twisted irony, the very moments we are settling (nicely) into our rental townhome, making more friends, finding our niche,  carving our Charleston routine, planted a garden for goodness sake, we have been uprooted.  One simple email can change our reality, causing us to face new, harsh, scary, dare I say exciting realities.  And I cried.  A lot.  

But this is the reality of being a newly minted military wife, who, let's be honest, was a bit naive to how much it would hurt when that email finally arrives.  That unexpected email that you always tell yourself may arrive, yet you harbor hope that it could be years, many years, before it arrives.  

But with the grief and sadness of leaving a job, friends, palm trees, and seasides behind comes hope.  Hope that this new opportunity for R will bring about fulfillment, career potential, exciting times for our new family, and three years of location certainty.  So make the best of it we will. Together. 

So forgive me if I seem a bit nostalgic to this city I have made my heart-home as we begin to say goodbye.  I hope it never leaves me.  I want to soak up these last 4 months we have here with all I know.  

Weekend Recap

Welcome to Monday and the end of summer.  So many school buses back on the roads this morning and so much sadness as summer draws to a close. But!  Thankfully, the weather in Charleston is still awesome for some outside activities.  Here is a quick recap of the weekend's fun with Kristen in town!

Rich and I gave Ellie a "Special Day" which really more equated to it was her vet day and we figured she at least deserved to get to go to the dog park since she had to get a few shots in the toosh. In true Ellie fashion, she was awkward meeting new friends at the dog park.  In the end this special day just resulted in her and Sophie getting special baths.  Win win for us.  

We had a few friends over to our back porch to grill out and play some games.  My love for games on our back porch is increasing with each mini-party we have.  I think it's time for a full on game night chez nous. 

Saturday morning included me finally knocking off Stand-Up Paddle boarding off my Charleston Bucketlist.  We left out of Shem Creek and decided not to heed the suggestions of the company to paddle against the tide for the first part.  We spent a good hour or so wandering the marsh and seeing some of the most beautiful Charleston homes.  We even saw a grown up tree house they had turned into a complete bar!  However, we paid the price on the way back as I lost complete confidence that I had the arm and body strength to get us back to Shem Creek!  It was so tough!  But, we did get to see a few dolphins in the creek up close and personal.  

Stand Up Paddle Boarding Tip #1: always bring water and snacks. Thankfully I am never one to miss a meal.

Three hours of hard core SUP earned us a yummy lunch and my Shem Creek staple Waters Edge.  We finally got a seat on the water (after some pleading of course.)

 Saturday night we spent grooving to the sounds of Soul Fish at the Sundown on the Wando on Daniel Island, a free monthly community concert near the Wando River.  Though I have no photographic evidence, I can share the band did have Kristen and I on stage to sing Wagon Wheel (jury is out whether they actually turned off our mics after the first chorus.)  

Sunday Brunch was at a Olde Village Post House in Old Mount Pleasant.  A little neighborhood establishment packed full of charm and deliciousness. 

Peach and Cream French Toast anyone?

To walk off all that "dessert breakfast" (as the waitress reminded us more than once that we had in fact basically ordered dessert at 10am) we headed over to another Mount Pleasant favorite of mine: Pitt Street Bridge.  A hidden gem in Old Mt P, it's a local favorite for those wanting to take in the beautiful quiet of seaside living, catch a few rays while reading or book, or try your hand at some afternoon fishing.  As always, it was breathtaking.

 Casual Saturday paddleboarding with your dog here in Mt Pleasant, SC.

Best Friend Visits

I am lucky gal to have a large network of best friends.  In fact, there are many ladies in my life that can share that title.  There are gals I can laugh with, adventure with, sing Taylor Swift with, run with, eat with, vacation with, Vegas with, and of course, cry with.  I am PUMPED to say I have one of those lovely ladies coming to spend the weekend with us.  We have a number of adventures we are going to get into this weekend, but I wanted to take a few moments to celebrate friendship and our past adventures together.  Here's to Kristen's visit this weekend!

How can we forget my Bachelorette Weekend:

Or the time we got Kristen go cut bangs and dye her hair dark...

Or countless beach trips together...

Or New York! New York!  An on the whim trip inspired by the movie Friends With Benefts (that's true y'all...true story. That's adulthood for you and totally financially responsible!)

Chicago on a boat tour!  We made the most of that Windy City.

Often times we overshoot our creative talents, but these dog portraits were pretty well done I must say!

Again, I bring you, COUNTLESS beach trips...

Always a success when you swim your way to free jetskis!

Our Karaoke came is always strong.  Always.

I was silly and ran a marathon and Kristen knew the way to my heart with this sign!

We are international local karaoke stars.

Vegas nights aren't for the faint of heart.  

And then there was that whole wedding thing she stood by my side on.  

So here is to this weekend and good times to come!  Hurry down Kristen, Ellie is waiting for your cuddles!

Weekend in Review

What a week capped off by a fantastic weekend!  We are soaking up the last moments of Charleston's beautiful summers and taking in all that this city has to offer in summer. It is truly when the city comes alive with activity and fun and when you can muddle through the tourists a bit, you'll find how magical low country summers are.  I heard all about the humidity and heat when I first moved down to Charleston and y'all, they weren't lying.  But, despite that, it is still my favorite place to be hot and gross all summer long. 

My might fine man surprised me with all my favorites when I got home from a rough week on Friday night.  And yes folks, that is a Red Velvet cupcake and flowers from Whole Foods.  Because, if you are going to eat calories galore, let's make sure they are coming from Whole Foods, am I right?

I am not sure this sums up our marriage any better: Saturday morning watching Caesar Milan work magic on some sweet baby dogs.  

 Those last moments of a Charleston summer spent on Sullivan's Island.  The crowds has dissipated a bit before school starts and hello #taxfreeweekend, so we had some peace and quiet, and a ton of horseflies annoying us.  Our beach visit was cut short as a result. 

We checked yet another place off our Charleston Foodie Bucket List on Saturday after the beach.  What more can you say about Obstinate Daughter's decor than this photo? 

I got the shrimp roll which was a slight take on a lobster roll and pretty delicious.  

After volunteering at the Charleston Animal Society for a bit, we had a crew of friends over to entertain Ellie spend some porch time together before the Hootie and the Blowfish Concert.

Sunday was spent catching up on life and hanging with my number one and two girls while Rich was back home for his mom's birthday.  How am I supposed to get anything done with a golden floor mat?

When I couldn't take anymore of the #velcroGolden, I took her over to the local dog park for some running and a general release of her wiggles.  She's my girl and I love how she loves me.  

That's it folks!  A taste of our weekend as healing and therapeutic as it was for us me.   Time to soak up all that we have left of this summertime.