NC Bound: Ale's Wedding

This past weekend, one of my childhood friends got married!  It is so hard to believe that little Ale is all grown-up and married.  I have known Ale since I was in 1st or 2nd grade (she is 2 years younger), we grew up together and our families have always been very close.  Ale's family is also from Costa Rica and I still remember when our families were the only hispanic families in Lincolnton... boy was that a long time ago!  I saw Ale a few times when she was at UNC Wilmington and I was at Chapel Hill but we didn't get to see each other very often so in my mind she was still "little Ale."  I am so happy for her and Lee - getting to start their lives together and live in their favorite place, the mountains!  I am clearly an advocate for marriage as I have enjoyed mine so much thus far :) I am also extremely excited for Caroline Ranghel or should I say, Mr. and Mrs. Ashley Blake for tying the knot this weekend too!  Unfortunately I could not be in two places at once and had to miss Caroline's wedding but I know she looked stunning and had a perfect wedding in Raleigh, NC. 

Ale & Lee's wedding was the epitome of a beautiful fall wedding.  They got married at Lee's parent's mountain house in Grassy Creek, NC overlooking the beautifully orange, red, and brown leaved trees.  Ale looked stunning in her gorgeous gown and her & Lee wore orange Chacos for the wedding.  The cool, crisp air of fall surrounded them as they danced together for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Lee Warden.  Perfect for a NC wedding (best BBQ = NC BBQ) they served BBQ, green beans, & cole slaw for dinner with pumpkin beer!  It was all too cute.  Congratulations Ale & Lee!!

My mother and husband accompanied me to the wedding and I got to catch up with one of my best friends from high school, Alex Mullen and his girlfriend, Nicole Sykes.  It was great to see some old familiar faces from Lincolnton there and also enjoy the beautiful scenery.  I am so thankful to Jon for willingly driving 8+ hours there and 8+ hours home for me to get to attend Ale's wedding.  Luckily, Lincolnton was on the way so we were able to stop and visit with my family some and break up the drive.  Clearly this is not enough time for me to consider it a "trip home" so I will be arranging another trip to NC soon :-)

During the short time we had in Lincolnton - we managed to eat mama's chuletas, gallo pinto, and empanadas and dad cooked us up some delicious kabobs before we left on Sunday!  Per usual, our trip was concluded with a dose of cafe con (tico) pan.  My parents, without fail, pick up baked Costa Rican goodies from the Costa Rican bakery (Tico Pan) every time we are in town and we delight in these with a cup of coffee.  We also ate some yummy Spiced Pumpkin Bread I made to try out a new recipe and it was tasty!
Lastly, I'd like to note that on our way home, we got gas for $2.86 in South Carolina!  Yes, exit 75 in Spartenburg!  Come on, GA, let's see you match SC's prices...

Beautiful Ale!

Jon & I with the sun in our eyes