Have I Told You Lately - July

I decided to change things up a little and “update” my Lately posts. Hope you enjoy!

Eating - Another month filled with all the goodness! We started the month in Lancaster and had so much delicious food! We started at Dockside Willie's, bought chocolate buds at Wilbur's Chocolates, tasted a Blue Butterfly Latte at The Speckled Hen and finally got to sample Taylor Chip Cookies - which were delicious but man, they were a LOT.

The best part of our weekend in Lancaster was finally getting to eat at C.R. Lapp's (the restaurant belongs to Ryan's cousin) and taste the famous chicken corn soup and apple dumplings... and we brought home the chicken pie, which was amazing!

I split some really delicious Schaffer's BBQ with Ryan on a Friday night picnic, including a BBQ eggroll that was new & delicious! I took some epic Strites Donuts to hang out with Katie and I also whipped up a delicious Chicken Fajita Pasta one night! Lastly, my Mom and I spent 24 hours in the Charlottesville area and enjoyed gelato and a divine supper from The Champion Ice House!

Drinking - Well y'all. *sigh* I've gotten to a place where I need to drop about ten pounds before my wedding (I don't have to but I'd like to) and so now I am eating... or should I say drinking.. Slim Fast twice a day. I don't hate it, so that's good. And here's hoping that it will help me achieve my goals

Reading - I read a variety of books this month, there’s something for everyone! *cheering* I started the month with Hide (the thrills & chills book) by Kiersten White, and I was really excited to read this… and it kind of let me down. The plot follows 14 people chosen to compete in a winner takes all hide & seek championship in an abandoned amusement park, but when people start disappearing, the real game is revealed. Sounds thrilling, right? It was excellent – until the end because it just ended. There was no resolution – it just ended. *sigh*

The second book this month is Romancing Mr. Bridgerton (the romance book) by Julia Quinn and it’s the fourth in the Bridgerton series! The book follows Penelope and Colin as they fall in love, and it might be my favorite book in the Bridgeton series yet! Which is really exciting since the third season of Bridgerton will be based on this book – I can’t wait!

 

The third book of the month was called Everything Sad is Untrue (the semi-biographical/dramatic book) by Daniel Nayeri and was my favorite read of the month. The book is told from the point of view of young boy who is a refugee from Iran, living in Oklahoma. He tells his life story (so far) from the memories he has of life in Iran, Italy and then in Oklahoma and honestly – it really made me think about the life of refugees and people who come to our country as immigrants. It was only at the end of the book that I realized that the book was semi-biographical as the author explained in his bio.

The final book of the month is You’re Invited (the murder mystery) by Amanda Jayatissa. I'm only about six chapters in but so far, I'm intrigued! I'll update you more on this next month!

Watching - Well… I have found three shows that have occupied my time (our time) in the last few months: The Chosen, Alone and Super Store! We have drama, reality TV and comedy – lovely! Ryan and I finished the second season of The Chosen in the middle of the month, and it truly is such a moving and masterful telling of the life of Jesus! We stumbled on Alone and devoured the first season; watching people be left in the wilderness to survive on their own know how and skills, left all alone! Lastly – Ryan has watched some of Super Store before and introduced me to it and I was immediately hooked! The storyline is interesting, and the humor is perfection! I love it! 

The movies this month... I'm sad to say, were nonexistent! Three movies I really want to see came out this month (Thor: Love & Thunder, Where the Crawdads Sing & Elvis) but I just didn't get the chance to get to the theater to see any of them. *sigh* I am planning to see Elvis on Tuesday night, so at least I'm chipping away at my list?

Loving - I'm loving that the countdown to the wedding is almost in the double digits! It truly does seem like time is flying and before we know it, wedding time will be here! My Mom and I spent some time in Charlottesville just last weekend picking up my dress - after two visits for alterations, she finally fits like a glove and is back at home. The dress will need a nice steam and it will be good to go! 

The invitations are currently being addressed and they are looking spectacular (see a sneak peek above). We will spend a chunk of time the weekend of August 12th - 14th getting them all packaged up and then they will be on their way on Monday, August 15th! I can't believe we are just over three months away from our big day! I am loving how (so far) everything is coming together and I can't wait to be able to take in all the fun, excitement and joy of our rehearsal dinner and big day (and the bachelorette weekend).

Wanting - I am on the hunt for the perfect dress (or outfit) to wear to our rehearsal dinner! I've already taken care of the dress for the big day, so now I just need to find something to wear for the evening before the big day! If you read this and you have suggestions - let me know! We are planning a trip over to Tyson's to see what they might have to offer...

Quoting - “What you believe about the future will change how you live in the present.” – Daniel Nayeri

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Y'all. There are only five months left in this year. Does anyone else feel like this year has been speeding by? Five months left and only 104 days left till the wedding!

Friday Favorites

 It’s Friday! Hallelujah! I don’t know about y’all but this week has seemed both long and fast… *sigh* How does that happen?

Weekend Things – Y’all! Our little hometown is having a Main Street event tonight and I am so excited to go check it out! They are going to have several local vendors and it will be really nice to check out our Main Street and see what kind of a get-together they put on! We’ve already eaten at a couple of the spots on Main Street and I found a shop I love… all of which will have a presence at the event!

Ryan and I have some things to get done at our house on Saturday morning and we are having dinner with some friends on Saturday night. I’m not sure about Sunday plans quite yet… we shall see what unfolds!

Moving & Making Things Over – I know why my life is feeling hectic and I’ll just share with y’all. I am trying to get “most” of my life moved into Ryan and I’s house over the next few weeks and it’s not even the act of moving things so much as the act of going through all the stuff I have and figuring out what to do with it! I am discovering that I might have a little bit of a hoarder thing going on and I really need to review some of the things I’ve been holding on to and do that whole “does it bring you joy” thing.

But what do you do if lots of things bring you joy, ha-ha? My fiancé definitely does not have this problem – that man is delightfully uninterested in holding on to “things”. I need to learn a lesson from him where that is concerned. Thankfully I can put some things in storage bins and happily store them in my parent’s basement, but some days even just weeding through all the things feels tiring! 

One way I am taking some of the things I’ve been holding on to and making them useful for my life now is sending my Nationals t-shirts to Project Repat. I went through my t-shirts recently and I had over thirty-five Washington Nationals t-shirts alone. Eek! I almost never wear t-shirts anymore and I don’t need to lug things I don’t wear into my new life to take up space. So, I selected thirty of my t-shirts, cut them up (per instructions) and sent them to Project Repat to be turned into a full-size quilt!

I have high hopes that the wonderful quilt they make will be used by our family for years to come. The shirts that I wore to cheer and yell, despair and delight in watching my Washington Nationals can be turned into something I snuggle my babies under and maybe they’ll even wrap up in it to watch a Nationals game down the road? A girl sure can dream! 

Office in Bloom – A sweet neighbor passed along tons of hydrangeas to my parents and my Mom so sweetly passed along a vase filled with them to me! They are brightening up my office at work and they smell wonderful! I think hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers and I love looking at them throughout the day!

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Those are just some things I am looking forward to and find to be my favorites this week! Y’all have a wonderful weekend!

Absolutely Flying!

Well – I’m convinced that weekends are passing faster and faster as the year moves along. I do wonder if this has something to do with the wedding. Everyone has told me that the day of the wedding will fly by, and I have to do my best to take it all in… and now I’m wondering if with just a little over three months to go, the weekends (and weeks) are going to continue to fly by? I know there is plenty on our calendar(s) between now and the weekend of November 11^th – something tells me it will all continue to fly by!

I’m rambling… as I’m known to do… the past weekend flew by and y’all, it was the next to last weekend in July! How is it almost August?!? *sigh*

Friday afternoon I was able to take a couple hours of leave and headed out from work at 1:00 to pick up my Momma, drop a sleeping bag off to Ryan and then my Momma and I headed through the Virginia countryside towards Charlottesville, to pick up my wedding dress! We were able to leave earlier than we’d originally planned and so we stopped off in Gordonsville for about an hour to have a small afternoon snack (delicious gelato) and peruse some of their shops!

We got our gelato (strawberry, Mexican coffee and triple chocolate) at Jackson & Company, a little shop with all sorts of edible treats! Across the street is Krecek Kakes – a favorite of ours! They always have amazing pastries, sandwiches, and breakfasts – so we grabbed a little something for later. We popped into a shop called Posh – and while I did find an adorable pair of sandals that will be perfect for our honeymoon, I wasn’t impressed with the owners. They sadly seemed a little too engrossed in one another and their wine & treats party in the back room. I love my shoes but can’t recommend the shop… *sigh*

 

Our appointment at Yady’s Alterations was for 5:00 and we arrived about ten minutes early – which was no problem! “The Dress” went on and it was perfect, everything in place and it fit like a glove, so we thanked Yady profusely and carefully zipped it back into its bag – finally we were able to take home “the dress” and I was just so glad to be reunited with my perfect dress for our big day! We made sure it was tucked away in the car and hidden away from view, then made our way to the Walking Mall to peruse some shops!

 

I was especially tickled with a shop called Darling x Dashing Boutique – I found the best tea towels ever; please see the Stranger Things towel – of course I bought it, and another thing that tickled me… The dressing rooms had small post it notes pads and you were encouraged to write notes of encouragement and stick them to the walls of the dressing room! Amazing!

We perused a few shops and while I really wanted a handmade shopping basket (seriously – it was so cute y’all) from Ten Thousand Villages, I refrained. We headed back to Gordonsville for dinner at The Champion Ice House and the food did not disappoint! My mom and I split several sides so I could sample quite a bit of the offerings and let me tell you: it was all delicious! Popcorn Chicken, Parmesan Truffle Fries, Black-Eyed Peas, Macaroni & Cheese, and Virginia Ham Biscuits with Apple Butter! It was all delicious!

Our final stop of the evening was Greenock Manor – it’s a wedding venue and also bed & breakfast in Orange, Virginia. We stayed at Greenock Manor for the evening and since there was still some daylight left when we arrived, we perused the grounds to check everything out. The house is from the late 1800’s and the property used to connect with James Madison’s Montpelier… amazingly my first thought wasn’t that the house must be haunted, ha-ha!

 

The evening was fine – although a slightly eerie situation was that we couldn’t quite get the lights in the bedroom to cut off completely. You had to cut the fan off completely (no way – it was the hottest weekend of the year) and we weren’t going to do that. I think we thought the lights would eventually go down all the way but nope – they stayed on all night. *shrugs* It was weird, but it didn’t keep me from sleeping! We had a lovely breakfast of yogurt, fresh fruit and croissants with coffee and orange juice on Saturday morning and after I embraced my inner klutz and fell UP the stairs, we headed toward Culpeper for the day!

I’m terribly sad to say that I have one or two pictures from our time in Culpeper. Culpeper is the cutest little town and has so many great shops: Pepperberries, Le Monkey House, Homeconimics, The Rusty Willow Boutique, the Frenchman’s Corner, the Cameleer… I know I am forgetting some great little shops! My Mom and I have already decided we must return ahead of Christmas to grab stocking stuffers and gifts! The little town is perfection! Our first stop was Raven’s Nest Coffee Shop, and I had a divine iced S’mores Latte before we began perusing shops! The only other picture I have is from The Frenchman’s Corner – those are chocolates y’all! So cute and tasty!

We had yet another lovely drive through the countryside to the house and honestly – I felt like I was in dire need of a nap! However, Ryan came home from camping with the men’s church group and soon enough we were in Men’s Wearhouse finalizing the details for the groomsmen and then meeting my parents for dinner at Longhorn! The rest of the night was filled with a very nice bubble bath and getting to bed pretty early! I know – so thrilling!

Sunday was the warmest day of the year (so far) and so; of course, Ryan and I decided that we should definitely spend our time in the great outdoors! After church and a quick lunch at Applebee’s, we slathered on sunscreen, picked up some kayaks from our neighbor Jan and headed out for our afternoon adventures! We spent about an hour and a half at the Sherando pool before making our way back to Lake Frederick and slipping the kayaks into the water… and off we were to explore!

It was so nice to be out on the water – very peaceful – and we even saw a deer having a little snack in one inlet and in another, a heron just chilling. It was absolutely enjoyable, and I am now convinced that Ryan and I need kayaks of our own because it was just the most fun! I’m so glad we went, and I am looking forward to going again soon!

Once we came home from kayaking, the rest of the night flew by! We had pizza for dinner, started laundry and tried to get ready for the week ahead! I feel like the weekend passed with the blink of an eye and I am already looking forward to the next one, ha-ha! Y’all have a wonderful week!

Friday Favorites

 

One - Charlottesville Weekend – My Mom and I are going to Charlottesville for about 24 hours! The trip was prompted by my second alterations appointment in Charlottesville and since there is so much to see in Charlottesville, my Mom and I decided to make a little overnight stay of it! We are staying at Greenock Manor in Orange, VA – which is about a forty-minute drive (from Charlottesville) but looks absolutely stunning! It also serves as wedding venue and so that should be fun to check out too! 

I’m not 100% sure what we’ll be doing… probably perusing the walking mall on Friday night for dinner and shops and then maybe doing some exploring/shopping in Culpeper on the way home. Culpeper is one of my favorite small towns in Virginia and I can’t wait to stop back in again! Regardless, I’m sure it will be delightful and hopefully this time we will be bringing my wedding dress home with us! *squeal*

Two - Tying it Down – Ryan and I will be visiting Jos. A Banks on Saturday night to verify where we want to get the men’s suits for the wedding! Jos. A Banks or Men’s Wearhouse? Decisions must be made since the wedding is now only 113 days away! Things are starting to come together, and the big day is getting closer and closer. We have to sort out the order of ceremony and order programs, decide on what songs we want on the playlist for the DJ and I’m sure there is plenty more… but we are getting there slowly but surely!

Another thing that I am trying to get tied down is all my belongings! We moved a large quantity of furniture into Ryan and I’s house since he’s been living there since January but clothes and shoes and make-up and hair stuff and purse all those kind of things – I have got to get that all sorted and settled. I originally joked that I was going to get that done well before the wedding and not have to worry about it… and here we are with a little over three months to go and I’m like “Eeek!” But – I did buy storage tubs at Wal-Mart this week and I have started making headway!

Three - Kayaking – Well y’all, I am going to try kayaking on Sunday! Ryan has been wanting to go for a few weeks now and we have friends that have kayaks that we are borrowing, so we are going to head out on to Lake Frederick and see how it goes! I’ll admit, I’m looking forward to it! It’s something I’ve never done before and so I can’t wait to see what sights I can see on the water as opposed to from the side of the lake! Here’s hoping I can do it without flipping my kayak, ha-ha!

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Those are my "favorites" for today - I suppose they'd all be new adventures of sorts. Staying at a new place, living a new portion of life as we nail down wedding things and I get my things sorted and kayaking. So, I suppose my favorites for this Friday are having new adventures! Y'all have a good weekend!

That was Fast!

Well y’all. That weekend passed so fast my head is spinning. It started and then just like that – it was over! Whoosh! It was a busy and wonderful weekend.

Friday I was lucky enough to get off work at 3:00 – so I was able to go home and spend some time with Watson, get together some outdoor supplies (bug spray & sunscreen) and order some Schaffer’s BBQ for dinner, before heading to Middletown to meet Ryan at Brookside Church! We had a delicious picnic of pulled pork BBQ, Route 11 chips and even tried a Redneck Egg Roll (please see Watson begging for a bite). The Redneck Egg Roll was stuffed with pulled pork, cheese, onions, and peppers. It was divine but I’m not always a big fried food person – so I’m glad I only had half!

  

Ryan was using the zero-turn mower and after taking Watson on a walk around the park, I used the push mower to help out some! Watson and I headed home and I washed off all the bug spray and sunscreen and sweat and dirt… and we ended up watching Alone for the rest of the evening.

It was really nice to sleep later than 5:15 on Saturday! I am definitely going to have to adjust to being an early riser – it hasn’t been so bad – but man, when you beat the sun coming up, that’s a whole new situation! I do feel like it makes me really productive but at the same time, I do not mind when Saturday and Sunday arrive, and I don’t have to get out of the bed before 7 AM (or later). Ryan and I kind of took it easy on Saturday morning – coffee and breakfast, just relaxing and watching some TV. Enjoying some chill time.

Around 10:30 I ran some errands to get gas/grab some headache medicine and when I spotted the Strite’s Donuts truck parked at Walgreen’s – I knew that was the dessert option to take to Katie’s! I had afternoon plans to see Katie and her sweet kiddos and I offered to bring dessert! I asked what her kiddos (who are four and two) were into and she said “donuts and cupcakes”… so the little donut holes seemed like the perfect choice! I made my way up the mountain to her house and we had the best afternoon!

I have known Katie’s kiddos since they were born, and they called me Aunt Natalie – so sweet! We played games and danced, and Katie and I got a chance to chat when the kiddos took a nap! They are such sweethearts and they both told me “I love you” while I was over at the house! Ugh – my heart! *love* After our pizza and donuts and catching up, I headed back home and then Ryan and I went to my parents for the evening. Ryan grilled some veggies and chicken and put together the best (spicy) chicken stir fry meal for dinner and then we introduced my parents to Alone – ha-ha!

Sunday was an early start for us (although not before 7 AM – at least for me) as we drove to Fredericksburg for the day! Ryan and I attended Fredericksburg Full Gospel Church – which he attended while he was in Teen Challenge – and it was an awesome worship service experience. The congregation invited Ryan up to share and the next thing I knew, I was also being invited up and the church was praying over Ryan and I! It was a really touching experience and the pastor even wants us to come back for dinner sometime! Wow! 

After grabbing a quick lunch at Firehouse Subs, Ryan and I headed to the Teen Challenge farm where he was interviewed by a journalism student who is currently working as an intern at Teen Challenge. I’m not sure what all went down during the interview because I ended up sitting in the office, where the air conditioner was nice and cool and reading my book! The interview took about and hour and a half and then we were off again! We stopped by Ryan’s friend Will’s house, and he was able to catch up with Will and Jeremy – some friends from his time at Teen Challenge! We headed home around 5:00 and got ready for another work week!

Also – please peep the pictures of my pup! While I was visiting Katie and her kiddos on Saturday, he took Watson to Shenandoah County Park and Seven Bends State Park and y’all – my little adventurer was worn out!

It was a good weekend. It was a fast weekend. I’m looking forward to another weekend!