Touring Richmond, Family Style

I just spent a great, extended weekend with my family down on the beach in SC and it made me realize how blessed I've been to get to see them a lot lately. They were actually just up in Richmond three weeks ago for a summer visit. Even though we're only two states away, I still feel like the distance is a lot farther sometimes.

Last year when we first moved to Richmond, my little brother came up to visit for a week and it was SO much fun. This year, the entire family decided to join along and my brother and sister stayed during the week this time and my parents came up on the weekends. 

Since they've now been to Richmond a few times, I struggled at first with what to do, but after the gears started turning, I realized there's actually so much we haven't done yet in this wonderful city that I call home! (In other words, this is a lengthy post, but I couldn't help sharing all the fun!)

On Saturday, we woke up and headed straight to the South of the James Farmers Market to get Mrs. Yoder's donuts and some ingredients for lunch later that day. I love tomatoes and the Dill and Garlic Goat Cheese from Goats-R-Us. Ryan really missed out (can't feel too bad for him, he was at "Man Weekend")! Although, he did get to join in on the fun during the week and the next weekend when he was back.

Later Saturday, we were feeling quite heavy from donuts, goat cheese, fresh sourdough and tomatoes, so we went over to Belle Isle Park and walked the loop, stopping to take in some of the cool sights too.

(I cracked up at this selfie, including a creepy photobomb from my brother)

My Dad surprised us too by buying us a tour of Richmond via Segway!! It was a BLAST y'all!!! Those things are so much fun and it was such a cool way to see the city. I never wanted to get off!

 Ally was chosen to go first when we were all starting to learn how to ride, she did so good!

At no hint of being a Clemson fan, I got the tiger segway, it was perf!

One of my favorite sights was the art along the Canal Walk! Artists were commissioned to come to Richmond to paint these for the RVA Street Art Festival and they are awesome!

It was really fun to zip around Brown's Island too!

 We also went around the Capital and the Governor's Mansion.

During the week, we had lots of pizza, game nights and some other fun activities thrown in like Dave and Busters!

We had to get Nick's favorite donuts in town from Sugar Shack. This time, Ryan came back with Maple Fried Chicken donuts, say whaaaaaaa!

We also went on a shopping adventure at Forever21 for Ally and Vineyard Vines and Natty Beau for Nick!

When my parents came back Saturday of the last weekend they were here, it was gorgeous weather so we decided to grill out! Then on Sunday after church, we headed to Church Hill to walk around and eat some grub!

I've never really walked around Church Hill, but I'm so glad we did because its gorgeous and there's so many yummy restaurants!

We had lunch at Alamo BBQ and it did not disappoint! I love that they have more than just a BBQ plate, they've got all kinds of unique sandwiches and sides too.

We continued our walk only to end up eating again, this time finishing off with dessert at Proper Pie!

What a fun weekend that was! I can't wait for them to come visit again already, but am glad that we had such a fun (although super rainy) time with them at the beach!

Richmonders, what are your favorite destinations that I should take them to next time they're in town?

SO Obsessed Sunday - August 10 Edition

It's SO Obsessed Sunday time y'all!!! I'm writing today from a very, very rainy Garden City, SC with my family after going to pick up Ryan in Charleston from a bachelor party weekend. So I'm trying to think sunny thoughts today, hoping that it will clear up tomorrow at least for one last beach day.

To kick off some sunny thoughts this Sunday, my first obsession is the pom pom shorts from Custom Lilly. How cute are these?! And they come in tons of prints and skirt versions as well. Also, until tomorrow, you can get 15% off by using the code CL15.

I can't wait to share this next one! My friend Katie just opened an Etsy shop for her beautiful calligraphy this week, go check at CalligraphyByKatie, it's so gorgeous!!! I love the gold!

My next one is actually an app that ok yes, I know I'm a little late to the table with, but just in case you're not using it either, I thought I would share. Last weekend on the bachelorette party I attended, there was lots of taxis, dinners, drinks, grocery runs, etc. so we there was a lot of need to pay each other back. Enter Venmo. It's an app that you can pay your friends with directly from and to bank accounts with just the click of a button. It rocks, go check it out and download it now!

So that's all folks, just a short and sweet one today! But stay tuned, I'm sharing some Richmond family photos and my planner details this week, woo hoo!!

What are you obsessing over lately? What new app are you loving?

A Trip To Southern Season

We recently noticed a lot of construction going up around the corner from our house and couldn't wait to find out what was going in all the spaces. One of the largest buildings ended up being a Southern Season and I couldn't be more excited!

I first heard about Southern Season when my friend Susan sent me the link, noting it was opening just around the corner from my house. If you haven't heard of Southern Season, it's "the premier destination for specialty food, gift and entertaining items". It's been featured in Travel + Leisure, Southern Living and on Food Network.

I love that not only do they feature tons of specialty, local food items, but they also hold cooking classes, have a full service bar, restaurant with an outside patio, PLUS they have a bakery, pre-made dinners, a candy and ice cream bar and a cheese area too! Phew, that was a long sentence and I don't think I even mentioned the charcuterie or bridal registration either! Don't worry, if you're not in or near RVA, they also have locations in Charleston and Chapel Hill. 

Since every night this week has been a late one between work and then personal errands and appointments, it just has me plain exhausted! The thought of a pre-made dinner from Southern Season right around the corner sounded just about perfect. First I had to do a lap around the store to check it out though!

           

            

The flowers, OH the flowers!! They were so gorgeous! I was excited to see those purple, fluffy, round Allium flowers in the upper right of the picture, which were also in full bloom all around Boston when we were there in June.

           

I loved seeing all the Le Creuset beautifully displayed! Anyone who's been to my home knows how this colorful cookware decorates the dining room and kitchen!

  

I didn't go inside, but I'm dying to try the restaurant, Southerly, here's a link to the menus. I'm eyeing the Chicken & Waffle side plate that comes with a crispy thigh, hoop cheddar waffle and tabasco vinaigrette. Or how about the Virginia Rockfish with artichoke and lump crab salad, new potatoes and lemon aioli - YUM!

         

I was very tempted to go for one of the subs sandwiches because they looked so fresh and delicious, but instead opted for a wedge (yes, wedge) of Mac & Cheese and a side of Caprese Salad.

Even though my trip was pretty quick, I can't wait to go back and explore more. Translation - I need to block 2 hours and go down every aisle and taste test every morsel, then stop by the restaurant for a drink and munchies on the patio. I see a future date night coming on...

So have you ever been to a Southern Season? What are some of your favorite items?

SO Obsessed Sunday - August 3 Edition

Happy, happy Sunday!!!! I'm writing from the train where I'm covering four states in over 9 hours today, phew! I actually don't mind train rides and would much prefer this over driving today, especially considering that I'm in recovery mode from a fun weekend in Tybee Island and Savannah, GA for a bachelorette party. 

So, what are you obsessing over lately? If you're like me, you are getting a little giddy over the thought of college football, crisp weather, pumpkin spice and apple donuts BUT, the thought of summer fading away is a little sad too, so I want to milk these last days for all its worth! This is why you'll see a lot of my obsessions this weekend centering around bright colors and summer fun...

First up, the Nordstrom sale may end tomorrow, but I'm loving this dress from Nordstrom that is a completely reasonable price at $48 even though it's not in the sale. I would love to round out my summer in this cutie:

Second, I saw this Insta post from Lulu and Georgia and about died, how cute is this setting?! My favorite detail (outside of the table runner!) is one that is a little hard to see, notice the lucite place holder with the script decal? 

Entertaining in summer is my favorite and I have rose colored glasses (hehe) that were my great-grandmother's, I'm thinking I need that gold silverware (goldware?) to go with those glasses, don't ya think?! Go follow their Insta and check out all their amazing rugs and home furnishings too if you haven't!

Next up are some of my favorites from the new Stella and Dot line! I've always been a big fan and am actually hosting a party this week (so yes, this is a little bit of a shameless plug :)). There are lots of new arrivals, but these are four on my wish list...

I am SO obsessed with this silver statement necklace that has teardrop petals of crystal and pinks! The chunky chain adds an edge, I can just see it now paired with a simple white tee, ripped up jean shorts and black gladiator sandals for the summer!

This is another favorite statement necklace with all the color and amazing detail!

I love versatile pieces and these chandelier earrings detach and become studs too, how cool is that?!

I've always loved the Rebel Pendant, but now they have it in rose gold and I'm super obsessed! These are the type of necklaces I wear the most because my wardrobe consists of lots of color and prints and having simple but chic jewelry comes in handy.

Last but not least, I probably won't be purchasing anything because as you know, I'm trying to just say no to impulse purchases, but if I was, I would totally hit up the Zara sale going on right now! Here are some of my favorites. Refinery29 also does a great job of sharing a wider selection of awesome pieces here.

 

     

Flower print dress - now $35.99, was $79.90; Floral print shorts - now $19.99, was $49.90; Printed cami - now $29.99, was $69.90; Ripped trousers - now $29.99, was $79.90

Coming up this week, I can't wait to share some of the bachelorette fun we had this weekend and I got a very exciting mail delivery while I was gone - my new Erin Condren life planner that I talked about two Sundays ago is here and I'll be sharing that with you too! 

Yes, my husband took a pic and sent it to me while I was gone, even he knows how much I've been looking forward to this arriving...

Impulse Purchases - Just Say No!

I may not live in an apartment any longer, but I still love the emails I get from Apartment Therapy!  Recently one came through my inbox titled, "How To Cut Down on Impulse Purchases, Save Money, and Buy Things You Really Like" and I immediately clicked to read more. 

How often do you find yourself buying that pair of cute earrings because heck, they're only $14.99! Or what about that cute JCrew top because TODAY ONLY its an extra 40% and has free shipping. Or it's Wednesday and you've run out of pink to wear and that of course is a MUST (according to Mean Girls at least). Or it's so hot out which means you just HAVE to have that Starbucks Frappe... you see where I'm going with this? 

1. I really hope my husband is reading this because, yauh welcome :)
2. Time to get real with myself, this is something I definitely need to do!!
3. Repeat after me... Tory Burch. Kate Spade. Lilly Pulitzer. Trips! (all falling in the category of "Buy Things You Really Like")

Don't you just love how my brain goes from practical, lets get real, to SHOPPING so quickly? C'mon ladies, you know I'm not alone on that one... 

Anyways, to help us all out, here are Apartment Therapy's tips summarized, you can also click here to read the full article.

1. Unsubscribe form all those flash sale emails. Side note - I recently signed up through Unroll.me to take all of my store emails and roll them up into one email, so I'm not getting a million emails. It's amazing and I'm more prone to archive instead of read!

2. Make a 'wants' list.

3. If you can't decide between two items, consider that you may not need either one.

4. Deny yourself right now and put the money towards something you really want.

5. Find small ways to satisfy your cravings for newness. 

I of course gravitate towards #2 and enjoy storing my "wants list" via a wish list on Pinterest - click here to see my entire wish list board.

I thought I would kick off this effort by sharing some of my top wish list items (in no particular order) for inspiration! Now don't get me wrong, it could take me years and years and years to be able to indulge in these items and I'm quite okay with that, but for now, the thought alone will help me just say no to little impulse buys!

Pretty high on my list is a trip back to beautiful San Diego, CA to visit my bestie who has been living out there since after college. I miss her times a mil and would love to spend another weekend in the sunny place she calls "home". 

Speaking of trips, how fabulous would it be to ride elephants through this beautiful, lush scenery in Thailand. 

Moving to more material things, at this moment, I have one pair of monogrammed Jacks and one mid-wedge pair (seen here) that are getting me through the summer, but I would love to add back the traditional Platinum color or these Lilly-inspired cuties!

You can never have too much Yurman, I would personally love a big chunky stack like this one!

Oh Louboutin's how I love thee... this nude pair would be a wardrobe staple!

Finally, I would kill for a relaxing walk-in shower with multiple shower heads in my master bath. This is a project high on our home to-do list!

So, what is on your "wants" list? And how else would you inspire yourself to cut down on impulse purchases?