Apricot Fold-Ups

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe after I raved over them at Christmas... You can use any kind of jam or preserves, I will eventually be experimenting with different flavors but the apricot ones were sooo good I stuck with the original :) 

Also, some sanding sugar may be yummy sprinkled on top of the glaze... Just an idea. More pictures to come once I get my old digital Casio up and running again (it needs a charge).

Jane's Apricot Fold-Ups
for dough:
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
8 oz cream cheese, barely softened (just enough to cut into dough)
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled
1 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp white vinegar
few drops (seriously!) almond extract

 filling: your choice of preserves (apricot) or spreadable fruit, at least 8 oz.
(I used St. Dalfour's Thick Apricot Spread, 10 oz.)

for glaze:
3/4 cups powdered sugar
approximately 1 Tbsp water



In a large bowl, combine flour and salt with a whisk. Cut in cream cheese and butter with a pastry blender until the dough resembles coarse meal. (*Note: I used a food processor; the pastry blender is the method my mother-in-law uses). Add milk, vinegar, & almond extract and mix until just combined, then turn out dough onto Silpat or floured surface. Work dough with hands until the dough holds together. Cut into four equal balls, then wrap individually in waxed paper. Chill for at least 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 400 deg. F. When dough is chilled, take out one ball at a time and roll into a rectangle on a Silpat or floured surface. Cut into 1 1/2 - 2 inch squares (this is really just personal preference, the bigger the square the more filling each can hold). Drop a tiny amount (1-2 tsp, depending on the size of the squares) of your chosen filling in the center of each square, then pull the corners of the square together in the middle and lightly push down.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment paper for 15 minutes, or until tops of the fold-ups are golden brown. While waiting for them to bake, place parchment paper under cooling racks and prepare glaze. Once they're done, place fold-ups on cooling racks. Drizzle with glaze while they're still warm! Enjoy :)

We're Back!! (For real this time)

I can't believe it has been a year since my last post... I'm so sorry! After the wedding festivities, I started nursing school and have been going full-speed ever since. That's not to say that I haven't had SOME free time, but... Just wanted to let y'all know that, while I am already back in school for the spring, I need some sort of outlet for "non-school" activities. So I made updating the blog an unofficial New Year's resolution... I haven't broadcast this fact, as I've been trying to feel out what my schedule will be like during school. As of now, I have committed to posting at least once a month, if not more. And... *drumroll*... I have a recipe I will be uploading now! With the weather so cold, I have to bake in my spare time... My mother-in-law made some incredible treats over the holidays, so I will be trying out some recipes she gave me. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did/do/will!!

So, without further ado, we are transitioning our wedding blog into a Johnston family/baking/foodie blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Hotel & Parking Info. for Greenville Reception

We realize that most of our guests have visited downtown Greenville before. But for those of you that haven't, it may seem a little daunting. Not so! Check out the info. we have put together for you here, and if you have any questions please don't hesitate to email or call me or Tony.


Hotels Nearby
There are a ton of places to stay in Greenville - many within walking distance to our reception venue - listed here are all the downtown hotels. (Unfortunately, because our event isn't being held at a hotel we couldn't get any discounts. But, to be sure, there are many places in Greenville that will suit everyone's budget!). For reference, Overlook Grill's address is 601 South Main Street, Greenville, SC 29601.


Hampton Inn & Suites: Greenville Downtown at RiverPlace is a beautiful hotel located on the Reedy River - it's the closest hotel to Overlook Grill. We've never stayed there, but have had the pleasure of eating at their restaurant, The Lazy Goat. YUM!


The next closest hotels include Courtyard Marriott Greenville Downtown and the Westin Poinsett Hotel. The Westin is more of a boutique hotel, so it's a bit pricier usually. One of our favorite downtown restaurants, The Nose Dive Gastropub, can be found right around the corner from their valet :)


Hyatt Regency Greenville is one of our favorite hotels to stay in when we've needed a place to crash downtown; however, though it is a couple blocks further down the road, Downtown Greenville's Holiday Inn Express was a pretty great place to stay too!


Downtown Parking

Below, we've mapped out the city parking garages closest to Overlook Grill... They're free on the weekends, so there are no worries there! Of course, you could always peruse Main Street and the other roads surrounding Falls Park for a spot... These are free on the weekends too, but some have time limits. Just keep an eye out for the signs; we want everyone to have a fun, stress-free evening with no parking tickets!

(The red marker is Overlook Grill's approximate location in Falls Park. Click to enlarge.)

Also, check out City of Greenville's Visitor's Guide... Depending on how long you're planning on being in town, there are all sorts of things to do and see!






Last, but not least, here is a link to an old post linking to our registries... All registries can be found by searching under either Tony's name or my maiden name, or the date of the RECEPTION (not our vow ceremony!): June 3, 2012 in Greenville, SC. Our Target Registry ID is 013399700525023

Reception Invites Being Sent!

Just a heads-up on a few things, as we are mailing out reception invitations tomorrow and bridal shower invites have now been sent and received by many of you...


I realize that our registries (with Target, especially) are out-of-date and incomplete. I will be going to our local Target this Tuesday to bulk it up. Bear with us, please!


I will be updating the blog in a MAJOR way towards the end of the week, with travel info. (hotel recommendations, reception parking, etc.), and more details about the reception. Until then, if you have any questions that need to be answered just email me!


I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend, and we're getting super-excited as we draw nearer to our celebrations with you! We hope you are too :)

Meet Zeus Johnston!

Those ears... !!

 This past Saturday, Tony and I adopted a sweet little Corgi/Australian Shepherd/?? mix from Greenville Humane Society. His name is Zeus, he's a few days over two months old, and he is absolutely adorable. While we've talked about our "dream dog" breeds before, and may want to adopt/buy Frenchies and Goldens somewhere down the road, we really hit the jackpot with this little guy - Zeus is such a good boy!!! And besides, we've always said we would rather adopt a shelter/rescue dog as long and (s)he was young enough for us to train ourselves. 

Zeus has warmed up to us quickly, and is a very fast learner. He's quickly learned to "crate up" at night, has only had a couple accidents inside, and will do his best to walk up and down steps with his cute, stubby legs! We had a bit of a scare on the first full day we had him home - I went to take him outside, and as Zeus was rolling in the grass I noticed that he had eaten away the medical glue keeping him from getting at the stitches over his neuter site. We had to take him to the Animal Emergency Clinic on Sunday morning, and Zeus got staples and an e-collar :(  He is not happy about the collar, but luckily he'll be able to take it off tomorrow after his staples are removed. 

Here, I am taking pity on him when he can't get to the treat (peanut butter) inside his Kong chew toy... We can't wait to get that collar off him!

More on Zeus is soon to come... I just wanted to introduce the new addition to our family! 

Welcome, Zeus :)

We've Missed You!

My apologies for not blogging in... Wow, in months! We're really sorry, and hope you haven't missed us too much ;) But we have missed you!

Needless to say, Tony and I have been very busy as of late (what's new?!). Well, actually, there is some news y'all may not be aware of... As planned, Tony moved to Greenville in early July; his MBA classes are held at Clemson's Downtown Greenville campus (right across the suspension bridge from Overlook Grill!).  What was not planned was MY move to Greenville... In early August. I will explain.

After some undeniable enlightenment, and with building concerns for my well-being (and that of my future marriage!), I chose to withdraw from MUSC and am now pursuing the same goal of taking the utmost care of my patients... Just via different means. I have been so deeply impacted by my work in the Neuroscience TRU's I've had the good fortune of affiliating with while at MUSC, I've had a hard time trying to come to terms with being unable to run clinical trials in the future. So I'm coming back to Clemson to pursue that facet of medicine that means so much to me - and so much to patients with (presently) incurable diseases! So, that being said, here's my new career path: I hope to be accepted to CU's Accelerated 2nd Degree BSN (Bachelor's in Nursing) Program, starting next fall. In the meantime, I'll be doing some work with Greenville Hospital System (where I first forayed into clinical research), working, and taking a few prerequisites in the spring. (Who knew that my health education at MUSC wouldn't be enough to cover nutrition, psychology, etc? Oh well, I never did take Statistics... And Anatomy/Physiology is transferring credit at least!).

From there, I may get a Master's at Clemson and become a certified Nurse Practitioner, but the ultimate goal is to get an MSCR (Master of Science in Clinical Research). The great news is: CU's Nursing classes take place at their Greenville campus on Pleasantburg Dr. - less than 10 minutes from our apartment! (Oh yeah, if you hadn't figured it out already, I moved into Tony's apartment). If this is your first time hearing this news, I hope you don't take it personally that I hadn't already told you... It has truly been a whirlwind to get my ducks in a row in such a short span of time! (Without incurring more student loans).

Tony starts classes this coming Monday; I continue to get settled into the new place until I begin working soon. All the while, we're working on squaring away wedding details (travel arrangements for us & our photographers, save-the-dates, etc.). We hope to be sending our guests correspondence within the next couple weeks! So be on the lookout :)

We'll keep you posted on our academic endeavors (borrrring) and wedding details (woohoo!) as we figure things out!

A pic of our apartment complex in Greenville.

Post-Elopement Reception is BOOKED!!!

Official Save-the-Date!  (click to enlarge)

This past week, while I have a small break from rotations, Tony and I took a day trip to Greenville, where we met with the lovely staff at Overlook Grill to discuss a possible reception using their facilities. This restaurant is where we had our first date - needless to say, it was magical! After a brief talk concerning the details (we'll not bore you with that!), it was decided - we're having a cocktail & heavy hors d'oeuvres reception with the Overlook Grill (located within Falls Park on the Reedy River)! It will be held on June 3, 2012... Just a few days after Tony and I return from our nuptials/honeymoon in Puerto Rico!

   

We also visited Skatell's Jewelers to get to work on a custom wedding band to fit my beautiful, unique engagement ring (I never get tired of showing it off - see below!). I had to leave my gorgeous ring with the jeweler, which made me a little sad... I keep freaking out when I realize it's not there! But I'll have it back in a few days :)

Stay tuned for more wedding details - including where to stay, park, etc. as our most special wedding guests!! Love to all,

Nicole

Confession

I have been very selfish as of late, worrying about the future and the "what if's?"... While I don't believe that I take most things for granted, I have not taken the time to tell everyone who's in my "support system" how much they mean to me. I have put the world on my own shoulders, taking your blessings and confidence in my talents in vain. I am so sorry.

To my family, especially my future husband Tony, thank you for doing your best to keep me from losing my mind. I don't even want to think about where I may be today if it weren't for you! And, I want to say that I'm sorry for not always being grateful for today and how wonderful life is at this very moment; I have been trying so hard to stop worrying for the future, that there are greater powers who have wonderful plans for me (my friendship/relationship with Tony is undeniable proof of this!). I am going to put my worries out there and let the universe take care of them; God knows I have done my part, as have all of you, to get here, to this very point in time. I am finally taking that leap of faith and entrusting my troubles to the Powers That Be. And this (truly, finally) gives me great peace and an overwhelming feeling of the love I have from you all. I hope you feel it coming right back to you, today and every day!

Happy Easter, everyone :)

Thoughts of the Day

You have had the pleasure of reading some wonderful and sweet writing from Nicole so I figured it was time to add something myself. First off, you will have to excuse the writing style as Nicole is much more eloquent than me. I have been thinking for the past couple days what I wanted to write about and I have decided to take this opportunity to brag about my future wife.

I believe with all my heart that my future wife is the most amazing, kind, beautiful, and intelligent person (that’s person, not just woman) in the world. I have thought these things for a long time but she seems to constantly do things to remind me of how wonderful she is.

The months of November and December are fairly busy for the both of us because our birthdays, anniversary, and Christmas all occur in that span. We are poor medical and graduate students so we have taken to the tradition of a “birthaversmas” gift- yep that’s exactly what you think it is, a combination of birthday, anniversary, and Christmas- the name was her idea by the way. So for birthaversmas a year and a half ago, Nicole got me a homebrewing kit. Now for a beer loving chemical engineer, there isn’t a better gift on this planet. To this day one of my favorite things to do is to brew a batch of beer with my future wife.

I can continue to write things she does every day to make me a happy man but I would be writing for a long time and I have a thesis to work on eventually. I do, however, have one more quick story to share, a story about a seagull. Nicole and I took a trip to Islamorada, Florida and Old San Juan, Puerto Rico to check out a couple of potential spots for our wedding. We were about to leave Islamorada to head to Puerto Rico but wanted to make a quick stop at the place we had eaten the night before to see it in the daytime. We were walking by the water when we noticed some splashing right off the shore. Nicole saw what appeared to be an injured seagull and instantly was taking off her shoes and wading into cold water to save this bird. Now let me add this, Nicole does not like seagulls at all and definitely is not a fan of cold water but she instantly disregarded whatever hesitations she had for a single seagull. Some of you may have had a moment in life that verifies every decision you have made in the past, well this was that type of moment for me. If this woman is willing to do this for a random seagull, I can’t even imagine what she would do for me. By the way, we were able to remove a fishing hook from the seagull’s wing and it flew away just fine.

Needless to say, I cannot believe how lucky I am to have found such an amazing woman. I mean, wouldn’t you marry the woman I described above because that is who she is every day. Besides, she is all mine so you have to go find your own.

Tony

Some Big News!!

After months of silence, we have a couple big announcements to make... First, though, we apologize that it has been SO long since our last post (Christmas!). While there is no valid excuse, Tony and I have been pretty busy in school! He's hoping to finish his thesis by the end of summer... I know he will :) After his thesis is written and he's officially done with the Environmental Engineering Dept. at CU, he'll be moving to Greenville to finish his last year of grad school: MBA! I'm sorry for rambling so much, I'm just so proud...!

So, onto our announcements... First, we have decided to get married in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico!! We fell in LOVE with the city in the mere two days we were there, and after spending a couple days we found it: "Our Spot". It is a lovely overlook along Old San Juan's La Muralla (City Wall), and what a beautiful view it is! We absolutely can't wait to stand up there on The Big Day, just the two of us and our witnesses...

Which leads me to our next big announcement: We are eloping! (But not in the "Vegas fashion"!) Our ceremony will be as meticulously planned out as any other; the main difference being that our wonderful photographers, Craig & Lindsey Mahaffey of Sposa Bella Photography, will be our only two witnesses. Add in the officiant, and there will be five of us total... Oh, but let's not forget the guards who will ensure our privacy at this historic location. You get the idea. It is going to be perfect, because it is just us!

Don't get me wrong - Tony and I love our families sososo much, and we can't wait to celebrate with everyone when we get home! We'll be having two receptions - one in Greenville, SC and the other in OH (where Tony's family now resides); these will be held in the weeks after our honeymoon.

I think most happy, closer-than close couples would understand our reasons completely after walking around this beautifully-preserved, romantic city. As we spent more time in Old San Juan and met more people both in our hotel and along the streets, we knew this was where we were getting married. It was such an amazing experience (and in less than two days!), we could only dream of how special and intimate our experience of a lifetime would be if it were just us. And so that's what we're doing! Starting our married life as just the two of us... So happy and new, as getting married should be.

So while we hope you are so happy for us that we've discovered exactly what we want our wedding to be, we are sorry if it does not make you happy. We've told our families and close friends, and they're absolutely thrilled... And we'd love to hear what you have to say, as long as it is respectful of our plans. Eloping is certainly not for everyone, but it is perfect for us. Thanks for reading!

Nicole & Tony

t minus 1 year, 47 days... Feel free to visit our Registries!   ;)

Merry Christmas from The Johnstons!

 This kitteh looks like my Tigg! (Except Tigg looks part-mountain lion!).

Hi there! Just wanted to write a quick note to wish everyone happy holidays, and a Happy New Year (in case we don't get a chance to update again between now and then). Tony and I have been in Columbus, Ohio since last Sunday, visiting his parents and sister, Sarah. Despite the extreme change in temperature (for me!), it has been SO much fun! As soon as we walked in the door the golden retrievers, Indi and Solomon, greeted us with wagging tails and happy whines that, when professionally interpreted, mean "Where have you been, Tony?? We're so happy you're home!!" I would love to be greeted like that every day when I come home... Someday soon :)

We've all been hanging out at the house mostly, except for a few trips out to the store and whatnot. Earlier this week, Tony took me, Sarah, and her boyfriend Sam to eat at The Cheesecake Factory - yum! Another night, Sarah and I went to see Black Swan (my treat, since I didn't have to torture Tony with watching it), and may I say that it is a GREAT movie! I want to see it again and again. The next day, everyone but Jane (Tony's mom) went to see True Grit - another good movie, especially for a remake of an old Western. Here are the movie trailers, so you can envy our cinematic pleasure!

Black Swan:

Go. See. It. Now. STAT.

True Grit:

Today we drove up to Cleveland for most of the day, after we opened presents and ate breakfast at home. We visited with Jane's side of the family, and later we went to see Tony's godmother, Janet, and her husband Lenny. It was my first time meeting them - they are so sweet! I have felt very much at home the whole week I've been here.

We drive back to SC tomorrow, so we can have a day of recuperation before our trip to visit potential wedding venues!! We'll make our first stop in Miami, driving down to Islamorada for a day; the following day, we'll visit with the wedding planner at Cheeca Lodge & Spa before flying down to Puerto Rico! We'll be in Old San Juan for two days, and will talk with the fantastic folks at Hotel El Convento before flying back home on New Year's Eve. Now you know why we may not post again before we ring in 2011! However, we'll be sure to take pictures and let you know how our tropical trip goes - we'll soon know where we'll be getting married! We can't wait :)

Registry

As our wedding website is always under construction, Tony and I thought it may be a good idea to post a link to our website, and stand-alone links to our registries. Obviously, this is primarily being set up for our families, but anyone who reads our blog is welcome to check out our wedding website! We will be going on a four-day trip at the end of the month to check out a couple venues in Islamorada, FL and Old San Juan, Puerto Rico, so be looking for updates to the website soon!

PS - We are indeed poor graduate students, and anyone is welcome to buy gift cards rather than items from our registries. Tony has mentioned that gift cards from Home Depot or Sears would be nice (to add to his manly tool collection!), but we'll take what we can get! Love you all :)

Our Future Family...

I had to share this adorable video with anyone out there who is reading. I dream of what our "family" will be someday... After we're married, I want a French Bulldog (preferably cream-colored, but they're so cute I probably won't care when the day comes!), and Tony wants a Golden Retriever. Thus, the relevancy of this post! Sir Hamilton Wesley Wigglebottom has been entertaining me for months... And Tony as well, when he is witness to my watching his videos :)

For Tony:

Annnd, last but not least, one of our favorite shots from our fantastic engagement photo shoot by Sposa Bella Photography!

So, there you have it... A preview of our future family, just for fun!

We're Getting Married!!

I was in the middle of studying for my Medical Licensing Board Exam when Tony thought it was time for a much-needed break for both of us - he is currently writing his Master's Thesis. He found out that one of our favorite bands, The Hold Steady, was playing in Savannah, GA and we decided to make a long-weekend trip out of it.

He came to see me in Charleston, SC (where I go to medical school), and the first night he was in town we went to Fleet Landing, an old favorite of ours on the Charleston Waterfront. After a delicious dinner, we went for a walk through Waterfront Park and the Charleston Battery... After we were away from the crowds, Tony whispered some sweet words in my ear, and proceeded to get down on one knee!

Needless to say, I breathlessly said yes, and don't remember much else! It was the perfect surprise... And everyone was in on it except me!

After I regained my composure, we walked through Downtown Charleston to The Griffon to celebrate, and to document the historical event - our engagement date will be forever emblazoned on their infamous tavern walls! 

It will be a night we remember forever - 5.24.10 - ∞

Between Two Lungs

My handsome hunny and me, Alhambra 2010

Perfectly Imperfect

In Clemson, SC, the weather is always beautiful; lush trees, blossoming greenery and strong architecture abound on the beautiful campus, and the trend continues as it blends into historic downtown. But this day was especially great... Which, sadly, I can only say now in hindsight. How I wish I had realized at the time that I was living the life! I was finishing up my senior year at Clemson University, planned on moving to Charleston by the end of the year to pursue my dreams of becoming a doctor, and had just avoided major heartbreak.

Rather than see this as the lucky day that it was, my entire senior year in college was a time of turmoil and licking wounds. My grandfather, the one strong and steady male role model in my life, died suddenly in an accident; I had left a three-year relationship after too long a period of tolerating emotional abuse, and didn't see myself ever committing myself to someone again. I had never had such difficulty seeing the forest for the trees and my perspective was so clouded that, at that moment in time, I couldn't see the true blessing God had set in my path.

March 17, 2007 was the day I met my best friend. We may not have known it at the time, but we have been working on healing each others hearts since that very moment in time. We instantly became friends, and though some personal obstacles stood in our way, we always knew deep down inside that we would be a special part of each other's lives.

So, for almost two years we got to know each other and become the best of friends amongst a common social circle. My best girlfriend from college was dating one of his roommates, he occasionally visited our friends in Charleston and would be sure to let me know he was in my neck of the woods, etc. etc. Yeah yeah, so we knew we were right for each other eons ago - why did we wait so long to be together, as a couple, as one?

Let me explain briefly - my future husband is not only my best friend, he is everyone's best friend. Sometimes too good of a friend (but that may just be me, because I'm a wee-bit protective of my loves in life). And, out of respect for our friends, he waited patiently for the right moment to come along before he finally asked me on our first date.

Unfortunately, "finally" came during my first semester of medical school. To be completely honest, I wouldn't have accepted an invitation to dinner from any other man at that time in my life! And we are now almost a year and a half into the rest of our lives, over three years of knowing each other, and though times get tough we couldn't be happier (unless we could possibly be less than four hours away from each other... That would be nice).

But we ARE four hours apart from each other, and there is nothing we can do about it at the moment. He's still in Clemson, receiving his BS in Chemical Engineering last spring and is now working on his Master's in Environmental Engineering and an MBA, and I am accomplishing what I have dreamt of since I was a little girl - becoming a doctor to better the lives of my patients. We won't be able to be together, in the same place, until we graduate in 2012. We didn't plan it out to happen so "perfectly imperfectly", but it is our lives. And this is our story.

I don't think I am so self-important that I deserve a blog with hundreds of followers. This is really something I've wanted to do for the two of us, to document the happenings of what is ours at the moment. Being four hours apart takes its toll on a relationship, and I don't want us to ever forget why we're tolerating these circumstances for the time being... And, in a world full of skeptics, I want it to be known that true love does still exist in the real world. Outside of movies, outside of novels, our story is true and, to most people, relatively unremarkable. I may be biased, but I believe it is truly wonderful!

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being 'in love', which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident." 

- St. Augustine