Weekend Recap

Happy Tuesday, y'all! I hope it was a wonderful weekend wherever you spent it! Did anyone treat themselves to breakfast in bed this weekend? Send me your photos if you did! As I mentioned, I had some friends visiting for the weekend and we just had the best time. It's always so refreshing to see good friends that you haven't seen in a while. I had a great time showing them around DC!

On Friday, we had dinner at Flight- a wine bar downtown. We did a mix of small plates and flights of wine. I did the "Sailing on the Mediterranean" flight and absolutely loved it. I would absolutely get it again if I went back! The food was delicious and beautiful! After our dinner we headed over to U Street and popped around for the evening.

On Saturday, we had tickets to do a Cherry Blossom boat tour. That's actually been on my list since last year's festival, and I'm so glad my friends were here to share it with me! It was pretty windy out on the river- which made for a cold ride- but I was able to get some pretty shots. After the boat tour we headed over to the Mall to walk around the Tidal Basin and see the trees up close and personal. It was an absolutely GORGEOUS day and I loved the whole experience. It was a long day with a ton of walking, but I am so glad we did everything that we did.

On Sunday, we went to Ambar for brunch. So far, that's got to be one of my favorite brunch spots in the city. The atmosphere is so fun and the food is incredible (the poached pear waffle is a must, see above). It's right over by the Eastern Market- so it's situated in the perfect spot for pre- or post-brunch shopping. We were able to do a little browsing before we ate and I got the prettiest little bracelet! The shop had jewelry created from vintage watch pieces and I fell in love with this bracelet as soon as I laid eyes on it. I've already worn it once and am sure it won't be the last time. After brunch, we made a pit stop at the White House and then headed to the airport to say our goodbyes. All-in-all it was a wonderful weekend.

I don't know about y'all, but I find hosting exhausting. Sunday night I cleaned up my place and practically fell into a coma as soon as I laid down on my bed. As tired as I was, it was a great weekend and I wouldn't trade my memories for any amount of sleep!

What did you do this weekend? Do you have any tricks to lower the pressure of hosting guests?

Weekend Recap

This weekend was a soggy one. We got a wintery mix on Friday that kept me inside. Although I had to cancel my plans, it ended up being a blessing because I was able to tidy up my apartment {which was much needed}. I don't know what's been my problem lately- I typically like to keep my place very clean- but I keep finding other things to do instead of pick up. It seems as though the mess hasn't been high on my priority list. I got a new assignment at work that is keeping me SUPER busy, so when I get home I am just exhausted. Hopefully now that it's clean I can get back into my usual habits and keep things nice!

On Saturday I did a little touristy day around the city with a new transplanted friend. She hasn't done much exploring since her arrival, and I thought it was about time! We went to a few Smithsonian museums, visited the White House, saw the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and the WWII Memorial. We racked up over 20,000 steps on my beloved FitBit {read more about that here}! My favorite thing of the day was definitely the Degas exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. It was seriously exquisite! The "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen" original sculpture is up there. If you look closely, you can see the real human hair *ick* braided underneath the wax. His attention to detail is incredible, and I love all of his ballerina paintings. If you are up in the area, I highly suggest dropping in before it leaves us in February! Here are a few pics from the exhibit:

Today I had a lazy day of watching the Food Network, reading my favorite blogs, running a few errands, and ended with a girls evening. Isn't it just great to have the kind of friend you can eat takeout in your pjs with? I can't think of a better gal pal to have! We got some Wegman's sushi {um is anyone else out there ADDICTED to this too?!} and watched "A Walk Among the Tombstones." Totally dramatic and action packed, but still a good movie. I actually screamed into my blanket during a few of the scenes! The conversation that followed the movie definitely lightened the mood. One friend said she wanted to have Liam Neeson as her dad, while the other would rather date him. Honestly I'm not concerned with how I'd get him on my team, but he's the kinda guy you want to be with and not against. 

I hope your weekend was equally as rejuvenating and that y'all have a great week!! 

What did you do this weekend? Have you seen the traveling Degas exhibit? What did you think?

Weekend Recap

Happy Sunday!

This weekend has been the laziest of the lazy, and I'm perfectly fine with that. On Friday I got a migraine and went to bed early {by early I mean promptly at 7PM!}. Saturday, I took a mini-roadtrip down to the Virginia Bazaar flea market to look at the antiques. I've never been before, but I've seen it on my drive to and from Georgia. I think that it would be a totally different place in warmer weather- there is a large outdoor area that was empty due to the cold temps. I'm currently on the hunt for some navy and white decor for my living room. The stalls at the market weren't very full and I came away empty handed. Kinda sad after such a long drive south! The ride down was good though because I got to have great catch-up convos with my mom and sister. I normally like to talk with my family more, but these past few weeks have been so busy it's been difficult to make time to chat with everyone during the week. Do y'all ever have weeks like that? On my way back north, I stopped by historic Fredericksburg to pop into a few shops and walk around by the river. They have the most charming street of shops and I really enjoyed walking around. It was a little chilly, but I was bundled up in the coziest cable knit sweater!

necklace / sweater {old, similar} / jeans / boots {old, similar}

Today was a rainy and gloom-filled day. I met a friend for brunch and shopping at Eastern Market. I absolutely adore going down there and seeing the vendors. If you've never been- here's the rundown. Eastern Market is an indoor/outdoor market near Capitol Hill. They offer everything from fresh fruit to flowers to jewelry! The vendors do change, but you can generally find them in the same areas each time you come back. I love walking around and admiring all of the goodies!

My night ended with a yummy pasta dinner and about 10 episodes of Friends! I absolutely adore that they've added all of the seasons to Netflix. Goodbye productivity!

What did you do this weekend? What are you currently watching on Netflix?

Giving back this Christmas

Happy Monday!

I was less than enthusiastic when I woke up this morning with another weekend gone by. They seem to get shorter and shorter as you get older, no? I had a particularly special visitor this weekend and was sad that it flew by so quickly. The one thing that functioned as a serious pick-me-up this morning was the fact that I wasn't going into work today. Thankfully, I work for a company that encourages its employees to give back in their local communities. I joined 3 of my co-workers this morning to head into DC to work at the Capital Area Food Bank. {I have to admit I was slightly disappointed that I didn't run into Prince William in the city today!} We spent the day packing boxes of donated food that will be sent out to feed local families. It was extremely humbling to go work with the wonderful people at the food bank and be a small part of the battle to end hunger. I have always been blessed with a high level of compassion and have been looking for a fulfilling way to give back to my new community. Not only was I amazed at the amount of supplies that the generous metro-DC communities have donated, but I was so pleased to hear that some of the largest donations came from grocery stores in the area. Hunger may seem like a surprising problem to have in today's society {especially in the wake of Thanksgiving}, but it is a staggering problem world wide- even here in our own country. One in six people in the US struggle with hunger. ONE IN SIX. That is sickening to me.

As we continue with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, it's easy to get caught up in our own lives- our days are filled with shopping, wrapping up the year, arranging travel plans, as well as planning and attending parties. I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to take a step back and refocus with the bigger picture in mind. Here in Virgina, one in eight people struggle with having enough food. There is definitely more work to do and I am happy to have found a great place to do my part. Here are a few photos from my day:

 

This was my first experience at a food bank, and I am really excited to go back when I am able. I HIGHLY encourage you to take some time to give back to your community, especially as we continue through the Christmas season. Please check out the Capital Area Food Bank's website if you are in the metro-DC area for more opportunities or Feeding America's website to find opportunities in your area.

How do you give back in your community? Are you planning to take time out during the holidays to serve others? Please share your thoughts in a comment below!

Weekend Recap

Happy Sunday! This weekend was both relaxing yet action packed! I had a really rough day at work on Friday, so I treated myself and got a bottle of Prosecco to sip on in my pjs. I snuggled on my couch in front of my first fire of the winter to catch up on some Revenge. It was a perfect way to end the week! 

Pajamas {from Target- old, similar here}

Yesterday, I was able to sleep in and have a leisurely morning. I went to Ikea and bought a new nightstand set to put together for my bedroom. I don't know about y'all, but Ikea furniture can be so daunting to put together! The instructions are purely photos, and someone with limited assembly experience {aka me} may not know the difference between the pieces pictured. I actually got my desk from Ikea and put it together myself- which was a huge accomplishment over a several day period- and swore I would never make anything from there again. Unfortunately, I have been wanting to get nightstands and found ones that will work well {for a great price, no less!} with my current bedroom furniture. These will be a much smaller task, and I will be sure to put up a photo when they are complete! Be sure to check out my new instagram account for photos in between posts! I also found the perfect coffee table tray during a quick trip into Target. Stay tuned on future styling!

Tray

Saturday night, I went out with some girlfriends in Reston Town Center. We ate at a fantastic restaurant called PassionFish. They had wonderful cocktails and the food was so yummy! It's bad when you get the group of us together because we L-O-V-E to get dessert. I'm not usually one to splurge for dessert when I eat out, but if everyone else is doing it I can be easily swayed. I was so full afterwards, but I can't say that I regret it one bit!

Today, I had lunch and did a little exploring with a college friend who was in town for an interview. It was SO refreshing to see her, and we had a blast strolling around Georgetown. I took her to Luke's Lobster {my go-to tourist stop} for a lobster roll, we did a little shopping on M Street, then grabbed some coffee and macarons from Paul and sat by the river catching up until it was time for her flight. It was such a fun day with great company! 

What did you do this weekend? What's your favorite way to relax after a hard work week/day?