black tap coffee

for my last post about charleston (see part 1 and part 2!), i just had to share this adorable coffee shop. these friends recommended we try it out next time we were in charleston, and i have to say we will certainly be going back next time!

we were able to walk to black tap from where we were staying, and didn't hold back once we got there. i had the cold-brew iced coffee (so so good), ryan had a chocolate chip cookie with milk, and some lemongrass mint iced tea. i loved the jug of cucumber water and the homemade simple syrup to add to the drinks. the shop itself is very simply decorated, and makes you want to stay awhile.

thanks black tap, we'll see you again soon!

scenes from charleston

charleston is one of my favorite cities, and while we were in town for kate & paul's wedding this past weekend, we got to stroll around looking at pretty houses and go on a boat ride.

gorgeous southern homes with big front porches, colonial lake, and gorgeous broad street.

walking to the boat, sailboats in the harbor, fort sumter, the cooper river bridge in the distance, and pirate ships.

this town always puts a smile on my face!

kate & paul's wedding

what an amazing weekend. i am so glad i have some photos to help me describe how lovely the past couple days were, because words just wouldn't be enough!

champagne and white wine to welcome the guests at the reception; pretty roses and peonies in shades of pink and white; beautiful porches added to the charm of the william aiken house; a 3-man band to start the party; picturesque white pergola/vine-covered bring wall backdrop; guests entering the reception and heading to the cute bar (with an hor d'oeuvre menu written on an old window pane); and hanging lanterns/globe lights near the band.

kelly, kristin, and i at the reception; the mcafee family; the gibson family (our generous hosts/hostesses for the weekend); ryan/me and kristin/walker; hope/katie and eilidh/lucy (kate's childhood friends from belgium!); brett, turner, & ryan; cheeky cocktail napkins.

wedding party candids (how beautiful is the bride?!)

mr. parks' (father of the bride) speech to the newlyweds; i couldn't get enough of the beautiful flowers everywhere; pretty wedding cakes (and a birthday cake for kate's brother); the birthday boy toasting kate & paul; cake cutting!

father-daughter dance; the groom with brett and walker; some of the salvagable candids that ryan sneakily took while we were all dancing.

the happy couple and their sparkler sendoff!

sorry for the long post, but these were my favorites of the 200ish photos from their wedding night (!). kate & paul, i wish you nothing but the best on your newly married journey! love you both!

happy weekend!

happy friday! we are heading to charleston this afternoon to celebrate kate and paul's wedding (remember this bachelorette weekend in dc?) i can't wait to see the beautiful bride-to-be and share in all the love over the next few days. hooray for wedding season! (p.s. the above picture is from the night they got engaged :)

a few links for your weekend:

the cutest baby eyebrows.

sweet words to tell your loved ones every day.

these popsicles are definitely on my list to make this summer.

an entrancing video, choreographed perfectly.

aran's cookbook is available for pre-order! (i can't wait for this workshop in august :)

i somehow just found out about justin timberlake attending the marine corps ball last november, he's so great.

loving these two maxi skirt looks.

some words to live by that ring very true.

a few more sweet gifts for mother's day, two days away now!

i hope you have a lovely weekend!

strawberry crisp

a little while back i shared my favorite dessert here on the blog, and this past weekend i made a spring/summer version of it... with strawberries! truth be told, i wanted to make a strawberry-rhubarb crisp, but the grocery store didn't have any rhubarb. i'll definitely make it sometime and share the results! (i've never cooked with rhubarb, but i've heard good things :)

i made one large crisp instead of the individual-sized portions, and it turned out great. the recipe was very similar to the apple crisp, but i'll share it here as some proportions changed due to the size of the baking dish.

fresh strawberry crisp

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries, stems removed, hulled, and roughly chopped
• zest of one orange
• juice of 1/2 orange
• 2 cups quick-cooking oats (not instant)
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• pinch salt

preheat oven to 350 degrees. toss strawberries with the orange juice and zest in a bowl, and transfer to a round baking dish.

in a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients until no large clumps of butter remain. sprinkle the topping evenly over the strawberries.

bake for 35-40 minutes. serve with vanilla ice cream on the side, and enjoy!

serves 6-8.