URL Changing

Hey yall!! So remember that time that I said I was trying something new? Well, I still am, but I am now taking back the Follow the Ruels name!

Starting next week find me over at www.followtheruels.com. In a couple more weeks, I will be forwarding all traffic from this site to the new one.

I will also be transferring my Bloglovin profile over to the new site. My Twitter & Pinterest will stay the same.

Check out more details as well as a potential giveaway on Monday!!

Perfect

Don't think I have completely forgotten about you. I haven't! I have just been working. Trying to make that money to pay the bills. You know how it is. But I wanted to share our wedding video with you guys since some of you have been around since we first started planning our wedding. Even though I was there...I kind of went by in a blur, so the video has been a nice way to remember all those little details!

The whole video is 25 minutes long, so you probably don't want to watch the whole thing. But I do have some favorite moments, which I have listed below. Also, don't mind the excessive awkwardness. While I am typically fairly awkward on a daily basis, I feel like the pre-ceremony nerves and the post-ceremony alcohol (I gave up drinking the month of, so a little went a long way) really amplified things.


The Wedding of Lindsey & Billy from Meurer Image Photography on Vimeo.

1:09 Me thinking: "Wait, don't grab your boobs, people are filming this."
3:26 B's dad showing him how to tie a tie....even thought B knows exactly what he is doing.
4:40 Our freaking adorable ring bearer who totally crushed it.
5:13 B totally not crying, because he is a man and he would never cry.
5:28 Me desperately trying not to cry...or throw up (y'all, I was freaking nervous - just ask my dad).
5:54 The sail boat going by as we prayed. My eyes were closed so I totally missed that, but it is perfectly San Diego.
9:15 B and I flubbing our ring exchange, which was then followed by our pastor saying "let me pray for you two". We need it.
9:57 The foot pop.
12:02 Our first dance, and B cutting the tension by being silly, as usual.
Lots of dancing.....
18:18 The cake cutting.
More dancing.....
23:31 Me and my best girl friends dancing and singing at the top of our lungs to Katy Perry's Roar....and B's dad just also dancing and singing at the top of his lungs.
24:52 At the end of the last dance, me saying to B, "We made it."

We made it!!

Also, just in case you are wondering, the music used in this video were all songs we used throughout the wedding day:
1. At Last by Etta James - our last dance song
2. Perfect by John McLaughlin - the song we walked back down the aisle to
3. Canon in D - the song I walked down the aisle to
4. You are the Best Thing by Ray LaMontagne - the song we played for the wedding party entrance to the reception
5. Hold You in my Arms by Ray LaMontagne - our first dance song
....then some random dancing music....

For Sale

About a year ago I wanted to be able to take better pictures for the blog but didn't want spend an arm and a leg on a brand new DSLR camera. After doing tons of research, I ended up purchasing the Sony NEX-5N camera, which is essentially a DSLR camera in a more compact body. It has allowed me to take some great pictures and learn the basics of photography, plus it's was easy to tote around! I have really loved using it but it's time for me to take the DSLR plunge as I get a little more serious in my photography.

The camera still works great. I have had no problems with it at all. It comes with the case, USB cord, flash (which is held is a small case on the strap), and instruction manual.

I am happy to ship it directly to you if you are interested in purchasing it. Feel free to do your own research on the camera and email me if you have any questions.

Asking price: $400 OBO (which includes shipping)

Favorite Moments from 2013

B asked me the other day what my favorite moments were of the past. Of course the wedding and honeymoon were up high on the list, but I had to think a little to come up with all 5. After some reflection, I think I came up with a pretty good list.

Starting at 5....

5. Seeing our new apartment in Charlotte for the first time. We had to sign our lease sight-unseen so we really had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. After a very long day driving across half the country, we pulled into our new "home", and to say we were relieved would be an understatement. It took us a while to really make Charlotte our home, but it has been very good to us this year.

4. Either Baylor winning the Big 12 Championship or Baylor beating OU. Basically, my 4th favorite moment was Baylor's amazing season! I couldn't be prouder!

3. Sitting at a winery in Fredricksberg, TX with some of my best friends in the world for my Bachelorette. There is nothing better than time with good friends who you don't see very often. I had the best time at my bachelorette party and at our last stop we just sat around a table together drinking wine, eating cheese, and chatting. Perfection.

2. Laying on a beach in Aruba with no where else to go and nothing else to do. Our honeymoon was one of the best vacations I have ever been on. And it was exactly what we needed. A nice relaxing week on a beach, reading a good book and drinking cheap beer.

 

1. Standing hand-in-hand with my soon-to-be husband at the wedding alter. I was a nervous wreck before walking down the aisle, but once I got down there and was facing the beautiful San Diego Bay and standind next to B, I was at total peace and completely happy.

 

Happy New Year! What were your favorite moments from 2013?

 

Merry Christmas!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season, spending time with the ones you love.

Spiced Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust

My mom's recipe for cheesecake has been widely request from friends and family over the years. It is her go-to dessert when she wants to impress. And it's no surprise, because it is amazing!

This past weekend, when I volunteered to bring a dessert to our friends Christmas party, I knew this cheesecake would be perfect!

Instead of using sugar cookie dough, like my mom, I used gingersnap cookie crumbs for the crust to make it a little more "Christmas-y". I also added some spices to the batter to compliment the crust.

One new thing I tried was baking the cheesecake in a shallow pan with a little water. This is a trick I learned from Martha Stewart to prevent the cake from cracking on the top, like it is prone to do.

The result is an extra creamy, and a tad bit spicy, cheesecake. And a little bit goes a long way! One small slice is perfectly decadent, so an 8 to 9 inch pan can serve well over 10 people.

Unless you are serving a large crowd of cheesecake lovers, in which case, you may want to make 2.

What is your go-to recipe for the holidays?

White Elephant Gifts

1. Sharknado DVD $10, 2. Moose Drink Cozie $16, 3. Toilet Bowl Coffee Mug $10, 4. Like/Dislike Facebook Stamps $10, 5. Handerpants $5, 6. Soap shaped like food $7, 7.  Thumb Wrestling Ring, $7

I love white elephant parties. And, to be clear, I mean the gift exchange parties where people bring the most asinine gifts. Definitely not those gifts that people can actually use. If you are looking for some pretty awesome and totally useless gifts, ThisIsWhyImBroke.com and Amazon are going to be your best bet. You can find just about anything your weird imagination can dream up.

What is the best White Elephant gift you have received or given?