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I had a fabulous, fun-filled spring, so I wanted to recap it in a blog post! We kicked the season off with a last-minute beach weekend to celebrate my brother's girlfriend's birthday. I recapped that trip here!
My brother and his girlfriend have a fabulous garden every summer. He is a forester so he performed his own mini controlled burn to clear out last year's overgrowth. 😂
Lots of bridal shower and bachelorette party planning for my bestie, Emma occurred. Roxy was a great help!
Kenny and I are always looking for new spots to discover in Virginia. We went to Woodstock Tower, crossed some suspesion bridges, and tried Muse Vineyards - the food there was surprisingly good! I didn't get any photos of our dinner, but we went to Spelunker's in Front Royal and holy COW it is incredible! It was completely packed even up until closing. Their fries are fresh cut on site, and I got an incredible chicken cheesesteak. If you're a frozen custard lover like me, the custard is a must-try.
The first weekend in April, Emma was in town and we had dinner at our go-to, Bella Luna.
After dinner, we visited our friend Madeline who was also in town and I served up one of my favorite recipes for dessert - lemon almond butter cake.
The next day was my dad's 60th birthday! We spent it moving my mom's mom into a new assisted living facility... not very festive! We had a cookout that night which was fun but everyone was exhausted! My brother had been called to a wildfire for most of the day so there was one less man to help with the move, I think he and my dad were especially beat.
The next day was Easter which we usually spend at my Aunt and Uncle's house - luckily my aunt had some birthday celebrations up her sleeve!
Not to brag, but my nail salon still has a bottle of the ORIGINAL OPI Cajun Shrimp formula! I'm bummed that they reformulated the color, the new one definitely is not quite as pretty!
Roxy has a neighborhood doppelgänger who she fights with through the door. 😂 I wish they would be friends!
I had an extremely catastrophic travel experience coming home from New York. 😂 I missed my train, crashed out, Madeline helped me find a bus ticket, and finally made it home at like 11:30pm! My brother and Carmen left me these peonies from their yard. 😭 I felt so loved in the wake of my misadventures!
The rehearsal dinner was held at the Boar's Head Resort. I got my hair blown out at DryBar for the first time that day and it fell completely flat within an hour. 😂 Nancy Carrie helped me revive it as best she could.
My last hurrah before summer began was seeing MICKEY AVALON in DC! It was the night before we left for the beach which was VERY ambitious, but the logistics ended up being just fine and I had SUCH a great time! He had a stripper performing on stage with him and she was SUCH a baddie. I have loved Mickey Avalon since I first heard "My Dick" over the speakers in line to get into Warped Tour in 2009, and in a very full-circle moment I got to sing it on stage with him and a bunch of the other fans. 😂
The next weekend, I spent a day in Charlottesville with my college bestie, Sydney! It was a gorgeous day, we went estate jewelry and antique shopping, hit a couple of my favorite wineries, and got dinner at Ten Sushi.
My brother's neighbors got a new kitty named Tyger! He is so soft and sweet.
Garden planting begins! Carmen and I scattered flower seeds with a side of wine.
Later that week, I took a day off to accompany Emma to her wedding hair trial in Richmond! HOW STUNNING? 😍 She did her own makeup! She used The Veil and they were fabulous - we adored Jenn and Sade.
After the trial, we hit a couple of antique shops and met up with one of Emma's college friends who was a fellow bridesmaid for dinner at Bar Buoy. It was incredible!
Emma's friend recommended the shrimp toast which was unlike anything I've ever had - it was was like a shrimp sandwich crusted with crushed peanuts, deep fried, and drizzled with hot honey.
I had to go with classic fish and chips for my main!
One of my favorite local restaurants, Magpie, recently started serving dinner on Friday evenings. Kenny and I checked it out and I got this INCRDIBLE aji verde chicken salad. We also got fried halloumi with olives which was amazing, too.
The next day, we hiked Little House Mountain outside of Lexington, VA. It was longer than expected because you have to hike 2 miles up a fire road before you even make it to the trailhead!
I was GASSED once we made it. 😂 I should've eaten a better breakfast!
After the hike, we headed back to downtown Lexington for dinner at one of our favorite spots, Taps.
Kenny and I often go on walks at a local park where Little League games are played, and when there's a game happening we HAVE to stop at the concession stand for some mozzarella sticks. 😂 They're seriously the best ones either of us have ever had!
Every spring, the local plant nurseries host open houses, usually on the same weekend. My mom and I always mark our calendars because we can't miss it! They have discounts on plants and tons of free (homemade!) food. Our first (and favorite) spot had brisket sandwiches and pie!
All the flowers are SO gorgeous, it's an absolute wonderland in there. 😍
At our last stop, my mom fell in love with schnauzer puppies. 😍 Our family dog was a rescue mutt with a heavy dose of giant schnauzer, and she misses him dearly!
My brother's girlfriend has a pretty sweet house-sitting gig that we often visit her during - this is one of the dogs she watches!
We took a break from the dogs to get ice cream. 😎
My mom is the queen of flower bouquets, and she usually has a mini one in the kitchen windowsill! She always sends me a photo. 😍
Kenny was in New York City for a concert, and while he was killing time before his train home, he ran into THE Charli XCX all by herself on the street! 😂 He's the biggest Charli fan I know - she's definitely a top 5 most exciting celebrity for him to run into.
More flower photos from my mom!
The next weekend, my mom and I went back to the plant nurseries with Carmen because she wasn't able to join us the weekend before because she was house-sitting. We met a cat but I forget his name, it might've been Peanut!
Later that day, Kenny and I went to the Shenandoah National Park for a couple of hikes. We saw a ton of wildflowers on the Fisher's Gap trail including my favorite, bluets!
After our hike, we headed where we usually head after a hike... To our favorite Charlottesville restaurant, Vivace. 😎 They make the best dirty martini!
On Sunday, Stuart and Carmen had more planting to do in the garden. Carmen had started DOZENS of seeds ahead of time, so I helped them put corn, beans, tomatoes, squash, and peppers into the ground.
I worked on this custom wedding cross stitch for Emma all season, including by the garden!
Emma's bridal shower was coming up, Roxy helped me make this bridal Jeopardy game!
Emma's came back to town. 😍 This is Whiskers, our favorite antique store cat.
That Saturday was Emma's bridal shower at The Depot at Valley Pike. The theme was "off the market," and it turned out beautifully if I do say so myself! I hand-painted that banner and I was really happy with it.
How stunning is she? 😍 I had to wear my tomato dress for hthe theme!
Sunday was Mother's Day! We have made a tradition of getting sandwiches and driving up to Todd Lake to have lunch and look at wildflowers.
My mom was excited to see this wild comfrey - she has a Virginia wildflower guide that she records when and where she spots wildflowers, and she got the same book for me! I was happy to both be able to add this one.
Roxy has a neighborhood doppelgänger who she fights with through the door. 😂 I wish they would be friends!
The next weekend, I traveled to NYC for Emma's bachelorette party! I was staying with her at her apartment, she cooked me dinner when I got in and then we walked to Caffè Panna for some incredible ice cream.
Emma and I share a major love for Spongebob and we watched it in bed and drank tea. 😭 I will always cherish that memory!!
The view from her apartment is insane. 😍
The next day, our other bestie Nancy Carrie came over and helped us decorate before the rest of the girls came over for drinks that evening. we did a Gossip Girl theme!
I ordered these cute "Hotel Empire Emma" cups from this site! Emma got a lot of her wedding stuff from there, too.
The next morning, everyone met back up for bagels at Emma's and then we went to a charm bar called Gabriela Ceballos. Everyone made custom pieces and it was so fun!
Everyone went home to rest and freshen up, and we got Ralph's Italian Ice on the way. It was so refreshing!
That evening, we had a sunset sail on the river!
It was so much fun, we got to bring our own snacks and drinks and play whatever music we wanted!
We got RIGHT up next to the Statue of Liberty!
After the sunset sail, we went back to Emma's and had Chinese takeout for dinner. We watched funny YouTube videos and reflected on the weekend and it was so nice!
I didn't get any good photos, but the next morning before I left, my friend Madeline and I met up at Ellen's Stardust Diner where our friend Nancy Carrie and he boyfriend both work (that's where they met!) The servers perform while you eat and it's an incredible experience!
I had an extremely catastrophic travel experience coming home from New York. 😂 I missed my train, crashed out, Madeline helped me find a bus ticket, and finally made it home at like 11:30pm! My brother and Carmen left me these peonies from their yard. 😭 I felt so loved in the wake of my misadventures!
The next weekend, we were supposed to go to a Brad Paisley concert on Saturday, but it got postponed due to rain. I thought it was happening this month, but I JUST today found out it's actually postponed to NEXT July. 😂 WTF!
That Sunday, we had our friends' baby shower! Baby "Brick" is his nickname so I got this brick wrapping paper and tried my hand at graffitti hand lettering. He's due any moment now as I am typing this!
The next weekend Kenny and I repeated one of our favorite weekend activities, hiking at the Shenandoah National Park (Jone's River Falls)...
...and dinner at Vivace!
Carmen was house-sitting again, so we had a Sunday funday pool party!
The next Saturday, we hiked Lower White Oak Canyon Falls, and it was PACKED! It's a great place to get in and swim if that's your thing. It's Kenny's thing, it's not mine. 😂
More garden updates... Carmen had bought a bunch of strawberry plants and one of the women at the plant nursery said she wouldn't get any berries til next season, but she did end up getting more than a few!
Little praying mantis!
I told Carmen we should look for four-leafed clovers in the yard, and she found two within seconds! She's a lucky gal. 🍀
Tomatoes are looking good!
The week of Emma's wedding, she came home and I helped her with a few outstanding DIYs. Getting excited!! We worked on placecards while we watched the Knicks game.
In high school, Emma's birthday always fell around the week of Homecoming, so to celebrate, our friends would get our nails done together and then get Applebee's for lunch. She and Nancy Carrie and I had to relive the tradition before her wedding! I always got the fiesta chicken wrap and it's JUST as good as it was 10+ years ago!
REHEARSAL DAY! Nancy Carrie and I headed to Charlottesville where the wedding was going to be and spent time helping Emma steam her overskirt so we wouldn't have to worry about it the day of the wedding.
The rehearsal dinner was held at the Boar's Head Resort. I got my hair blown out at DryBar for the first time that day and it fell completely flat within an hour. 😂 Nancy Carrie helped me revive it as best she could.
Emma booked a suite at The Doyle Hotel for us to get ready in, and we thought it was so sweet that one of the paint swatch art pieces on the wall said "marry me!"
I finally finished my cross stitch on the last possible day and framed it the morning before! Emma loved it, and I was so happy with how it turned out.
Ready for her close up - we could not resist a paparazzi moment when Emma got ready!
Ready for the ceremony! I got my hair done and it lasted ALLLLL day long, thanks to over 60 bobby pins. 😂
On the way to the church! Emma stayed standing on the bus so her dress wouldn't crease, and the girls had another paparazzi moment.
SHE'S MARRIED! We took a different bus from the ceremony to the reception because the first one broke down. 😂
The reception was at Keswick Vineyards and it was THE most beautiful wedding I've ever seen - these photos don't even scratch the surface, I can't wait to see the photographer's pictures!
We couldnt resist getting more photos at sunset! How freaking cute are my parents?!
This is my house. 😂 I LOVED my dress - I even featured it in my June favorites post!
The party was SO fun! We danced until the DJ packed up and went home!
After the dancing ended, a bunch of us piled back into the groom's suite and watched the Knicks win the NBA finals in game five! Many of the guests were from New York, so it was extra exciting. I am newly a Knicks fan since a few seasons ago so it was fun for me too. 😎
The day after the wedding, Kenny, Nancy Carrie, and her boyfriend (now fiancé!!!!!) Mitch went to breakfast at The Virginian and then walked around the UVA campus. We stopped by King Family Vineyards on the way back home and it was the perfect end to a gorgeous weekend!
More sweet bouquets from my mom! I think these were her last pansies of the season.
The week before we went to the beach (the last week of spring!) I met up with Carmen and she gave me a lash lift and tint! I have been LOVING it, it looks like I'm wearing mascara at all times!
Afterward we got drinks and appetizers at Timberwood Grill and wine shopped for the beach at Wegman's.
My last hurrah before summer began was seeing MICKEY AVALON in DC! It was the night before we left for the beach which was VERY ambitious, but the logistics ended up being just fine and I had SUCH a great time! He had a stripper performing on stage with him and she was SUCH a baddie. I have loved Mickey Avalon since I first heard "My Dick" over the speakers in line to get into Warped Tour in 2009, and in a very full-circle moment I got to sing it on stage with him and a bunch of the other fans. 😂
I really enjoyed reminiscing on an incredible season during this recap, I'm already planning on doing one for summer!
Have a fun and relaxing 4th of July weekend, I hope you have today off!
xoxx, Laura
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