friends
My Weekend in Atlanta
My best friend Allison and I have known each other since we were four and five years old. We grew up going to the same church, the same schools, same college, and we even lived in DC together for a year before she got married and moved to Atlanta. It was over a year since I had visited her in Atlanta, so when I saw saw flights for $50 from Raleigh, I jumped on the chance for a quick weekend trip.
We started the weekend in Virginia Highlights, browsing boutiques, buying cute paper at Paper Source, and then eating a delicious meal at Noche. (Atlanta natives, have you eaten there? They have the best fish tacos I’ve ever tasted.) The next day we woke up slowly, cuddled with their sweet dog Toby, and watched White Christmas while we ate pumpkin scones and drank coffee. Then we did a little Christmas shopping at the mall of Georgia and a few other local shops. That evening we met up with our friend Julie for coffee and dessert at Cafe Intermezzo. It was delicious! I wish I had a picture of our decadent cakes, but they all were too blurry and half-eaten. Sunday we went to Decatur to tour the sweet little downtown where we had a slice of the best strawberry shortcake I have ever tasted and listened to the bells of the town play seven Christmas hymns in a row. (I wonder if the locals tire of that each hour?). Then she sadly dropped me off at the airport. It was such a fun, relaxing trip and makes me wish we still lived in the same town! Here are some photos from the trip:
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Small Town Charm vs. Big City Luxury
I’m not sure when my small-town love began. It may be from those Christian romantic novels I used to read where the bad guy always seem to be from a big city. Perhaps it was all those Hallmark movies on rainy Saturdays I watched—the ones where the heroine moves to a small town and ends up falling in love with a farmer. Or maybe I just want to be friends with the quirky characters of Stars Hollow.
Whatever the reason, I love small towns. Life goes a little slower, the people are a little nicer, coke floats taste a little sweeter, and it always makes me nostalgic. Nostalgic for what I’m not sure, but the simple ways of small towns make me miss growing up.
A few weeks ago I drove through Mt. Airy, the small town for which the Andy Griffith Show was based upon. It was Sunday, on our way home from our girl’s weekend in the mountains, and I begged my carpooling buddies Lucy and Becca that we stop to have lunch. Here are a few photos from Mayberry:
Isn’t it such a quaint little town? :)
However, there is a slight chance that I may romanticize small towns a bit. If you look carefully, you may notice that most of the restaurants were closed since it was a Sunday.* As much as I love small towns, they do not offer all the luxuries that cities provide. Like Target, which I dearly missed the four years I lived in Boone, NC.
Perhaps I need to marry the two–move to a big city with a small town feel. Any suggestions on what cities meet that criteria? (Maybe Asheville? Gosh I love that city.)
What about you? Do you prefer big cities or small towns? What is your favorite small town you have ever been to?
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*We did end up finding a place to eat. The Blue Bird Diner was the only restaurant open on Main Street on Sundays.
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Sparkle Swap
A few weeks ago I signed up to participate in Kaileen Elise’s Sparkle Swap. The challenge was to send a blogger four unique gifts – a bit of sparkle, a treat that soothes, something sweet, and a surprise. I received my gift the other day from Micaela at Dolce Vita. Here is the adorable package I received:
Something sweet. The whole box was something sweet, but she gave me yummy Biscoff cookies. Her note said, “As a fellow coffee lover, these are my most favorite to go with my morning coffee.”
A bit of sparkle. Pretty glittery nail polish!
A treat that soothes. “There is nothing like a scarf to keep you warm. I chose this one for you because it was both floral & feminine.”
A surprise. “I picked this ornament at a local craft fair because this year you’ll be celebrating your first Christmas as married people (last Christmas was mine & my husband’s first!) which is pretty special. I’m an ornaments girl–in fact I host a yearly ornament exchange on my blog. To me, they’re a hanging memory and when I saw the two birds together, I had to get it for your first Christmas together.”
Isn’t she the sweetest?! All of these gifts were so thoughtful and personal to my tastes. She even sent me a card with a Pride and Prejudice quote on it. I think we’re soul sisters. :) Thank you SO much Micaela for all these wonderful gifts. And now I have an awesome new blog to follow!
You’re probably wondering — how did she know you liked birds, feminine scarves, and coffee?! Well, that would be because of the fabulous Kaileen for putting all of this together. Thank you so much, Kaileen for all of the hard work behind this project! It was a wonderful surprise to receive in the mail.
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HL Girls Weekend
This past weekend I went to my friend Michelle’s home in the NC mountains with my two sisters and two best friends. The six of us all grew up in the same neighborhood, went to the same high school, and spent almost all of our free time together. We called ourselves the “Hamilton Lake Girls” and being all together again feels like home.
We got lost in a corn maze, went for a hay ride, walked around the small town (where everyone recognized our hostesses), ate delicious healthy meals, admired the changing leaves, and giggled all evening. It was a weekend I wish could have lasted longer, but was just the escape I needed from my busy life in Raleigh.
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Weekending
My weekend was lovely:
I got off of work early and drove three hours listening to an old country music mix. I hugged the other bridesmaids and we went to see the bride’s new home. We practiced walking with our groomsmen then went to a barbecue dinner where we toasted our dear friend on her new life. We steamed the wedding dress and drank white wine. We woke up Saturday and exclaimed how glorious of a day it was for a wedding. I held a bouquet of hydrangeas and saw my friend marry her now husband. We took photos and danced and ate cake. Then I went home and J and I had a most relaxing Sunday.
How was your weekend?
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A weekend of old friends and sunshine.
This weekend I flew to Charlotte, NC for a bachlorette weekend for one of my very best friends. There was a mixture of class and trash, but my favorite part was a bridal picnic on Saturday afternoon. The weather was warm, the spot was shady, the food was delicious and the conversation was sweet as we went around sharing stories about the bride. On my flight back, I found myself thinking about future events with friends and the possibility of one day being engaged myself. I had to stop myself from planning away… but it was exciting nevertheless. It’s okay to indulge in a little day dreaming once in a while, right? ;)
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