The nutcracker

Early in the holiday season Justin mentioned he bought tickets to go see the Nutcracker in DC. I was so excited :) he does such a good having the ideas to go see things like this! The plan was to drive up Saturday morning and see the show Saturday night. We got a surprise because I found out I really didn't have to be at work Friday and Justin went in for an hour and got all his work done. So we dropped off our munchin with her favorite auntie Laurie and we were off to DC. We were happy to find out that Tim and Sara were around and we planned on staying with them. We got there in the evening and sat around catching up till early in the morning and watching Anthony Bordain parts unknown. We got up in the  morning and Tim and Sara took us to this small amazing restaurant called Foode for brunch. Tim and Sara both had the chicken and waffles and I hate to say it but I kicked Beasley's ass...Justin had a chicken and feta omlet and I had the chicken biscuit...the chicken was so awesome - seasoned just right. If you ever go up to Feedricksburg go there!! Just go early because they only have a limited amount of food and they will run out. Afterward we walked around downtown Fredricksburg. It is such a cool little town.

This was literally a store dedicated to cats...Steve would have been in heaven :) 

Their cats laid in the window all day :)

I thought this sign was too funny not to document.

We went by a cupcake shop and of course had to go in and sample the local fare :)

They put the icing on fresh so you could get any combination of icing and cake. Then they had a sprinkle bar...yum

Sara and Tim both got a big cupcake and got a sugar rush from all the icing! 

Their Christmas tree was so cute they had tea cups as ornaments... We thought it would be a bad idea with Petrie.

Then it was time to head back change and go to DC. Once we got there the recommended dinner restaurant had a 2.5 hour wait...needless to say we didn't have that kind of time. So I broke my cardinal rule and we ended up at Mozarts German restaurant. And I'm glad I did it was yummy! 

Justin got a liter of dark beer and ate curry wurst. I got the largest schnitzel I ever saw and a mixed salad plate...never seen those in the states..it was yummy!!!

Then we had to run to the theater because the show actually started at 7 and we thought all along it was 7:30!!! Eek!

The theater was beautiful.

The show itself was amazing. It was so much fun. After an uneventful drive back we enjoyed a night with Tim and Sara playing a board game. Before we left they made us a yummy breakfast. It was a great Christmas present because not only did we see the Nutcracker but we also got to spend the weekend with friends we don't normally get to see :) 

Happy holidays!

Christmas :)

As much as I like cowabunga I love coming home and sleeping in my own bed after a week in hotel beds!!! I slept like a baby Saturday night. After an eventful day at work Monday Justin and I were off to Hickory. We got a late start but I wanted to wake up at home on Christmas...(remember that in Germany Christmas is celebrated on the 24th). After sleeping in  Mom and I went to the barn to ride where Dana graciously let me ride Dayton (I rode him for a whole summer before I started vet school and he is one of my favorites!!) Mom rode Ace who looks great, I also hopped on her and she feels so fantastic. I realized a few things that afternoon....I miss riding with Mom, I miss riding with people in general, and I miss getting to actually ride not just plod along....I'm very very very excited to move home for that reason!!!

While I was at the barn Justin took Dad to go unload the car of stuff from the house to the new house. I was not able to see the house this time...but maybe it's better that way...as soon as we got back to Raleigh all Justin could say is can we move in noooow???

The evening rolled around and we put up the luminaries which are a tradition in our neighborhood. Not only are they lovely but they also bring the whole neighborhood out of their homes. While we put them up our neighbors came over and we invited them in and had a lovely evening with wine cheese and homemade German Christmas cookies!! 

As soon as everyone had their fill they left and we got the fondue ready. It is tradition in our family to eat fondue then go open a few presents and them go eat some more. This year there weren't that many presents and we stuffed ourselves so much at the first round that there wasn't multiple rounds. Dad got us despicable me 2...and since he wanted to see it that night it really was a present for everyone :)

We only made it half way through before I stared falling asleep.

The next morning was an early one to make it to Thomasville for Christmas morning! We had our coffee and Terri had an amazing quiche ready when we got there...one of the Goochs tradition I can count on :) 

Its fun to open presents with such a big family in a big circle...I only ever got that when my cousins came for the holidays or when we went to Germany. 

Then everyone sat down to an amazing meal, my parents even came up and it was vey special. D'Neil always picks up a smoked pork shoulder and it is always AWESOME!! After we ate very one sat around talking for a long time. While we were talking all the dogs found good laps to snuggle on.

Then everyone dispersed and I was exhausted I thought I was getting sick so I grabbed my best snuggle buddy (Roxy) and crashed in the guest room for 2 hours!!

Then it was back to Raleigh. I hope every one enjoyed their time with their family even if you are having to celebrate Christmas late because you had to work. Love you all- merry Christmas!!!

Christmas is around the corner

Being on cowabunga I have been surrounded by snow! Which always gets everyone in the Christmas spirit!

This photo is in northern PA on a deer farm. It was very exciting...this guy has about 150 animals and sold them to game preserves. He breeds them to have large racks. 

This is from one animal the lower is the 2 year old rack the top is his 3 year old rack!!! Wow!

It was very cool but my favorite part wa Pancake who was bottle fed and therefore very friendly!

So seeing the deer and the snow has really made me wish I was home more before Christmas. This year Justin and I both have to work Monday. I in fact have a research project where I will be tied up all day Monday. So my parents were going to come up but our older cat Toby isn't doing great so Justin and I decided we are going to head to Hickory Christmas Eve. For those of you that don't know my family has always celebrated on Christmas because that is the German tradition. We will then head to Thomasville to spend Christmas day with Justin's family. 

Christmas is my favorite holiday so I'm sad I feel like I will only have a few days to get into the Christmas spirit. Ho ho ho everyone! Merry Christmas!!

Cowabunga

Yup you read that right...cowabunga! For those that don't know what it is the vet school has an annual trip where we rent a 50 passenger bus and go tour different beef and dairy operations. We also have non-bovine stops...this year that includes a white tailed deer farm and Hershey PA!!! Woot!! We left early this morning and will be back the Saturday before Christmas. I was lucky enough to be asked to go as faculty this year. I went twice in vet school - I was not able to go my their year because my Oma passed away and we went to Germany for the funeral, and during my fourth year I couldn't go because of rotations. I'm excited for a fun week!

Our first stop is the beautiful Shenandoah valley! So beautiful!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was wonderful this year. Martin the resident that I share on call with graciously offered to cover the holidays since he doesn't have family here. Justin and I were able to leave Wednesday and spend the night in Thomasville. He wanted to bring only german good to thanksgiving as our contribution so we made knoedel, spaetzle, and venison goulash (a type of stew). We were able to space those over the weekend and Monday and freeze them so it was easy to prepare. He then also made his famous cheesecake and I tried a new German apple cake recipe that came out great! Thursday we headed to his Aunt Leigh-Ann's house and had a wonderful meal. Everyone brings something and the end result is a feast of food. I always have a hard time trying everything before I get too full! I am thankful I have a big family to do thanksgiving dinner with now- it was something I missed as a kid. That night it was off to hickory to spread the thanksgiving joy to mom who spent her thanksgiving with her pony :)

I am thankful for all the wonderful people in my life!

It's been a while

So I have really slacked on posting but something big enough to blog about has happened!!! Justin and I bought a house!!  We are now homeowners in Hickory! It's official we will be moving to Hickory at the completion of my internship year.

The house was the first after a long search of houses that we both stepped into and said wow we love this! Our wonderful realtor found it and we weren't in love online but man did we love it in person.  We looked at a good mix of older farm houses with land and nice houses in subdivisions. This was the best of both worlds. It sits on 3 acres and is back in a serene neighborhood but the house is only 7 years old!!! We know it seems crazy to close so soon but it was a perfect home and we didn't want it to get away. This way we can also move slowly which is very nice! 

The paint is perfect (except for the Carolina blue bathroom) and we loved the curtains so much that we asked to keep them. The views are amazing Roxy loves being a farm dog and I live the stars and the peace. 

I will work on posting the rest of our fun filled thanksgiving but ere are a few sneak peaks of the house :)

The sun shining next to our beautiful new home.

View off the back porch...hello mountains how I have missed you.

Yup we have a pool :) 

Thanks everyone that has supported everyone through this decision. We couldn't make it through without the love and support from both of our families!!

The only problem now is I love it so much I don't want to leave! But I'm excited to head back to Raleigh to see our friends- moving will come soon enough.

Back to blogging

Sorry for the hiatus it was unintentional. Work has been very crazy and kept me busy. Then when you fall off the wagon its hard to get back on.
Wedding update:
We found a caterer. We are going with Visions out of Greensboro. We loved our tasting and we also got to taste the food at Somer and Steve's wedding.  We are very pleased with our decision and are very excited for the food at our wedding.
We also booked a DJ- Triad DJ, we met them at a wedding show and they were just so persistent that I wanted to book them.
We found a photographer. We are going with my cousin Susanna for the weekend and then our official day of photographer will be Vesic photography. We fell in love with his work and he was such a pleasure to talk to on the phone. I can't wait to meet him in person and see our wedding photos!  Our engagement photos will be done by the lovely and talented Megan McDonald who is also one of my bridesmaids and my bridal portraits will be done by the also lovely and talented Britt Gillis again one of my bridesmaids...not to brag but I have SUCH talented friends :)
We won wedding bands! We went to a wedding show where you have to listen to them trying to sell you pots but then at the end we received two free wedding bands. The total was $650 before we put in our promo code and now we have them for free!
So wedding plans are coming right along!!

This week Justin and I are watching our "niece" Kiwi.  She has been very good while her parents Somer and Steve are on their honeymoon.  Their wedding was a BLAST. They got married at Hodgin Valley Farm and it was a weekend affair where we stayed in cabins and helped set up the place. It was gorgeous weather and a perfect wedding. Congrats guys! (I will hopefully do a full post on her wedding there were so many beautiful personalized touches :)) Justin and I were both very happy to be a part of their big day.

At this event we taught my parents how to play corn hole- soo much fun!

Work has been fun but also filled with long days.  Hopefully I'll update on fun things we did recently and can get back on a more regular blogging schedule. Thanks for reading!

Wedding Celebrations

This weekend Justin and I attended Kristin's awesome engagement party. A few weeks ago Kristin and I planned Megan's engagement party!   So here we are 3 close friends all getting married in the same year 5 months apart!

 It is really special that we can all plan together. It ensures that there is always someone that will talk weddings with you without getting sick of it!  Megan and Brian got engaged first over St. Patrick's Day during their vacation in Asheville. Kristin and Brian were next in late May during an emotional time where they realized there was no better time than the present to get engaged. Justin and I were the most recent during my graduation celebration trip to Italy.  It was a very exciting time and we were each able to be really excited for one another.  We will all have great excuses to buy pretty dresses for all the parties and showers over the next 15 months.  The most special part is that we are all in each other's weddings! Megan my longest friend asked me to be her maid of honor. Kristin surprised me this weekend by asking me to be one of her bridesmaids!  I'm thrilled to be a part of both of their weddings - it's even more special knowing they will be standing next to me when I get married.

Megan and I 

Megan's engagement party was at the Lake house at Lake Johnson in Raleigh. I will highly recommend them for a party- they were great to work with and as long as you fill out an alcohol permit you are able to have beer/wine at your event. It is also a BEAUTIFUL venue with a great view of the lake and rocking chairs out front.  The place was spruced up with some pictures of the happy couple and flowers from the farmer's market.  I think everyone had a great time and were able to celebrate with Megan and Ryan.  

So Kristin knows this amazing cake baker and she always has our party cakes made through her. Isn't this super cute? To top it off- it was AMAZING- probably the most moist chocolate cake I have ever had.

Good old southern barbecue was on the menu by request of the groom :) Of course with german potato salad and cole slaw thanks to the help of the best mom ever! (Thanks mom!)

Kristin's friends Nora and Mandy planned her beautiful party. Everyone brought their favorite dish and then there was plenty of beer and drinks to go around.  There was a TON of food and a very nice mixture I bet Kristin and Brian are going to eat off of it for days!  The decorations were really cute as well (the ring that Kristin was wearing was picked out by Brians nephew...awwww!) 

I love this wine bottle torch I need to make one of these. I just love this decoration!

The happy couple!

Here's to a great wedding season starting next year in May! Love you girls!

October 25, 2014 at the Perfect Venue!

So we have a date and a venue!!! We are getting married October 25th at Adaumont Farm in Trinity, NC. YAYY! It was such a perfect venue and a great fit. I knew I wanted to get married there the first minute I stepped foot on the farm. Justin and my Mom just wanted to check the other places out to be sure :).  It will be an outdoor ceremony and a cocktail hour under the porch with the reception in the beautiful barn.  I'm very excited and have been able to think about all the little details because the place fits soo well! I don't want to give away the surprises so I'll have to be careful what I post on the blog.  For now here are some sneak peaks of the venue.

Our happily ever after is indeed going to start right here!!!

 Ceremony site with the grogeous pond and covered bridge in the background 

 Cocktail hour location

Inside of the barn.

I don't want to give too much away but I hope that this is enough of a treat to satisfy until you get to see the finished product in 14 months!  Justin and I with both of our families are so excited that we have this location. We will be thrilled to have all of our friends there to celebrate the start of our marriage. Can't wait to see you all there!

Venue Hunt Part 2

Sunday morning we got up with our heads still spinning from the night before.  We were all really tired but determined to see the rest of the weekend out. D'Neil decided to take a load off and go out on the boat with my dad so Laurie, Justin, Terri, Mom and I all piled in one car. It was back up the mountain to go see the Grove Park Inn.  When we pulled up I knew that it was going to be a contender.  It was beautiful! The view was great and the staff was very polite.  We were greeted by the head event coordinator and taken directly to the ceremony and reception site.  It had spectacular views.

The stone work on the front of the building was spectacular!  Very impressive as you come in.  The ceremony site was a porch in the back of the building with a great view of the mountains. Unfortunately the restaurant also had a great view of the ceremony site which made it feel less intimate. The place for cocktail hour was great! Then the reception area left me with something lacking. Though the space had a great view I wasn't impressed.  But the flowers were breathtaking. They were still set up from the wedding the night before and I was in awe!

 Then it was off to the "Country Club" which was part of the old hunt club and the place where we could hold the rehearsal dinner.  It had a great porch for playing corn hole and other yard games. Also a fire place for my ultimate want at the wedding- smores :).  Overall things were impressive and we were getting excited.

 While touring the rest of the complex we got this beautiful view of the spa. It is just beautiful isn't it? I knew I would feel like a movie star getting married at this location. The spa was great- though a bit pricey which I guess is what you expect from a world class spa. I was excited to have a "destination wedding" and be able to just have a great weekend with my friends and family. At this point we decided to cancel the next venue visit which was between Hickory and Thomasville because we were feeling like we found the one!  We were then able to enjoy a wonderful brunch buffet.

 The food was spectacular and the spread was amazing. It fulfilled yet another requirement that we want for the wedding- a place to have brunch on Sunday. It even came with complimentary champagne- what a great way to win a girl over :)

 We then headed back down the mountain with joy in our hearts that we had found a wedding venue.  We still had some debating to do - do we stick with Grove park inn or Adaumont farm??? It was going to prove to be a very difficult decision as I bet all of you can imagine.

The big reveal of our decision will be next :)

Wedding Venue Madness Part 1

I guess I should start blogging about wedding planning! Three weeks ago we visited a venue called Adaumont farm in Thomasville, NC. It was amazing, beautiful and was exactly what I imagined for my wedding. It was the first venue that we had explored and Justin felt that it was important to see the others even though I was ready to sign on the dotted line that day!

 I had the last weekend of July set up as the "venue weekend."  I found all the venues between Winston and Asheville that interested both my  mom and I and had them booked to perfection.  Justin then nixed a few (which now I am glad that he did!) and reduced our list from 9(!) to 6.  Our stop Friday got cancelled so we had some extra time to load up the extra washing machine that has been taking up crazy amounts of space in our tiny garage and schlep it to Hickory.  Picking up Laurie on the way we picked up the dinner of champions (Bojo's) and were on our way to Hickory. The next morning we woke up to monsoon weather.  Our first stop was in Hickory to the Mostellar Mansion.  It is a beautiful house but we would have had to break up our guests into 3 separate dining rooms and we felt that wasn't sufficient. Though the manager is a great friend of the family so it was a hard choice not to go with this venue- if anyone is having a smaller wedding I highly recommend this venue! Then we were off to Asheville with the first stop being The Crest Center and Pavilion   The weather had cleared up and was gorgeous by the time we got up there.  The place was very pretty and the views were fantastic.  It just didn't really speak to us. The people seemed very nice and easy to work with.

The ceremony site was beautiful and had a great view! I really am a mountain girl at heart!

The next stop was the Biltmore. I was expected to be and was BLOWN AWAY.  I loved these venues! There were three that would work for our numbers, Lionscrest, Deerpark, and Diana. First up was Lionscrest which had a beautiful ceremony site (inside so no rain plan needed!) and a great outdoor place for the cocktail hour and then a very pretty place for the reception.  It felt great. Good friends Jason and Katie got married here last October and loved this venue.

Then we were off to Deerpark. This venue is a square building with a courtyard in the center of the site.  It was beautiful but I had a hard time invisioning the guests being in a C shape around the courtyard. 

The ceremony site of this venue was BREATHTAKING! I loved it very much.

Diana was pretty - it was a blank slate because the tent was not furnished at the time of us looking at it, but the view was great!

Justin and I with the view from Diana in the background.

We left the Biltmore excited and thought that we found a really big contender for Adaumont farm. The consensus was that we all loved Lionscrest the most.  After this venue it was off to Brown Mountain Beach Resort. This place was about an hour away from our house in Hickory. It is adjacent to a campground and would really be a weekend getaway for the whole family and bridal party. Small cabins come with the property and most people get married on the "beach." The Beach is actually the bank of a river that courses through the property.  Unfortunately all that rain I talked about earlier- they got it too and the beach was non-existent. The river that is actually a shallow calm body of water on normal days looked like a great place to go white water rafting that day! 

I loved the place but it was a bit too rustic for Justin and Mom. Which to be fair it was a complete 180 from Biltmore to this.  I always thought I wanted a very rustic wedding with a fun weekend camping adventure.  So this fit right in for what I always thought I wanted.  I realized though I couldn't imagine Justin getting married here. Which as you will see later was the case with me and another venue on Sunday. So I moved on and we left the first day of the venue hunt with our top choices being Biltmore and Adaumont.