Vineyards and a Bachlorette

My friends Shannon and Doyle are getting married later this month in Santa Barbara, and  our girlfriends celebrated Shannon by hosting a bachelorette party in her honor. I have quite a few friends who are recently engaged, and it's a great to excuse to plan a party or host a trip to the nearby Virginia vineyards. 

We spent the day tasting lots of wine (some good, some not so good!) and just generally having a great time. We were blessed with sunshine and warm weather, although we did encounter a downpour on our way to dinner. 

Augusta Wedding Weekend

Last month, my dear friends were married in Augusta, Georgia. I love a good excuse to head south to God's country, and I'd never been to Augusta, home of the Masters.

Owing to direct flights and close-ish proximity, a good number of our D.C. area friends were able to attend the wedding. 

via Tim Will Photography

It was a great weekend for catching up with friends and taking a break from the city. We stayed at the historic Partridge Inn, wandered around downtown and the River Walk, and ate some delicious Southern-inspired seafood (if you're ever in Augusta, you must head to Sheehan's Irish Pub).

Spring and Picnics

D.C. has its fair share of weird weather patterns--the derecho of 2012, snow on Halloween, random flooding, a tornado here, a hurricane there--and this spring has been no exception. In February we had days with highs of 70, and in April we were still bundling up with highs of 40 and 50. However, spring is finally here, and with it come baseball games, rooftop parties and picnics. 


Per usual, Kate Spade has all the inspiration you need to start planning your own picnic!

via

Kate Spade champagne box

Kate Spade picnic blanket

Kate Spade picnic basket

Wedding Weekend

Last weekend I attended my first Indian wedding, and I'm going to talk about it. I've been friends with Anjali since second grade, and she is one of the sweetest, kindest people that I know. Not only was I was excited to attend her wedding last weekend, but our friends from Katie and Kristen also came all the way from Mississippi to be there, too.

showing off our henna

Anjali and Gaurav held a traditional Indian wedding including a mehndi celebration and the baraat, followed by the marriage ceremony. A couple of Anjali's cousins adopted us, as we were the few non-Indians in attendance and explained much of the symbolism behind the mehndi and other rituals. The decor and clothing were all stunningly beautiful; pictures really don't do the colors or the dancing or the singing (obviously) any justice.

Anjali and Gaurav at the mehndi celebration

dancing at the mehndi celebration

baraat

Anjali and Gaurav Khullar

showing off our henna on day two

Kristen, me, Anjali, and Katie

The wedding festivities ended on Saturday night, so Katie and Kristen and I spent all day Sunday sightseeing in DC. Living here means that I often take for granted the memorials and museums, so it was a great day to visit the National Mall for some walkin'. After delicious brunch at Bayou, we visited the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Korean War Memorial, the World War II Memorial, the Washington Monument, waved to the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, and finished up with a visit to the Natural History Museum. It was a sunny day with a bluebird sky and was a fitting reminder about those who have served our country, just in time for Veteran's day this Monday.

Vietnam War Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument and Reflecting Pool

Korean War Memorial

Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool

World War II Memorial

Washington Monument

Natural History Museum

Henry at the Natural History Museum

The Hope Diamond at the Natural History Museum

Washington Monument at sunset

A Day in Wine Country

Living in Washington, DC, means that I'm just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Virginia wine country, ranked in the top 10 wine destinations by Wine Enthusiast. I've lived here for more than six years but have never been to the Virginia vineyards, so I was excited that a group of us gals planned a day in wine country. October is Virginia Wine Month, so our timing was perfect.

Our first stop was at the Winery at La Grange in Haymarket, VA, where we tasted nine wines ranging from a Pinot Gris to a Cuvee Blanc to a Tannat. The Viognier, the state grape of Virginia, was my favorite by far; we learned that it's the "red wine drinker's white," which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. My other two favorites were both reds--the Cabernet Franc and the Norton, the native American grape. We each grabbed a glass of wine and walked the grounds, which were beautiful. 

Our second stop was Chrysalis Vineyards just outside of Middleburg, VA. Our visit coincided with the 12th Annual Norton Wine and Bluegrass Festival, and by this time the clouds had mostly departed so it was a bit livelier and much more crowded than our first stop. We tried a variety of reds and whites, and again I enjoyed the Viognier the most, followed by Sarah's Patio Red (made with the Norton) and surprisingly, the sweeter Patio White. 

Bree & Brian's Engagement Party

Two of my very good friends are getting married in April of 2013, so we decided to host an engagement party to celebrate. Bree and I both went to Alabama together, but it wasn't until she moved to DC for a job that we met and became friends (and roommates for a year). Brian is also a good friend of mine, and I forgive him for choosing to be a Florida Gator instead of having the good sense to be a Georgia Bulldog; he is from Atlanta, after all.

I do have to tell one of my favorite stories about this couple... back in the summer of 2009, Bree and Brian had been dating for quite a few months. We went to a party and were having all sorts of a good time. Bree looked at Brian and said, out of the blue, "I think this may be our last hurrah." Bree thought she was being humorous, Brian did not see the humor. I told Brian that I'd give him a ride home; unbeknownst to him, I also told Bree that I'd give her a ride home (to our house), so I somehow got them both in the car at the same time, forcing them to speak to each other. Halfway home, at Dupont Circle, I also told them I wasn't moving the car until they performed a Chinese fire drill. I like to think that the combination of ridiculousness and my stubbornness kept them together that night. Wink wink.

via Meredith

New York Wedding

Over the weekend, some friends and I embarked on a road trip to upstate New York to attend Jordan and Mike's wedding. Two random facts: Utica, New York, is the farthest north within the United States that I've traveled, and Jordan and Mike decided on Utica because it's the halfway point between their two families. The small towns and fall foliage along the way were beautiful and made for a scenic drive. 

We drove about half of the seven hours on Friday night so we wouldn't be rushed on Saturday and could do fun things like visit North Star Orchards. 

  

  

Amanda, Brooks, me, Caitlin at the Corn Maze

It was a great weekend spent with dear friends, and most of all, I'm happy that I was able to be there for my friends as they committed to spend the rest of their lives together. 

Amanda, Caitlin, me, and Brooks before the wedding

Mike and Jordan

Jordan and Mike