New Years 2012

For New Years our good friends Luke and Taylor invited us to the Register's beach house at Ocean Isle for the weekend.  It had been forever since I was able to spend quality time with Taylor and it was awesome to spend a relaxing weekend at the beach with great friends.  The weather was gorgeous and definitely didn't feel like December/January.   Saturday morning we woke up to a delicious breakfast and took a long, leisurely walk around the island and the beach.  

Most of the group-  Happy 2012!

More sights from our walk-

Another highlight of the weekend was the endless cornhole playing.  Taylor and Luke made this set for her parents and we put it to good use!

Turns out Tay and I made an awesome team (who knew!?) and had the longest winning streak!  (Please excuse our un-showered selves :)

Their house is a quick walk to the beach, so we were able to catch an amazing sunset on Saturday night- the last one of 2011!

All fresh and clean- the whole group minus the Registers

We had a yummy lasagna dinner, played Apples to Apples and then went to a bar to hear some live music.  Sharkys (the bar) dropped their version of the ball at midnight- it was a shark of course!  I didn't lug my camera there, so sadly no pictures.  It was the perfect way to ring in the New Year.  Thanks again so much to the Logans and the Registers- we had an awesome time! Let's do it again soon!

Fall Weekend in the NRV

A few weeks ago, Nick and I headed back to VA for a wedding.  Nick's lifetime friend Matt got married in Roanoke, and we decided to make a long weekend out of it.  We stayed in a B&B and enjoyed exploring the mountain town.  On Saturday morning we drove to the top of Mill Mountain, which has a few trails and a great overlook.  It was a perfect fall day and a beautiful view!  The wedding was great and we are so happy for Matt and Allison! (sadly I did not take any pictures at the wedding). 

the Roanoke star on top of Mill Mountain

Saturday night after the wedding we made the drive to Blacksburg for the night.  We couldn't be in VA and not make a stop to see some great friends while we were there.  It was so nice to be back in the quaint college town and even more wonderful to catch up with friends.  Sunday on our way out of town, we stopped for a relaxing lunch at Chateau Morrisette which is a vineyard and restaurant off the Blue Ridge Parkway.  If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it!  The food was amazing and the wine was good too.

We loved spending time with the Boleys and Whiteds who we really miss! We have to make that happen again soon!

the guys

the girls

all of us!

NC State Fair

Up until a few weeks ago, I had never been to the state fair.  I know, its crowded, overpriced and full of greasy food but it seems like a shame to live (almost) your whole life in NC and not visit the fair.  Now that we live in Raleigh, it seemed like the perfect time to go.  On Thursdays you could get in for free with a canned food donation so of course we took advantage of that! 

You can find almost anything deep fried at the fair-  candy bars, oreos, mac and cheese, even kool-aid and bubble gum.  

We didn't ride any rides, or play any games (seriously what would you do with something this large??) but just enjoyed walking around and people watching. 

 We did our fair (ha) share of eating and our favorites were the corn dogs and fried oreos-  they were amazing actually.  Good thing we did lots of walking too.  We are thankful to spend time with good friends!

Boston- Part 2

Day two in Boston we decided to bike across the river to Cambridge.  Emily and Andy actually had four bikes for us to use.  We loved biking through the city and Emily impressed us with her urban skills.  There was a River Festival going on in Cambridge with tons of food, music and shops to see.   We had the best time walking around, choosing what we each wanted for lunch and listening to the music. 

After the festival we walked to Harvard Square and toured around a bit.  It was packed with people and street performers.  We loved taking in the little shops and all the sights.

Stacey and Taylor being tourists on Harvard's campus

We ended our day with dinner out in Little Italy and a cannoli from Mikes.  I didn't take my camera that night, so I don't have any pictures unfortunately.

On day 3 in Boston (Sunday) we set out on our bikes again.  This time we rode through Brookline which is near Emily's apartment.  We stopped to see JFK's birthplace and for lunch.  After lunch we rode  to the Museum of Fine Arts.  There was a special glass blowing exhibit that we loved, but the rest of our time was a little brief as we were getting a little tired of sight seeing at this point.

I know I said this last year, but I think this was one of our best trips yet!  I am so thankful for these girls and our friendships.  We were around 13 when we met, and that makes about 13 years of friendship! We are in such different phases of life, but I love that we still make it a priority to spend time together.  I can't wait for our next trip!  

I think I'll go to Boston....

Every year my best friends from high school take a girls trip.  Click here to see last years trip.  This year was our most exciting yet as we flew to Boston to see Emily.  Taylor and I had a rough start as our plane was delayed for almost 4 hours-  but we finally made it.  Emily was an awesome tour guide and hostess.  Our long weekend was packed with plenty of sightseeing, bike riding and catching up.  

The weather, while a bit breezy for us southern girls, could not have been more beautiful.  We started out on Friday with a picnic lunch in Boston Commons surrounded by ducks.  One even nibbled my toe-  true story!

Our view during lunch

Emily and Taylor with their PB&Js

We spent the rest of the afternoon strolling around, taking in the scenery and shops.  It is a beautiful city! 

The four girls- me, Emily, Stacey, Taylor

We stopped for a treat at JP Licks

The Prudential Building where we went for drinks that night

Later in the afternoon we went to Harpoon Brewery- a local craft brewery for a tasting.  Delicious and even better- free!

After dinner we ended the evening with drinks on the top floor of the Prudential Building.  We made it right before sunset, and the views were amazing!

Looking over the Charles River towards Cambridge

Red Sox Stadium

 Phew!  That was all in one day.  We were busy- but had a blast!  Stay tuned for part two!

Faculty St. 3peat

Last weekend I headed to Wrightsville Beach to hang out with the girls I lived with in college.   We all lived together on Faculty St. in two houses across the street from each other.   The 3peat part of the title comes from the fact that App won the National Championship three years in a row of course!  This was also our third trip together since graduating.  

Emily's parents have a beautiful house right on the waterway that they generously let us use for the weekend.  Our agenda for the weekend was simple- relax and catch up which is exactly what we did.  The weather was perfect, and this was our view-

I am thankful for these girls and our friendships.  Although we don't see each other that often we can always pick up where we left off.  It is amazing to see where life has taken us these past few years.  I can always count on them to be encouraging and supportive.  Love you girls!

Skiing at White Grass

Last weekend we headed up the Canaan Valley in WV with some friends to go cross country skiing.  We rented a cute little cabin on a mountain.

On Saturday morning when we were getting ready to leave, we realized that the road was a solid sheet of ice.  So of course this happened-

The lodge at White Grass is a funky little place with tons of character. 

Cross country skiing is a lot like hiking on skis.  We took a trail up the mountain.  While it is a lot more work than going down, its very rewarding a still really fun.  Along the trails there were these wooden huts complete with a little stove to make a fire and snacks.  We stopped in one for a break and some lunch.

We met these ladies who were really fun to chat with and they even shared some of their lunch.  One lady had a foie gras sandwich that she shared with us.  While I was very curious to try it, its not something I think I will have again anytime soon...especially knowing how its made.

Here's the view from the top-  amazing and well worth the work!

All six of us-

We skied back down the mountain and finished just as it was starting to rain.  Thank goodness it held off as long as it did!  Soon after the rain changed over to snow and really started sticking.  Shortly after we got back to the cabin our power went out because of the storm.  We were not too disappointed though- Elissa had gotten dinner ready in the crockpot before we left and we had a fire going to keep us warm.  We had a delicious candle light dinner and enjoyed wonderful conversation.  

We had such a fun time and hope to make this a yearly tradition!

(Thanks to Elissa for some of the pics :)