NUMBER 251

happy friday, friend!!! i'm linking up for five on friday with christina, darci, april, and natasha. [you should too, because these gals are awesome]. let’s begin, shall we?
1  |  TODAY is my mom’s birthdayyyy! my mom is the sweetest person i know and has a southern accent that sounds like she “just fell off the turnip truck” –as my dad says. if you’re in town, you’re welcome to stop by and tell her happy bday. she’d like that. tomorrow, she and big john are headed into town to celebrate! plans include: getting our hair beautified at t.reid, dinner at cajun queen, and drinking my dad’s home-brewed keg beer all.weekend.long. whew! happy birthday, indeed! in lieu of a birthday cake, i'm planning on making a lemonade pie….with a candle on top. alltogethernow:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

2  |  my new fancy curling iron arrived on tuesday! i've been prepping for this occasion by watching as many youtube tutorials as humanly possible. i think it’s paying off. and in case you were wondering, i'm getting really good at snapchat seflies. you’re welcome.
3  |  cookie butter. it happened. as andrew so eloquently put it, “i'm gonna demolish this whole jar on the way to get another jar at trader joes.” i'm eating it now, and i'm not ashamed to say it.
4  |  there are weeks when i really have my ish together and make meal plans and adorable printables. and then there are weeks when i go to the grocery store 3 times and we have turkey burgers with eggs on them and it rocks.
5  |  i just got even more excited about this top from target, for the fact that it’s $18 online, but i scored it for $5 in-store wednesday. naturally, i sported it to work yesterday and it might be my new favorite. it’s super soft, long enough to cover my booty, and it’s got shoulder studs which automatically make me a badass. no? mk.

HAPPY WEEKEND!

NUMBER 235

zta formals 2007 - back when we were babies.

not too long ago, some of my favorite blog gals did a q&a with their lover-boys. since i'm a big fan of q&a’s, [see my brother’s, here], i thought i’d give the boo a shot:

how long have you been married?
he said: 3 and a half years
she said: 3 years, 7 months [or, if you’re asking me in a conversation, i usually just say “almost 4 years”]

where was your first date?
he said: poor billy’s in blacksburg
she said: poor billy’s in blacksburg, va

where was your first kiss?
he said: in her sorority house bedroom*
she said: in my sorority house

who first said, "i love you"?
he said: i did
she said: he did, at a diner in radford, va

what were your wedding colors?
he said: black, green, and white
she said: black, white, lime

what is her most commonly used phrase?
he said: “it’s okay”*
she said: “i'm hungry”

who is her celebrity crush?
he said: part of me wants to say carrie underwood, another part says ryan gosling
she said: michael buble, jude law

if she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get?
he said: she’d get me a bourbon and coke, she’d get a beer
she said: makers and coke, fat tire

what is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
he said: man, probably the fried chicken
she said: fried chicken

what is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
he said: maybe meatloaf?
she said: meatloaf

what is the most-played song on her ipod?
he said: i know it’s carrie underwood
she said: all american girl – carrie underwood

what would she say is your most annoying habit?
he said: being loud
she said: i can’t think of one [honestly!] maybe his occasional late-night smoke?

what is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
he said: kiss me goodnight*
she said: set the alarm, snugs

if you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
he said: those raggedy socks, the blue ones [the hole-y ones]*
she said: granny panties [i know i’ve got some in there]

what would you say is your favorite thing about her?
he said: her personality or her butt
she said: my smile

what's her go-to drink at starbucks?
he said: chai latte
she said: grande nonfat dirty chai

what's her blog's name?!
he said: our life in the queen city
she said: our life in the queen city

*he was right
i had to dock his points for forgetting mr. buble, but he got a little extra credit with the carrie underwood answer(s). i'd have to say that he definitely gets a 98%. i'm beginning to think he knows me better than i know me – especially with the socks. i love those holey socks.

thanks for playing along, boo! you’re a good sport! xoxo

and another, because you know you love ‘em.

NUMBER 231

did we just have a 3 day weekend? i'm asking because my memory is just a big blur. our memorial day weekend was spent celebrating birthdays, babies, beer, and burritos (actually, all junk food, but burritos fits best here).

friday: i drove down to my parents house to spend the night halfway to danville. i enjoyed some sweet jack snuggles, delicious dinner at lucky 32, did some design work and called it a night around midnight.

saturday: drove down to d-ville with my mom to celebrate my gorgeous mom-to-be bff, lauren. she’s in her 3rd trimester already and, i swear, the gal is in better shape than me. headed back to charlotte saturday evening to nurse my week-long head cold with a tall beer and salad with my boo at big daddy's (i like the old name better).

sunday: up early to celebrate sweet chelsea with brunch at peculiar rabbit and some a moderate amount of day [and night] drinking. oh! and gnarley kitty snugs.

monday: spent the day sleeping until noon, eating fast food, posted up on the couch in front of the tv, vowing to get back in the gym this week, and having my body hate me for the sunday’s activities.

NUMBER 229

i'm back from radio silence to share a project that i worked on over a month ago with sweet sweet lindsay of linsday wynne photography. linsday reached out to me not long ago about a blogger promotion she was hosting and after reading the first sentence of her email, i was hooked! from that point, we scheduled a meet and greet and started gathering our ideas for the shoot. linsday was so awesome throughout the whole process. even though this was totally her idea, she fully indulged my creative side as we started collaborating on a pinterest board to plan the shoot (what a GREAT idea!).

the morning of the shoot, our hair and makeup gal arrived at the house with a suitcase full of tools and we got to primping! i have to say that this was one of my favorite parts - i could watch youtube tutorials on hair and makeup for hours on end, and having someone else do mine on a daily basis would be money well spent! ok ok! now to the good part…

here are just a few of my favorites from the shoot:

thanks so so much, lindsay, for making me feel so beautiful! you truly are an artist and one of a kind! i had a blast doing the shoot and look forward working with you again soon!

i promise not to go another 20 days before i post again!…famous last words

NUMBER 228

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i appreciate you sticking with me in the last few months - my posts have been pretty bare. 4 in the month of april!? eesh.

i was putting together one of those "fluff" posts today, and halfway through, it was TOTALLY evident that it was just that - filler. i think it’s only fair to me and to you, that i wait until i'm truly inspired to write about something legit. deal? until then, i'll keep sharing some happy, lovely new designs.

as a side-note: thank you for the outpouring of support from friends, family, strangers, and especially my husband and for allowing me to do the work i love to do!

NUMBER 226

this past weekend was one of the most fun weekends i've had in a looong time! the older i get, the more i appreciate a low-key weekend with great friends and wonderful family. my dad’s newest hobby is brewing beer, and since he had 2 little kegs ready at the same time, we decided to celebrate a successful brew with a crawfish boil! the weather was gorgeous, the beer was delicious, and the crawdads were spicy – all elements that add up to a perfect afternoon! here are a few of my favorite shots from the shindig:

the eligible bachelor

still alive and pinchin’

this is only a little bit. we had 50lbs of crawdads!

pretty/sweet/awesome lori beth

my handsome husband

sweet sweet charlotte girlfriends, chelsea and kristy
(awesome hurr stylists in charlotte @ t.reid – give ‘em a call!)

oh, and jack got plenty of attention. i promise he's really loving it!

our gracious hosts/the best parents ever

p.s. special thanks to chelsea for letting me steal a bunch of her pics for this post! xoxo

NUMBER 218

today, i'm linking up with sweet whitney over at the observant turtle for her international badge day link up! this week, she's invited bloggers to share their sorority experiences and celebrate greek life!

i knew, way before i started college in the fall of 2003, that i wanted to be in a sorority. one of my older cousins, who i still look up to so very much, joined a sorority in college, and that was all the info i needed to decide that i was going to be in one too. i can still remember my last pref party, late and in the freezing cold - how narrowing it down to 1 choice had been so easy. i had no idea then how much that easy decision would impact the rest of my life. my pledge sisters would eventually become my bridesmaids and my leadership roles would shape me into the woman i am today.

i cannot say enough wonderful things about my experience in zeta tau alpha. i met some of the most important people in my life by joining the greek community at virginia tech. even 6 years after graduation, our tight-knit group has celebrated highest highs and mourned lowest lows together. i wouldn't trade my 4 years at virginia tech for anything, and being in a sorority with these amazing women MADE my college experience.

anti-greek hipsters can make comments like "joining a sorority is just paying for your friends". if i paid for my friends, it's the best investment i've ever made.

for your enjoyment: some vintage snapshots and my ever changing hairstyles.

NUMBER 214

BAH! the last 8 days have been nuts, and i'm feeling incredibly blessed. i've got some big design projects on the horizon, a special giveaway coming up, and a few new pretty things around the wyatt house!

andrew’s parents came to visit last weekend. while andrews mom and i were out shoe shopping and antiquing, the men were knocking holes in the wall….literally. we’ve been staring at electrical wires coming down beside our tv for some time now, and it was beginning to make my eye twitch. we decided that the ideal option for us would be to have a built-in shelf to store the tv receivers, xbox, etc., and since my father-in-law is a contractor, we knew he’d be just the man to do it for us consult.

i'm so incredibly pleased with how it turned out. every time i walk by i can’t help but make a comment like “it looks SO good!” “it’s EXACTLY what i wanted” …etc. the project will be complete once we put a coat of paint her this weekend! thank the good Lord for handy men!

our second pretty present came tuesday night. andrew and i have been a one car family since we moved to charlotte over 2 years ago (wow! i can’t believe it’s been 2 years). not only were we a 1 car family, our 1 car was a 2 door toyota celica that i've had since high school! it was really hot in 2002, trust me! the celi is an unbelievable car, SO reliable, and we still have her (no tears were shed yet!), but this will be a nice luxury that we both can enjoy. we picked up a 2011 jeep grand cherokee on tuesday night and have been joy riding ever since!

hope everyone has had a great week! my dad’s on a business trip in tokyo, so my mom and jack (the dog) decided to make a road trip down for a long weekend to do a little (more) antiquing, paint some more rooms in the house, and do some girl things. can’t wait!

NUMBER 213

please disregard the major mess i'm making while i redesign the blog [again]!

NUMBER 211

tomorrow is valentines day, and i find that most people either really love or really despise the holiday. although i'm incredibly thankful for my valentine (and love receiving something sweet from him this time of year), i'm still on the fence. i don’t find myself itching to go out to a fancy restaurant or send my significant other a lengthy wishlist of luxury items. in years past, we’ve had dinner in and exchanged cards, and i'm expecting (and looking forward to) this year to be no different. the discussion so far has been: to get in a good workout (thinking the gym will be pretty dead), stop somewhere after to get some delicious takeout (tbd), and maybe indulge in a homemade treat for dessert (again…tbd). to me, valentine’s day is about spending time with those who mean the most to you: husbands, parents, girlfriends, close friends – and letting them know that they are appreciated and loved. it doesn’t matter how much you spend, what you wear, or how good you are at writing love letters. what matters most is love… and maybe, chocolate.

NUMBER 207

ok. so this post kind of started out a few months ago as a joke between andrew, my brother (john) and me. “why don’t you just set me up with one of your blog friends” was his request – verbatim. little did they know, that got the wheels turning. so when he received a list of interview questions last week compiled by alex and me, his response was “so this is really happening?” yes, john-boy. this is really happening.

ladies, after a handful of long-term-gone-wrong relationships, my brother is back on the market. and although he’s not rushing to the altar any time soon, he’s agreed to humor me and answer a few questions for inquiring single ladies.

time for a little q&a:

• What’s your most visited website? Barstool Sports
• What’s your favorite make-out song? Usher – Nice & Slow
• If you were forced to watch the same RomCom for the rest of your life, which one would you pick? Wonderlust
• What’s your favorite restaurant in Charlotte? Cowfish
• Have you ever cried during a movie? Yes… multiple times.
• If your life had a theme song, what would it be? Semi Charmed Kind of Life
• If you were stranded on a deserted island, what are 3 things you’d have with you? A Boat, Cooler full of Beer, a Beach chair
• What’s your favorite piece of clothing? Why? My khaki shorts, to show off these great legs.
• What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced? Spraying my college roommate with a fire extinguisher inside our house
• What’s your worst pet peeve? Obnoxiously loud people
• What’s your favorite midnight snack? Anything leftover from dinner in my fridge with chocolate milk
• How many times have you seen The Notebook? 3
• What is your favorite thing about your sister? That she does cool shit like this for me… and has bailed me out of some tight spots. And she one of my best frannns his words, not mine.
• Who is your favorite actress? Why? Natalie Portman. Because she is wifey material!
• What is the best meal you can cook? BBQ Pork Ribs
• This or that?
  • iPhone or Android: IPHONE
  • chicken or steak: Steak
  • boobs or butt: Butt
  • city or country: Country
  • beach or lake: Lake
  • sports car or truck: Sports Car
  • Carrie Underwood or Taylor Swift: Carrie… sad to say. i gather that this was a difficult decision for him.
  • newspaper or books: Books
  • high heels or Toms: Toms
  • Biggie or Tupac: Biggie
  • salty or sweet: Salty
  • long hair or short: Long Hair
  • beer or liquor: Liquor
• If you were an animal, which one would you be and why? Panda, because in China they live the life of a king… and they get to hang out all day long
• Do you know what Pinterest is? Yes.
• Do you have a laundry hamper? How often do you do laundry? Yes. At least once every week and a half
• How long does it take you to get ready? 15 minutes from couch to cab.

some additional deets:
current location: charlotte, south end
gainfully employed
age: 24

and, just so there’s no pressure to deal with the obsessive/crazy/overeager sister, if you complete this form, the info will go straight to john. no need to even comment – unless you really want to, in that case, it’s encouraged!

go ahead, date my bro

NUMBER 201: May Book Review & Giveaway!

so… if you follow me on instagram, which you should (lauraleighwyatt), you know that i scooped up a super cute new planner recently. i first discovered May Designs a while back while perusing my favorite stationery store in charlotte, and i was blown away by their vast collection of adorable patterns, colors, and monograms.

after hearing several great reviews, i decided to start off 2013 with one of my own. after about 3 hours of deliberation, i settled on my design and placed my order. to my surprise, it arrived quicker than i expected – just an added bonus!

you can choose from several different inserts (meal planning, fitness, or a blank notebook), and as you can see, i went with a monthly agenda with the week-at-a-glance insert. the book itself is thin – no need to carry around a bulky planner, and this works perfect for me. personally, i don’t use my planner as a catch-all, and i don’t have a crazy jam-packed schedule to need 3 pages per day with a timed agenda for each.

i've had it for over a week, and i'm still in love! my favorite part (aside from the fun design) is the size, my past agendas have been too small or too large. this one, coming in at 8.5” x 5.5”, is perfect. my handwriting doesn’t have to be microscopic to fit in the boxes, and it doesn’t weigh my purse down (like the other 17 things i have in my bag).

want to hear the BEST news? you can get one too! today, i'm hosting a giveaway for a free May Book of your choosing! the rules are simple:

1. all entrants must follow “our life in the queen city” – this can be through google, bloglovin, feedburner, etc.
2. check out all the options and leave a comment with your favorite color/design combo for 2013

for addition entries, feel free to tweet about this giveaway, like OLQC on facebook, and like May Designs on facebook.

this giveaway will end friday night at midnight! thanks SO much, and GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NUMBER 198

a while back, i deleted one of my old email addresses. little did i know that it was hooked up to my blogger account and with it, would go all of my images from previous blog posts. *insert sad face* i started my little blog 4 years ago to keep our wedding guests informed of events and my diy crafts leading up to our wedding day, and i've continued to blog (mostly on and off) since then. just thought i'd revisit our wedding day because i'm feeling a bit nostalgic:

our wedding was classic and perfect for us. i remember trying my best not to let the whole planning process stress me out. my top priorities (after the dress) was good food, pretty flowers, and live music – all 3 were present and accounted for. the whole day went by in a blink – it was perfect, and i'd do it all over again in a heart beat (with a little more hairspray).

NUMBER 195

holy hiatus! so as you can see, since december 21, i've pretty much been checked out. andrew and i took a whole week off (and then some) to play and spend time with our families over the holidays. this is the first year that both sets of parents haven't lived in the same town. we were a little worried at how the logistics would work out, but i think he would agree that it went off without a hitch. we came back to town this weekend - just in time to ring in the new year with some of our favorite friends!

i've been reading everyone's blog posts today about their new year's resolutions, and putting a lot of thought into what i hope for the new year. a new year seems so much to be a time for change. changes in health, location, finances, eating habits, etc. looking back at 2012, there was a LOT of change - mostly really good!

we moved in to our first home
my brother moved to charlotte
my parents moved out of my "hometown"
one of my best friends moved all the way to texas
and other not-so-major things

mostly only changes in scenery, and life continues on as it should. however, change alters routines and my everyday norm - which can sometimes make me feel a bit "off". SO, where am i going with this?

my hope for 2013 is LESS change! in 2013 i'll be...tweaking my routine to encourage a healthier, happier lifestyle (maybe getting up a bit earlier and eating a bit lighter), enjoying our new home with my awesome husband, staying in charlotte more weekends, living in the present, being more grateful, worrying less, and smiling more.

image via

NUMBER 192

so last night was the 1st annual charlotte blogger christmas dinner and ornament exchange, and i have to say that i sincerely hope this continues as a yearly tradition. i had SUCH a blast with these ladies, and although i had only met 2 of them previously (whom i adore!), everyone was SO warm and welcoming - even to me and my tiny little blog! and to be a bunch of computer-savvy tech gals, we’re not too bad to look at!

top: me, bre, kate, annie, mariel, lulu, maran, lauren
bottom: bri, christina, mindy, michelle, april

enjoying a little drank before the shindig begins!
via

me with christina and april, sweet sweet girlfriends.

photo credits go to these gals 1  |  2  |  3

it’s so refreshing to spend some time with ladies who aren’t catty and really just enjoy each other’s company, talking about things in common (sororities and favorite neighborhood restaurants, mostly), and good food – duh! for inquiring minds, we all met at aria in uptown charlotte – which i highly recommend for a fancy-ish dinner out. i enjoyed the most delicious thin crust pizza with goat cheese, caramelized onions, and mushrooms [helllooo leftovers!], and plan on going back soon to partake in their champagne selection!

everyone, have a great weekend! xoxo

NUMBER 190

this little online world seems to be so full of energetic, outgoing, courageous people. and while i love them all (the majority of my friends are like this!) and enjoy being around them, i am not one of them.

my name is laura, and i am a shy person. a lot of my girlfriends have told me that before they knew me, they thought i was snobby, but in reality i'm just pretty shy and quiet. even after i warm up, i'm still pretty mellow and quiet. at least, this is how i perceive myself.

it's no secret that i was in a sorority in college [ZTA], and as a sister, we all participate in recruitment. looking back now, this was one of the most beneficial events for me. as an introverted person, it really helped me to overcome my "fear" of talking to strangers - no joke. after talking to the first 15 girls or so, i started getting the hang of things, and after 60+ it was just another day. no nerves, just new faces. as a result of this newfound confidence, i sang at many chapter events (philanthropies, pref nights) and was even president of my chapter senior year [and a pretty good one!].

now, being a real adult, and out of college now for 5 years, i feel as if i've lost track of that fun sorority girl persona that just jumped in and lived life so easily. i get nervous now...but i'm working on it. i've seen the results, i know that if i can get out of my little shell, i can not only feel better about myself, i can be proud to be myself.

so if you're that stranger beside me in the grocery store, and i strike up a conversation....just play along.

NUMBER 189

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it’s the weekend - and a cold one at that! actually, it looks like only today will be cold. oh well. y’all have a good one!

number 186

is it just me, or did christmas arrive VERY quickly this year? i've never been one to start decorating before december, and i'm usually a last-minute gift shopper as well, but this year, i have to say, that even waiting until tomorrow to put up my tree makes me feel i'm running behind! maybe it’s having our own house to decorate? anyway – i'm really on the ball this year, having already submitted my order for christmas cards! go me!
for the 4th year in a row, i've designed mine and andrew’s christmas cards to send out to family and friends. why not? here’s where i'm drawing some inspiration:

1  |  2  |  3  |  4

and i know you friends IRL would love to see my and andrew’s bright and shiny faces, but this year, we’ve opted to do a non-photo christmas card. don’t worry, it’s still very “us”!

come back next week for a peek into christmas cards past and, later in the month, for this year’s reveal!

number 184

ermagersh! i'm still here, y’all! i won’t give you a line and say “things have been SO crazy lately!” because it hasn’t been anything out of the norm. i've just had a lazy streak and haven’t felt that anything was blog-worthy. we all have those days weeks, right? where nothing really seems all that interesting? it doesn’t mean that i was any less thankful during thanksgiving or that i haven’t been whipping up delicious food, no wait, scratch that last one.

here’s a snippet of what’s happening, via crappy cell phone pics. i think i'm due for a new cellular device.

at the virginia tech football game, before the buzz wore off, when we were still warm  |  we’ve had a ton of gorgeous fall sunsets around charlotte  |  quick trip to richmond for a dear friend’s perfect southern baby shower (invites designed my moi!)  |  we hung drapes in our bedroom – these are a fabulous buy, going to get more this weekend!  |  annie got dramatic before we left for thanksgiving  |  cookout pecan pie milkshake – a total game-changer  |  i got a fur vest and clearly fail at modeling it

that’s about it. we’ve been slowly, but surely, making the house more home-y and have spent a lot of time on the road or with guests here, in town. i know andrew and i are both super excited just to be in charlotte for the next few weekends, relax rake leaves, and decorate for our first christmas in our new home. so yeah, i'm here, just being a little quieter than usual!

number 183

ah! in less than 24 hours, i will be up to my eyeballs in maroon, orange, and bourbon! andrew and i are headed to see some of our favorite people in one of our favorite places: blacksburg, virginia! not only is it where i spent the best four years of my life, it’s gorgeous, and ...who wouldn’t want to go? see ya sunday, charlotte!

all images via