Shore Summer Kick-Off

Happy Hump Day readers!

I am writing from sunny Orlando!  Friday I booked a last minute ticket to come visit one of my best friends, Angela, and couldn't be happier to get the chance to visit her!

Today I am sharing a weekend recap that has taken me all summer to write.  I'm honestly feeling a bit depressed writing this, because it was the very first weekend of my summer break, which is now coming to a close way too quickly!  I can't believe that in just a few short weeks I will be going back to school.

But back to the fun weekend...

Those of you who have been reading for a while, know that this past school year was tough...really tough. That being said, Bryce and I wanted to do something fun to kick off my summer break.  We decided that returning to his hunt club on the Eastern Shore (see past post here) would be a good way to really put a close to this past school year.  We asked our friends Erin and Ryan to join us and were so excited to show them the place that has become special to the both of us.

Please be patient with me as I share lots of pictures and reminisce the happiness that was the beginning of summer!

We left on the evening of my last day of school, June 13.  To break up the trip, we made a dinner stop at Waterman's, a restaurant and bar on the Virginia Beach oceanfront that is known for their orange crushes! While the guys headed to the bar to retrieve orange crushes for us, Erin and I couldn't resist visiting the super cute shop inside the restaurant.

We were so excited when we discovered Waterman's tanks inside the shop.  You see, at Erin's and Ryan's housewarming party a few weeks prior (read her post on that here), debauchery was widespread and all the guys had changed into tanks late into the night.  We therefore thought tanks for the weekend would make the perfect gag gift!

We enjoyed yummy seafood...

and orange crushes!

We got to the shore late that night and turned in.  The next morning we were ready to go with Mimosas and Bloody Marys, made by Ryan!

We then of course, had to head down to the dock and show Erin & Ryan the gorgeous marsh!

I could never tire of this view!

Cheers to Summer!

After that we headed to the classic Exmore Diner for some brunch and followed that with antiquing in Onancock!

Milkshakes are always a good idea.

Erin and Ryan lucked out at Market Street Antiques.

Once we got back, it was time to slip into our suits (and tanks) and enjoy some time on the dock!

This bird did not like us encroaching on his turf!

Keep Calm and Crush On

Are you getting tired of marsh pics yet?

Bryce had fun showing Erin the oyster floats.

And Ryan even enjoyed one of the oysters straight from the water!

We also attempted to take some couple's pics.  As you can see, Bryce and I had a little trouble...

Erin and Ryan looking flawless!

Before heading up for dinner, we couldn't resist taking just a few more marsh pics...

Can you blame me?  Look at all this gorgeousness!

We also took a shadow selfie!

We tried to get a pic of the guys in their tanks before dinner, but struggled with that.  I think Bryce is the common denominator when it comes to failed photos...

And of course a selfie was order in all our matching tank glory:

And we finally sat down to a delicious meal prepared entirely by the guys!

Grilled Corn on the Cob, Bacon Wrapped Chicken & Steak!

For dessert, the guys indulged in a blind bourbon taste test Ryan had planned...

The rest of the night was filled with good conversation and a bit of silliness on the screened in porch!

Sunday morning, we couldn't resist one last glimpse of the marsh before heading home...

Nor could we resist a pitstop at Taste Unlimited in Virginia Beach for lunch (full post here)!

Have you traveled any this summer?

What are your favorite spots for weekend getaways?

Have a great day!

Interview on Ann Elliott

Happy Friday readers!

I apologize for the lack of posting this week- this one's been a doozy and blogging has had to take the back burner!

I've got nothing for ya again today, but it's only because I want you to head over to the blog Ann Elliott and read my interview there!

I love Annie's fashion and recipe posts, so I'm sure you'll love her blog!

Have a great weekend!

Garlic Mushroom Quinoa Bake

Happy Monday readers!

I hope y'all had a good weekend!

I had a blast in Charleston with girlfriends for Caroline's bachelorette, but am really happy to be back home with Bryce after two weeks apart.

Soooo, I know I'm a bit late to the game, BUT, I've recently discovered a love for quinoa.  As y'all know, I'm a bit of a reformed picky eater.  When the quinoa craze first began, Bryce and I tried a recipe for a quinoa baked mac-n-cheese.  It was awful!  I'm talking terrible!  It was so dry and despite the addition of lots of yummy cheese, it was just lacking in flavor.

I'd been meaning to give quinoa another try, for a while now, but just hadn't gotten around to it.  A few weeks ago, however, I made baked chicken tenders with a quinoa batter and loved them.  Since then I have been so excited to try more quinoa recipes and wanted to share one that I came up with myself!

I was inspired by this recipe, but as you'll notice made quite a few of my own additions and changes...the most important being the additions of truffle oil and cheese. Because really, who doesn't love truffle oil and cheese!?

GARLIC MUSHROOM QUINOA BAKE

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, cooked according to directions 
• 2 tbs truffle oil
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 cups chopped cremini mushrooms
• 1/4 medium sweet onion, minced
• By the way, if you struggle with tears while chopping onions, like me, you must get these!
• 8 basil leaves, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Cook quinoa according to package directions (I cooked in beef broth).
• Meanwhile, sauté the garlic, mushrooms, and onion in truffle oil for 3-4 minutes.  
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Add basil to sauté and cook for about 30 seconds more.

My favorite part of cooking this: The sautéed aroma filled the kitchen and I knew it was going to be a good meal!

• If desired, set aside a portion of your sautéed mushrooms, as well as some uncooked basil, for garnish.
• Combine quinoa with sautéed ingredients and put in baking dish.
• Top with parmesan cheese and broil in oven for 1-2 min, or until cheese has melted

Feel free to really cover that thing with cheese...I was trying to keep things as low-cal as possible and resisted the urge!

• If you're trying to impress, serve garnished with the set aside sautéed mushrooms and uncooked basil.
• Enjoy!

Are you a fan of quinoa?

Any recipes I must try?

Have a great day!

Thoughts for Thursday & A Winner!

Happy weekend chicas!
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know it's not the weekend for all of y'all, but, for me, it is and it's the start of a very exciting weekend!
Today, I am heading to Charleston for Caroline's bachelorette!  I can't wait to celebrate with her all weekend and can't believe her big day is just over a week away.  Be sure to stay tuned on Instagram to see all the fun festivities throughout the weekend!

Here we are celebrating her engagement last summer!

In other news, I thought I would link up with Annie and Natalie today for Thoughts for Thursday.  

I've had all sorts of random things to share with y'all lately and thought today would be the perfect day to link up.
First up, I met my good friend, Bobbie Lou, for Endless Cheese & Chocolate at the Melting Pot last night and had so much fun!  For just $20 you get all the cheese and chocolate you can eat!  It's a great deal!

This s'mores chocolate fondue was amazing!

They also feature half priced cocktails and The Yin & Yang is my fave!

Many of you liked my outfit last night on Instagram, so I have listed the details below:

top/jeans/Jacks

In other news, I am beyond excited to see Bryce on Sunday.  He has been gone since LAST Monday, on multiple, back-to-back trips.  He's coming home today, however, our paths will not cross, because I will have already  left for the bachelorette by the time he gets home.  Two weeks is way too long to be apart, so I am beyond ready to see him Sunday!

While he's been gone I've been watching lots of girlie movies on Netflix:  The Importance of Being Earnest, Jane Eyre, and Mansfield Park.  The Importance of Being Earnest was so cute and my favorite of the three.

via

I recently came across this article "How not to say the wrong thing" and thought it's advice was really valuable.  The idea is that when dealing with some sort of crisis or tragic situation, you only say comforting things to those closer to the center of the issue, negative is only allowed to those further from the center.

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Meredith, Bryce's cousin, recently shared her wedding photos with us, and  I can't get over how gorgeous this shot is:

See my post on this picture perfect wedding here.

And finally, I am excited to announce that the winner of my giveaway is Kristen, otherwise known as the Playground Prepster!  I hope she will love her necklace and bracelet as much as I am loving mine. Thanks to everyone who entered!

I've especially been loving my bracelet stacked with my Bourbon & Boweties bangles!

What random thoughts have been going through your head lately?  

Any fun plans for the weekend?

Have a great day!