C'ville Getaway

Happy Tuesday readers!

I am hoping temperatures are warmer where you are!  We got about 4" of snow and ice yesterday and I am on my second snow day of the week.  I am definitely not complaining about the time off, but am also ready for spring!  What's even crazier is on Sunday, temps were in the 70s!

Today I wanted to share a mini getaway to Charlottesville that Bryce and I had this past weekend.

We both have been talking about how we've needed a getaway for the last month or so, but haven't really had a good time to take a trip.

We made a spontaneous decision, at the beginning of last week, however, to take a mini-getaway to Charlottesville.

Being a UVA alum, I start itching for a C'ville trip every few months and visit at least twice a year.  Our last trip had been in June, so it was definitely time for another!

This weekend was also particularly special because we decided to "unplug" during the trip...meaning no time on Instagram/Pinterest/Facebook for me and no time on eBay/Wikipedia/Google for Bryce.  It was so nice to step back and completely focus on each other.

We headed out early Saturday and started our trip with a stop at Montepelier, James Madion's home.  Montpelier is in Orange, Virginia, on the way to Charlottesville and it was a fun way to break up our trip.

Funny tidbit- Google Maps directed us to a service entrance to the plantation and took us on a very interesting route down "Chicken Mountain Road."  Fortunately, Bryce was able to navigate and find the main entrance.

The plantation was gorgeous and our tour guide really knew his stuff!

I especially enjoyed learning about Dolley Madison and Paul Jennings.

We took a peek at the gardens and decided we definitely want to visit again in spring or summer!

After our tour, we stopped at the Barbecue Exchange in Orange for lunch.

I loved the pig on the rice krispie treats!

We hadn't eaten breakfast before leaving Richmond, so suffice it to say, we were hungry!

With full bellies, we headed to Charlottesville and went straight to one of our favorite spots, The Happy Cook, a gourmet cooking shop!

I kinda wish I had bought a pack of these fun birthday candles!

Paper Straws galore!

I have been wanting a stoneware bread basket for quite some time, and finally bought one this weekend!

We also headed to some other nearby favorites, Creme de la Creme and Pink Palm before heading to the hotel to relax for a bit before dinner.

Back at the hotel we were able to catch the tail end of the UVA-Syracuse baseball game and see the Wahoos win the ACC title!

As a side note, for dinner, I wore the J. Crew Factory Boyfriend Sweater with Paige Skinny Pants that have a leather stripe down the side (similar here) and nude heels!  If you have not yet checked out the boyfriend sweater, you must!  I ordered this pink one a few weeks ago and am in love!  I have since ordered two more colors.  It is so comfy and flattering...not to mention, on sale now!

We had 8:00 dinner reservations at one of my favorite C'ville restaurants, Orzo Kitchen & Wine Bar.

We started with the Fritto Misto

I had the Italian Mac & Cheese as my entree.

And the Italian Citrus Cake for dessert.

Each course was delicious, but the citrus cake was by far my favorite.  It was light and delicious!

After dinner we had planned to stop by some "Corner" bars, but were just too tired.  I fell asleep almost instantly after laying down and can definitely tell I'm getting older...haha!

The next morning we had brunch at Bluegrass Grill.  I am not exaggerating when I say this might be the best brunch place...in the world!  I had been dying to take Bryce ever since we first started dating and was glad to finally have the chance!

I had the Denver Omelette, Bryce got a special, the Big Bad Wolf's Delight.  We also shared some French Toast!

Finally, we ended our visit with a stop at my favorite Corner shop, Duo and a walk down The Lawn!

It was so nice to getaway...even for just a day!  We came back Sunday feeling so renewed and rejuvenated!  I'm already looking forward to our next C'ville visit!

And, just for fun, here's a look at our full loot!

Charlottesville Weekend

Happy Friday friends!

Hope you've all had a great week!

Today I thought I would share the first of many fun-filled weekends we've had this summer!

We have been traveling like crazy, and in fact, this will be our first weekend home since I finished the school year.  I am relieved to be staying in Richmond this weekend, but also have a packed schedule planned!

The first weekend of summer we headed to Charlottesville for my friend LJW's wedding.  She and I were in the Curry School together and she always had a special way of brightening up classes.

Being that the wedding was in one of our favorite cities, we decided to make a mini-vacation out of it!

Friday, I drove down before Bryce and stopped to visit the 2 boys I babysat for while I was at UVA.  It was so good seeing them and I can't believe how big they've gotten!

Later that evening, Bryce arrived and we munched on cheese, crackers, and Prosecco while getting ready for our dinner reservations at Maya.

I had never been to Maya before, but had always wanted to try it and was impressed!  It was delicious, Southern comfort food!

I thought this date night was the perfect occasion to wear my Olivia Moon Maxi Dress!

We of course started with a cocktail.

I cracked up when I saw that they had a drink called "Allie's Driving"

I went with the Peach-Tini

Next we enjoyed this duck appetizer special...it was to die for- the perfect mix of flavors!

As we were working on our first appetizer, we saw the Pimento Cheese Fritters on another table and knew we had to have those too...

Again...to die for!

For my entree, I had the trout with a side of greens and mac-n-cheese!

Y'all, I could not remember the last time I had enjoyed some good old mac, and I ate every bite of it that night!

For dessert, I enjoyed a mojito...

After Maya, we walked down to the corner, the local UVA hotspot, and did a little barhopping!  I felt very old, being served by a cute, but very baby-faced bartender at the bar, Trinity!

Saturday we woke up with big heads and decided to head to West Main for some brunch.

I had even more mac-n-cheese as well as hash browns and an egg sandwich...it definitely was a needed hangover cure!

Next, we made our way to Keswick Vineyards.

My favorite part of our tasting was their red wine chocolate sauce!

After the tasting I had a glass of their Viognier.

This cute pooch joined us on the porch as we sipped our wine!

After our tasting we headed to Ivy Nursery, a place both Bryce and I had been wanting to visit for a while.

It was the most beautiful day to visit the nursery!

I have never seen orchids as beautiful as the ones at Ivy Nursery!

I couldn't get enough of the large orchid arrangements!

The gift shop was absolutely beautiful and full of even more orchids.

This may have been my favorite...

I brought home one of their Tocca candles in the Colette scent!

After visiting the nursery, we had to hurry back to the hotel and get ready for the weekend's biggest festivities- LJW's Wedding!

I thought a June outdoor wedding was the perfect chance to wear this Esley seersucker dress I had bought in the spring.

LJW and her hubby met as counselors at Triple C camp and the wedding was held at camp!

the pretty bride!

Loved these flowers at the end of each row!

I loved the last part, it reads:  "DINNER AND DRINKS ARE JUST UP THE HILL.  STAY FOR DANCING, CAKE, CORNHOLE, AND S'MORES!"

Canoe as Cooler

All of the wines were from Charlottesville vineyards!

I thought this was such a special detail-- notes from LJW's students!

"Husbin"

There was also a photo booth during the cocktail hour!

KTM, another Curry friend, and I enjoyed the boas and mustaches!

Before heading in for dinner, I had to snap a picture of these cool stepping stones!

Dinner was in the camp's main lodge and was a smorgasbord of Southern comfort foods, including, yes, you guessed it...more mac-n-cheese!

Curry Friends

ABE, LJW (bride!!), KTM

The rest of the night was quite the party!

Cornhole was a big attraction!

I loved the decor in the pavillion!

cake time!

ABE & BAC

I wanted to take this little cutie home with me!

The bride and bridesmaids all wore sparkly, purple Toms!

LEJ changed into a little lace shift which enabled her to dance the night away!

You can tell we did quite a bit of dancing by looking at the state of my hair...

I wear my sunglasses at night....!

Sunday morning, we headed home early for Father's Day!

Daddy and I after brunch!

Have you had any weekend getaways this summer?  Been to any weddings?

Have a great weekend!

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