Watson Wednesday

 

He's not very good at looking at the camera - but he still takes pretty cute pictures!

Life Lately - March

 A quarter of the year - already in the books; memories made and moments passed, can you believe it?

Eating - Well, if there is one thing I'm good at... it's always finding something delicious to eat and March was no exception! I started the month in Lancaster and got cupcakes and a whoopee pie... both very dangerous things! The office was gifted a King Cake from Randazzo's, I ate some seriously tasty burgers, had some divine Bean, Queso & Sausage Dip at our favorite Mexican restaurant and finally tried Cherry Cheesecake at Mission BBQ.

I returned to Lancaster in mid-March and had what may have been the most divine Belgian waffle ever! I also had some seriously tasty macarons courtesy of my sweet boyfriend, some outstanding homemade lasagna - also courtesy of my boyfriend and his cooking skills - and the most scrumptious Snickerdoodle Latte! The month closed on a high note with dinner at Clyde's which consisted of the best Apple & Pear Salad, Tortellini Carbonara and Lavender Crème Brulee! 

Watching - I have spent the last month watching a whole lot of Home Town and Men in Kilts! I am trying to get into The Falcon & the Winter Soldier on Disney+ since WandaVision ended with a bang the first weekend in March. I've also caught old episodes of Escape to the Country and Grand Design on YouTube... and This Is Us when it comes on as scheduled (thanks a lot COVID) but nothing has completely grabbed my attention. 

Wearing - Is it completely sappy to say that I've been wearing a goofy smile all month long? That would be accurate but I feel like that would probably cause most people to roll their eyes at me. It's true, I've become completely sappy... 

Truthfully though - I've been wearing a ton on Noonday jewelry this past month! I had a party in February that went so well that I got a ton of pieces at a discounted price. Three friends had parties off of my party and so I ordered from their parties as well and now half my jewelry collection is from Noonday! If you've never heard of them - check them out here!

Bought - Well obviously I bought Noonday jewelry! I also grabbed up some dresses at Loft when they were having a BOGO event on dresses... now I've just got to sort out which one I want to wear for Easter on Sunday! Decisions...decisions! The other purchase I made this month was a really cute handbag from Draper James - but I need to curb my spending for the next few months to plan for a potential trip to Scotland this Summer!

Want - If I'd written this post even a few hours earlier, I'd have told you that I wanted to be notified that I could sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine but I actually got an email to sign up just this morning and so I'm all set for get shot on Thursday!

I know there are a lot of mixed feelings about the vaccination but I am happy to get the chance to be vaccinated. I am hopeful it will be a step toward getting back to life as normal and I'm especially hopeful that it will allow me to be able to travel some more in the coming months! 

Reading - I have not read hardly anything all month. I know - shameful, right? I started the book Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam at the beginning of the month, ended up leaving it at the office over a weekend and just kind of forgot about it for about a week and a half. Oops! I am so close to finishing it and hope to have it closed out by the time the month ends. I have got a stack of books piling up and I really need to get back to reading!

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I can't believe tomorrow is the last day of March! This month has been... a whirlwind in so many ways and proof that life can change in the blink of an eye. I can't wait to see what April has in store. 

The Last Weekend of March

The last weekend of March 2021 has come and gone just like that - I feel like it passed in a blink! I'm never one to rush things or wish my life away; but I am very much looking forward to this upcoming weekend, so I didn't mind the speedy passage of the weekend this time! It was a good weekend filled with good things - which is always nice!

 

I joined my family to run some errands and be sneaky/scheming on behalf of my boyfriend's upcoming visit and then we had dinner at a local spot called Blue Wing Frog. The food is all vegan and organic, the food was good and the owners are always delightful and a wee bit quirky - in the best way possible.

Saturday... I wanted to sleep late so badly but I ended up awake shortly after 7:00 and man; it was a little bit of a bummer. I ended up having my coffee and breakfast and just spent most of the morning doing a whole lot of nothing. I took a quick trip to the post office, spent some time sitting in the glorious sunshine on the deck and finally got back to reading some more of my book! I also chatted with my boyfriend quite a bit, ha-ha!

Saturday afternoon the family and I headed to the outlets at Leesburg and did just a wee bit of shopping. I was hoping to find the perfect dress for Easter Sunday and while I didn't find that, I did find a couple pieces for the warmer weather! We then had dinner at Cylde's Willow Creek Farm in Ashburn and y'all - it is one of my favorite places to eat in the entire Northern Virginia area - it is always excellent.

 

 

I started with an Aperol Spritz and such a delicious Apple & Pear Salad with Gorgonzola and a Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette - it was the perfect start to the meal! The server was seriously the best because my Mom ordered the salad and mentioned that she and I wanted to split it... and the server brought two smaller portions of the salad! How awesome! My meal was Tortellini Carbonara that had bacon lardons and green peas - I was tempted to lick the dish when I finished it off! The final dish of the meal was a Lavender Crème Brulee with Lemon Shortbread and wow - it was pretty divine. All in all - a spectacular meal.

Sunday after coffee, church and a quick meal at Panera Bread, I met up with my friends Danielle and Meridith for an Adult Easter Egg Hunt at Veramar Vineyards. As you can see - the Easter Bunny was actually at the event, so we couldn't resist getting a picture!

 

The event itself left a little something to be desired - I don't know that the vineyard was quite prepared for the amount of people and it really showed. The egg hunt itself started at 2:00 and was done by 2:02 because the eggs were just scattered in a field and it was a free for all... and we discovered most of the eggs had prizes that looked appropriate for a toddler. *sigh* After finding our eggs, we sat in some Adirondack chairs, enjoyed our wine flights and just had a great time chatting.. and maybe poking fun at the event a little bit. 

 

The wine was only okay - but I did drink all four of my samples. We agreed that the event was less than stellar but we'd still had a good time because we cracked up and enjoyed hanging out together. We also stopped by an awesome antique store on the way home called Hip & Humble - I think exploring the antique store was more fun than the Easter Egg hunt, ha-ha! There were so many beautiful pieces in the store and I loved perusing the items and imagining ways I could use them! 

 

I didn't make any purchases but my friend Meridith's new light fixtures made excellent rain bonnets when we finally left the store and it was raining, ha-ha! I also crept out onto the porch while my friends were checking out to watch a train come racing past the building... and that was fun! Once I got home, I chatted with my boyfriend, got started on some laundry and watched two of my favorite Sunday night shows: Men in Kilts and Home Town.

It was such a good weekend - even if it feels like is sped by! Now Monday is almost over and the weekend ahead is that much closer! Y'all enjoy the week!

Five on Friday

 How is it already the last weekend in March? I feel like this month has absolutely flown by and holy cow... my life seems like it has changed so much this month. I just look at the calendar and I'm kind of blown away by this month... Any how - before I get too deep into my feelings, lets move on!

One. Outlet Shopping - I am going to the outlets in Leesburg this weekend and I'm so excited! It's literally been years since I was at the outlets in Leesburg and so I cannot wait to peruse the shops and see what I might find. The original point of the visit to the outlets was to find a dress for Easter - but I may have already done that...

I went to Loft on Wednesday and got three dresses that I am in love with, so I may pick one of those for Easter Sunday. Then again, if I find something I just can't resist on Saturday... maybe I'll wear that one for Easter. Only time will tell - but I can't wait to do a little shopping! 

Two. Veramar Vineyards Easter Egg Hunt - Oh my goodness... I am so excited about this! Last year my friends and I signed up for an Adult Easter Egg Hunt and then COVID came along and ruined our plans! Happily, the vineyard is doing the egg hunt again this year and since we purchased tickets for last year's event - we are already on the list!

I'm not sure how big these eggs will be but apparently some of the eggs have things like wine tastings, wine glasses and even flight vouchers in them! And the golden egg... who even knows what that has in it?!? The weather is potentially going to be a bit stormy but hopefully we will get a chance to search for some eggs at the vineyard on Sunday afternoon! 

Three. This Weather is Divine - Can I just say that I think Spring has sprung and I am loving every minute of it! The sunshine is out today, the sky is blue and the weather is hovering at 70 degrees!

The daffodils in the yard are in bloom and there are robins hopping around everywhere. If those aren't sure fire signs of Spring - then I don't know what is! I am so excited to see the seasons changing and know that I'll be able to spend a lot more time outside in the coming months.

Four. Wednesday Night Tea - My Wednesday night Bible study was so much fun this week; especially because our host Monica did a tea! There were cucumber sandwiches, pimento & cheese sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, stuffed celery and some absolutely delicious cookies! The conversation and time we spent together was also so wonderful!

Another friend made the cutest sugar cookies with Easter designs - they were so beautiful and tasted divine! It was just the best Wednesday night and it was so great to be with such wonderful friends. 

Five. Changes - I am just... my life has changed so much in this month and it's because of this sweet man. It just blows my mind how someone can step into your life and suddenly so many things make sense. This past month has been so wonderful and I can't wait to see what the months ahead hold for us.

He's pretty special guys - I think I might keep him. And with that, I'll move on from being mushy, ha-ha!

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I hope everyone enjoys this final week of March! I am so looking forward to enjoying some nice weather, spending time with friends and planning for next weekend - when my boyfriend comes to visit!

Watson Wednesday

 

Did you know yesterday was National Dog Day? I have the best little dog in the world and he's definitely worthy of more than just one day dedicated to how awesome he is! He's the best little friend and companion!

Pennsylvania Weekend

 Well - the weekend passed in the blink of an eye. Wow. It was a great weekend - filled to the brim with wonderful things... it just passed a little too quickly! I drove up to Pennsylvania after work on Friday and arrived as the sun was setting. Once Ryan got in from a work trip, we caught up and watched a movie...chatting until shortly after midnight.

Saturday morning I had the breakfast of champions - macarons bought for me by my boyfriend! I'm sure they weren't really healthy but they tasted amazing and they were especially good with coffee! We were a little lazy on Saturday morning but finally went to have a late breakfast or early lunch at Lyndon's Diner - where I had one of the best Belgian waffles I've ever eaten. It was covered in some kind of cinnamon syrup and I'm not even gonna lie - I ate every single bite. 

 

I also tried Creamed Chipped Beef for the first time - and it was actually pretty good! After eating, it was off to play miniature golf (or goofy golf... or putt putt golf... whatever you call it). I may have talked a really big game about how I was going to mercilessly crush Ryan... and while I did get the only hole in one out of the eighteen holes we played - I did not win. 

 

Ryan was much more focused and serious about his golf game than I was - and so even though I did get that hole in one on the fourth hole, he beat me by about four or five strokes. *sigh* He was a gracious winner and I took my loss in stride because I was honestly just glad to be playing golf with him - even if he beat me. Ha-ha! 

We stopped at the store and then headed for the Lancaster River Trail that runs for miles and miles (I'm not sure how many) along the edge of the Susquehanna River and walked and talked... and I almost got run over by a guy on a bike, but I didn't and so all is well that ends well, right?

 

The weather all weekend was so beautiful - the sky was blue and there wasn't a cloud to be seen, the temperatures hovered around the mid-60's and it was pretty close to perfect. After walking and talking, we stopped to pick up a final ingredient for some lasagna and Ryan grabbed some Starbucks for us... and some roses for me. He already knows they way to my heart: coffee, macarons and roses! 

We were supposed to cook dinner together but honestly - I just stood back and watched him because I'm already fairly confident that while I know how to cook... he KNOWS how to cook REALLY WELL. I helped him assemble everything when it was ready but mostly I just watched and was impressed. And it was delicious when it came out of the oven - maybe if I attempted it on my own, I'd make something that was almost as good? Who knows?

Sunday morning we went to church together and it was such a wonderful experience - and yes, I know that our clothes are pretty well coordinated. We didn't plan that, ha-ha! The church Ryan attends has an actual coffee shop in the lobby and the Iced Snickerdoodle Latte was the stuff dreams are made of - it was so delicious and now I'm a little sad that I won't have another one for a while!

 

After church and lunch at a family friend's house, we chilled at the house for a little while before I started the drive back to Virginia. The drive was easy and there wasn't a lot of traffic, so I got home pretty quickly. My roses got rearranged into a vase, I had some pizza for dinner and watched Home Town... it was such a great weekend. It just passed a little too quickly.