This post contains commissionable links.
Happy new year!! I was fairly absent here on the blog toward the end of the year while I was out living life, so I wanted to do a holiday recap post of all of the fun stuff I got into over the holiday season! I mainly write these "personal" posts for myself, but they're some of my most-read so I'm glad you enjoy them too!
The weekend before Thanksgiving, my college bestie and her mom came into town and we did some antique shopping. I LOVE pirate stuff, so I had to get this little Royal Doulton head jug. 😂
The day before Thanksgiving, we went to Bella Luna with one of my high school besties. It's our go-to when she's in town! The day before, we met up to get our nails done and she asked me to be the maid of honor! 😭 I am so excited for her wedding later this year!!
After dinner, we got a quick drink at Billy Jacks's for old time's sake.
Happy Thanksgiving!! My mom creates the most beautiful floral arrangements and tablescapes. It's truly a gift! We were sipping on poinsettia cocktails all day, my signature drink every Thanksgiving.
The day after Thanksgiving, my mom and I have a tradition of going to holiday open houses at local plant nurseries. There were poinsettias galore!!
I'd never seen a "tree" style poinsettia like this, it was beautiful!
I always love seeing a kitty in the wild. 😍 I assume this guy was a mouser, but he was sooooo sweet!
I usually try to get my holiday decor up the week of Thanksgiving, but I was a little late this year! Roxy finds it very cozy.
My fun, sparkly office Christmas tree! I got it at a thrift store many years ago. How cute is the mini poinsettia my mom got me??
The next Saturday, JMU hosted the Sunbelt championship game so you know Kenny and I had to bet there.
WE WON!! The energy was incredible after the victory, everyone ran down onto the field to see the team accept the championship trophy and the players were smoking celebratory cigars. 😂
Our head football coach got hired at UCLA, so there was a press conference with our new coach after he was hired. Kenny went to watch and he got a pic with the Sunbelt championship trophy!
The next weekend we had dinner reservations in Richmond and decided to explore the Jefferson Hotel beforehand in all its holiday glory. It is breathtaking!! It feels like a Florida hotel in there - there is an alligator theme throughout the decor because they used to have alligators living on the grounds! I wrote a full post on my outfit here.
After the Jefferson, we stopped by the Quirk Hotel lobby bar. It was too crowded to get a drink but I had to snap a pic of their cute pink decor!
The next day, we got family photos taken by a teacher my mom works with. It was a fundraiser in support of another teacher they work with, so it was a win-win for us to be able to get photos taken. I couldn't tell you the last time we had professional family photos done!
After taking photos, we went with my parents to get their Christmas tree! We always went to the same tree farm growing up, but we haven't been able to go for several years because they were closed to the public in order to let their crop get a little taller. I was so excited to get to go back, it was very nostalgic, and they're back to hundreds of incredible trees!
The next weekend, Kenny and I spent the day in Charlottesville! We stopped by my favorite winery, Chiswell. The holiday sparkle season always feels so short, so I had to wear my sequin pants! I posted this whole outfit here.
Have you seen that meme about lackluster sunsets in scenic locations vs. incredible sunsets in the grocery store parking lot? This was the perfect example of that. 😂 Everyone was in awe and taking photos!
That night, we headed back to Staunton for dinner reservations at The Shack. It's truly a shack, a teeny tiny restaurant that only seats about 25 people, so reservations are a must!
I got the pasta trio, small servings of spaghetti grano arso (turnip puree, sunchoke butter, meadow creek Appalachian cheese, and benne seed), ricotta gnocchi (smoked brisket sugo, sorghum caramelized brussels sprouts, ham, crispy shallots, and rutabaga), and agnolotti (whitefish, mushroom brodo, green olive and lemon salsa, and olive oil). I expected to like the agnolotti the best, but the spaghetti was my favorite! The gnocchi was good but INCREDIBLY salty.
Kenny got a burger! After us both being vegetarian for many years, Kenny started occasionally eating fish a couple years ago and I followed suit. He has now started eating meat again, so I will have a little bit here and there. This was the first time I ordered meat (in the gnocchi!) at a restaurant in about eight years!
The next day, my mom and my brother's girlfriend and I saw The Nutcracker! It was incredible, I used to dance in The Nutcracker as a kid but I hadn't seen it in a very long time. I loved it so much, watching dancers gives me major collective effervescence.
After the ballet, we stopped by Jefferson Vineyards for a flight. My mom and I had never been and we absolutely loved it, there wasn't one wine we tried that we didn't like, which is rare!
We have had many incredible sunrises and sunsets this winter. 😍 Way more than the summer, I feel like we barely had any memorable ones this summer!
I made many batches of my favorite Chex mix over the holidays, the recipe makes a lot but it disappears fast!
The week before Christmas is my baking Superbowl - I spent a few days prepping and baking dozens of cookies for a luncheon that's held after an Elks charity event my family takes part in every year. I shared all of my favorite recipes in this post!
On Friday night, a ton of volunteers gathered at our local Elks lodge to pack 360 boxes full of groceries! I manned the apple station on the assembly line.
The next morning, cold items like milk, butter, eggs, and turkey get packed up and sent on their way to homes of needy families in our area!
After the work is done, I pack up cookies and the volunteers all have lunch together back at the lodge. This was only a fraction of them! I always make way more than we need so that there are leftovers that I can share with friends and family.
That night, JMU made thier first appearance in the College Football Playoffs against University of Oregon! Kenny and I went to Macado's to watch the game. JMU lost, but they put up a great fight and had one of their best seasons of all time. I'm so proud of them! One of my friends from work traveled to Oregon for the game and she said it was a really amazing atmosphere and that the Oregon fans were great.
The next day, we went down to Roanoke to spend time with Kenny's high school friends who I love dearly. I didn't get any photos but we had the best time! We got pizza for lunch at Grace's Place and it was really good. We walked around the mall afterward, then had dinner and played games at his friend's parents' house. We played Tapple which I had never played before but it was super easy so much fun! We were laughing our butts off the whole time. We also played Left Center Right and "gambled" with scratchers. Kenny and I didn't win anything, but it was still fun! Kenny planned to stay in Roanoke the night to spend more time with his friends, so I headed back home to get some sleep!
The next day I had a girl's night planned with my high school besties! Two of us went to The Ridge Room beforehand for a drink and split the crab cakes, which were delicious. It was soooo cozy and vibey there, the perfect spot for a winter date night.
Afterward, we convened in our other friend's parents' basement for wine and snacks, which has been our holiday tradition for as long as I can remember! We always have the best time, we even broke out one of our high school yearbooks...
I had LOTS of snuggle time with my baby over the holiday break. 😍 We love sleeping in together!
I had been working on this cross stitch for my brother's girlfriend since February, and JUST finished it in time to give it to her for Christmas!! For the past few summers, she has been planting a flower garden and always brings me beautiful little bouquets. I had to return the favor in the form of my own hobby!
My neighbors were out of town for Christmas so Kenny and I were watching their sweet kitties, Nala and Scout. We love them SO much. 😍 Scout is a true orange. 😂
We spend Christmas Eve at my aunt and uncle's house in Staunton. My aunt had this heirloom tablecloth out - it is so special and I hadn't seen it in many years! My granny used to have it on her dining table over Christmas and would have everyone who visited my grandparents' house would sign it, and then she would embroider over our names with a different color each year so we'd know which year it was from. There have to be at least 20 years worth of signatures and doodles on there! There are even outlines of the hands of my brother and cousins and my hands from when we were little. It's so cool to look at the progression and see names of people who are no longer with us an reminisce on all the Christmases we spent together.
Roxy helped Kenny and me with some last minute wrapping when we got home!
Merry Christmas! Nothing beats Christmas morning in your childhood home. 😍 My brother's girlfriend was able to join us and I'm so grateful! We had a very cozy and relaxing Christmas.
On Christmas night, my brother's girlfriend and I begged my brother and Kenny to go see The Housemaid with us. We both read the book so we were excited to see it but guys... I thought the movie was so dumb!! To me, it only made sense in the context of already having read the book, so I can't imagine what it would've been like to watch it never having read the book! I was bummed becuase I had heard good things about the movie!
After the movie, we were trying to take a picture with these inflatables in the movie theater lobby and a sweet employee offered to take one for us. 😂
After Chrismas, it was back to Bella Luna with my high school bestie. 😎 We had spent the day antique shopping, she's been gathering some amazing silver pieces for her wedding. She found a gorgeous cake stand!
After dinner, we went to a late showing of Marty Supreme. It was incredible, my favorite movie of the year!! It's still in theaters and I highly recommend it.
I like having plans during the weird purgatory week between Christmas and New Year's. A few months ago, Kenny and I got tickets for my family to see Rebirth Brass Band in downtown Charlottesville at The Southern, and we'd been really looking forward to it! We all love New Orleans music.
We got dinner beforehand at Bang! which is an Asian-fusion tapas restaurant. I didn't get any pictures of the food (which was delicious), but I did get one of my drink which had cute star confetti!
My mom and I got our nails done together! I can't live wihout my gel manicures, but my mom has only ever gotten one a handful of times. I had to treat her because her birthday was coming up! I got OPI Black Cherry Chutney which is one of my all time favorites, and she got OPI Bubble Bath.
Outside of our manicure, we had a fairly busy day. I went with my dad to take my parents' cat to the vet (she does not like to be handled so it is really a two person job 😂) and then we got lunch with an old family friend who I hadn't seen since my wedding!
We ended the night at my parents' house with a holiday movie double-feature - White Christmas and The Holiday, two of my very favorites!
On New Year's Eve, Kenny and I went down to Roanoke to a family friend's house for dinner. Afterward, we headed to Hotel Roanoke to ring in the new year! I stopped by the bar and got a cherry espresso martini that the bartender recommended, and it was so yummy! There was a New Year's Eve party letting out right after midnight that provided some A+ people watching as I finished my drink. 😂 There were some amazing sparkly outfits and some amazingly strange ones.
Happy New Year!! Kenny and I started the new year off right with a quick hike at Dark Hollow Falls. This is arguably the most popular hike in the Shenandoah National Park and is always packed in the spring, summer, and fall, but we had it almost all to ourselves since it was cold out! The water was partially frozen and so beautiful. On our way down, I tripped on a rock and absolutely ate it. 😂 My hip still hurts from it but I'm 99% sure I'll survive!
The first sunset of the year was absolutely incredible! As always, photos don't even begin to do it justice.
Every New Year's Day, my mom makes hoppin' John and collard greens for good luck - my fellow southerners know!
How gorgeous is my mom's amaryllis?? It had four blooms! She's going to try to save the bulb to replant next holiday season.
We watched the College Football Playoffs and played games for the rest of the night, it was the perfect New Year's Day!
My mom's birthday is January 3rd, so it always feels like an extension of the holidays. On the 2nd, I made her a birthday cake! I used my favorite cake recipe with lemon berry filling and mascarpone frosting.
On my mom's birthday, she wanted to do some shopping in Staunton with my dad and me. We ended our trip at Yelping Dog for a glass of wine.
For dinner, my mom requested to go to Blue Stone Inn which is a Rockingham County institution. We hadn't been in several years and it was just as good as ever!
The joke about Blue Stone Inn is that you can "always eat under a buck" becuase you're literally under a buck anywhere you sit. 😂
My mom ordered smoked trout as a starter which I laughed at her for becuase...ew. WELL, the joke ended up being on me becuase it was absolutely delicious!! I will definitely order it again next time we're there. She and Kenny also ordered French onion soup and crab bisque respectively, both of which were amazing.
Kenny and my brother ordered steak - it was Kenny's FIRST steak since going vegetarian about 7 years ago!
My dad and I both got the crab stuffed flounder and brussels sprouts and they were super yummy. I also got cucumber onion salad which was incredibly refreshing after over a month of eating very few vegetables. 😂 I didn't get a picture of my mom's food but she got a crab cake that looked amazing!
After dinner we headed back to my parents' and had cake and my mom opened presents! I didn't get a picture of the cake, that's how you know it was good. 😂
I hope you had an amazing holiday season! Mine was definitely one of my favorites ever. I'll see you back here very soon!!
xoxx, Laura
No comments