The Best Kind of Weekend-ing

First weekend in May come and gone... Wow! We had the kind of weekend that is busy but relaxing at the same time - felt like a lot was going on, but it was quality time with friends and family, which always refreshes me. It also means I don't take many pictures. I am trying to be fully present wherever I am!

On Friday, C and I went to see Avengers: Age of Ultron - C has been anxiously awaiting the release of this movie for months, so of course we had to see it the day it came out! It turned out to be a pretty good movie, and I was actually able to follow the story line amidst all the action! That is not always the case for me with these superhero movies... PS - was anybody else surprised to see Baby Olsen as the Scarlet Witch in this movie?? I totally missed that casting announcement, but I liked it. She's good!

We were up bright and early to clean the house and run errands on Saturday morning before a 12:30 puck drop for the  Caps game. It was my mom's birthday, so my parents came down to watch the game and celebrate. Unfortunately, the Caps didn't see fit to get a win for the occasion - booooo. Post-game, my mom and I headed to the mall to cash in a B&BW coupon & take advantage of the 2-for-$24 candle sale - happy birthday, indeed! We rounded out the evening with a DIY salad bar and strawberry parfaits for dessert while watching The Judge - I wasn't expecting that movie to be such a tear-jerker! 

Sunday was spent visiting another new-to-us winery: The Winery at Bull Run in Centreville, VA. We met up with my friend, Michelle, and her husband, and took advantage of the fact that they are wine club members for some free tastings. Wine tastings = good, free wine tastings = REALLY good!

It was a gorgeous day, and the place was packed - but Michelle grabbed us a great table right in the middle of everything. A pitcher of sangria and a picnic lunch were the perfect way to spend the afternoon. And I managed to keep myself from getting a sunburn! Definite win. 

I really loved this winery - definitely recommend a visit f you are in the area! They completely embrace the historical elements of their location (right next door to a Civil War battlefield), and have a beautiful set-up with plenty of picnic tables, as well as a large indoor tasting room. The parking lot was jam packed, but we never felt crowded within the winery itself. Lots of space to spread out. Also loved the fact that they have two clearly defined areas to hang out: one side for families with kids, and another for just visitors 21+. I've never seen it done that way, but I thought it was a great way to make everyone happy and comfortable. We didn't end up buying any wine to take home, but we will definitely go back for another visit. 

It feels like we jumped straight from winter to summer around here - it was in the 80s yesterday, and is supposed to stay that way all week! I definitely didn't mind the sunshine and warmth, but I'm hoping the humidity stays away, at least for a few more weeks! I need a couple of weekends where it is still bearable to be outdoors. There is nothing I enjoy more than some laid-back time with the people I love most, though, and this was weekend was such a great example of that. I know the official start to summer isn't until Memorial Day, but this weekend almost felt like it could have been it. We'll be sweating our buns off and hiding in air conditioned places before we know it.

How was your weekend? Anything fun planned for this week? 

The Best Way to Wait for Baby

The day that my sister-in-law went into labor, I had plans to spend the afternoon at a winery with my parents. I knew my choices: go sit at the hospital for hours just waiting, or spend my hours in the beautiful sunshine, enjoying some wine and some family time. Please tell me you know what I picked.

The winery was just 30 minutes from the hospital where my niece was being delivered, so I told C that I'd check in with him throughout the day and to call me when the activity started. Then, my mom, dad, and I hit the road! We stopped to gather a picnic of sorts at at farmer's market then made our way to the winery.

Pearmund Cellars is located in Broad Run, Virginia, and is tucked away down a winding dirt road. The tasting room and barrel cellar are very pretty, but the grounds are the star of this winery. They have a large outdoor patio with lots of tables and chairs, and dogs are welcome to enjoy the fun, too! There are several fire pits, as well as picnic tables and corn hole boards for general enjoyment.

A standard wine tasting at Pearmund is quite affordable at $10 / each, and includes a wide variety of wines (I think we tasted 10?) The woman conducting our tasting was very knowledgeable and friendly, and she knew the answers to just about all our questions. We had a nice time sampling the selection, then picked a few to purchase before heading outside to settle at a table.

I greatly enjoyed soaking up the Vitamin D on the patio with my mom and dad, sipping some wine and people-watching. By the time C called to say that the baby was actually on her way, I'd gotten sufficiently burnt (even sitting in the shade most of the day!) and was ready to go join the family and welcome the new addition. It was such a nice way to spend a Sunday, and way more fun than sitting in the hospital all day. I considered it quite a success!

I picked up a gift for my sister-in-law and brother-in-law
to celebrate the birth day of their first baby!
Tucked into my purse for the hospital :)

A brunette, a blonde, and a redhead walk into a winery...

...sounds like the beginning to a great story, right?? Well, it was certainly the beginning of a great weekend!

Two of my oldest friends came to Fredericksburg this weekend for a much-needed visit, and we had so much fun. The three of us have been making a pointed effort to schedule some time to get together, and we've had three "girls' weekends" now in the last two years or so. It is so worth the effort to get some quality time with old friends!

It was my turn to host the fun this time around, so I decided to take full advantage of the amazing weather on Saturday and take the girls out to Old House Vineyards, a local favorite here at Typically Late! There was a chili cookoff taking place at the winery on Saturday, but we weren't sure what that was going to be like, so I packed up a bag of snacks just in case and we hit the road. When we got to Old House, we started with a tasting, and then picked a bottle to take outside and share. 

We found a great table on the patio right in the sun, and spent all afternoon talking and catching up. I was glad that I'd packed the picnic, because while the chili looked yummy, we opted for grazing over veggies, fruit, hummus, cheese, and crackers, instead. It was absolutely gorgeous out, with full sun and a light breeze, and all three of us were perfectly content to soak up some sun and some gossip. It is such a sweet thing to have friends that you can not see for months, and then pick up right where you left off when you do get together. I couldn't have asked for a nicer afternoon.

We headed back to my house to freshen up, and then headed to downtown Fredericksburg for dinner at a new-to-me restaurant: Kybecca! I've heard lots of great things about this restaurant and wine bar, but we've never been there for more than a drink. I thought it would be a fun place to have dinner - and I was right!

We started with a round of craft cocktails and a few appetizers (I will never pass up fried Brussels sprouts). I went with the "Bello Sanguiello," which their menu describes as "house chocolate vodka and chocolate bitters, shaken with blood orange ice." It was so different and so delicious - it tasted just like a chocolate orange, like you get at Christmas. One was definitely enough though!

We enjoyed a leisurely dinner, which is such a rare thing these days. We sat at the restaurant for over two hours, sharing a bottle of wine and eating delicious food. Personally, there is nothing better! For my dinner entree, I chose shrimp and grits, which was a little risky for me because I don't always like grits (they have to be super well-cooked or else they are too mushy and weird!), but it turned out to be a great decision. The cheddar grits were fluffy and flavorful, the shrimp was perfectly cooked, and the addition of andouille sausage and bell pepper were excellent accouterments. I was so happy!

After dinner, we returned to the house for more wine and a rousing game of "Heads Up," which is an iPhone app I'd never heard of before... hilarious! Check it out if you've been living under a rock, like me. We stayed up far later than I'm used to these days (hello, 10 PM bedtime - can't remember the last time I've seen 1 AM voluntarily!) but it was well-worth the lost sleep. Sunday morning came with blueberry muffins, coffee, and Food Network, before the girls hit the road. We passed around hugs and talked about what to do next time - we are already thinking about the next place to visit! We've done each of our hometowns... might be time to plan a new destination!

I have said this before and I will say it again: I consider myself really lucky to have made (and kept!!) such great friends. While we don't see each other all that often, I know that they are no more than a text or call away, and that we will continue to carve time out of our busy lives for each other. It makes my heart happy to get to connect with girls who just "get" me, regardless of how many years go by or how old we get. Sappy but true! Make new friends, but keep the old. They are a treasure!

If it's not on Instagram...

...did it even really happen?? Like just about everyone these days, I Instagram a lot of things (or, to clarify, a lot of pictures of food and my cats - whatev!). I thought it would be fun today to share five pictures from my phone that I DIDN'T put on Instagram... filter-free and not squared off, these are just random, every-day-life shots!

My friend, Aileen, made me this adorable birthday cake - isn't it the cutest? Her pink rosettes were just gorgeous, and the cake was delicious, too!

A few weekends ago, C & I went to a Capitals game with the rest of my family - we had such a blast, and the Caps won! Can't ask for much more than that. We enjoyed some food and drinks in the Player's Club beforehand, and had a great evening.

My sweet Mother-in-Law surprised me with some birthday goodies! We happen to work in the same building (small world, huh?), so she snuck up to my desk before I got to work and left me muffins and fruit to share with my team. The sign says, "from the birthday fairy!" Lucky for me, I know her name.

After the Capitals game, we stayed the night at my parents' house since it's a little closer to DC. The next morning, my mama made a special birthday breakfast: huevos rancheros from scratch, with fruit salad! Yes, that is approximately one inch of guacamole on top of my eggs... it was delicious!!

Last weekend, C and I ventured out to one of our favorite wineries: Old House, in Culpeper. My sister and brother-in-law got us a wine club membership for Christmas (best gift ever!), and we needed to pick up our first shipment. We enjoyed a free tasting and then sat and admired the view with some wine and snacks. It was such a lovely afternoon - perfect day-date for us!

Do you follow me on Instagram?? If not, you should! @lndsywst - lots of food, fitness, and cats, just like this blog... ha!

A little wine, and I'm feelin' fine

On Saturday evening, we went out to one of our favorite local wineries, Old House Vineyards, for their Summer Sunsets concert series. C & I packed up a picnic and met our friends, Stephanie and Chris, out in Culpeper for an evening of live music, gorgeous views, and delicious wine. Could there be anything better? Methinks not.

I first learned about the Summer Sunsets concerts back in January when we went wine tasting at Old House for my birthday, and I'd made a mental note that it would be fun to attend. I'd only been to the winery in the winter, so hadn't had much of an opportunity to see the beautiful property. It was well worth the wait!

We brought a variety of snacks for dinner, and munched on guacamole, hummus, chicken salad, veggies, crackers, and the like while listening to a guy with a guitar serenade the crowd all evening. It has actually been decent weather around here lately (rather than sweltering hot and suffocatingly humid, per usual), and we were perfectly comfortable sitting outdoors for a few hours, watching the view change as the sun went down.

The event at Old House is free to the public (awesome), and most glasses of their wine were $5 for a very generous pour (more like 2 glasses, if you ask me!). It was a cheap date for sure (minus the bottles of wine we bought to bring home), and we had such a great time! There were a good number of people in attendance, and we saw everything from fancy picnics with gourmet food to families with little kids and buckets of fried chicken. We fit right in with our appetizer-dinner, and it was quick and easy to transport.

Our first official photo.. this makes us real-life friends now, and not blog-friends, right? :)

This was easily one of my favorite nights of this summer - there is nothing I like better than sitting around chatting with friends over food and drink, and when you add music to the mix, it's just about perfect. I am looking forward to the next time we get to visit Old House for Summer Sunsets - which I actually think will be next weekend! Because why not. Summer only lasts so long!

So tell me...

• Do you like to visit wineries? Do you have a favorite?
• What's your favorite low-key summer activity?
• Red or white wine? I generally lean towards red in the winter, and white in the summer.

Choosing life over chores

What a busy weekend! I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week - not entirely sure how I'm going to manage to prepare everything & get the house ready! I like to assume that everyone else is in the same boat... right??

As it always does for me, life comes before cleaning house and running errands, and this weekend was no exception. While I managed to get my Thanksgiving lists written out and the first major grocery shopping trip done, I left plenty on the "to-do" list while I went to a Stella & Dot Open House on Sunday and snuck in a quick shopping trip at DSW with my mama, as well! When a girl needs shoes, a girl needs shoes. Period!

On Saturday, my parents swung by to pick me up and we ventured down to Charlottesville, where we spent the day at a few wineries with my uncle to celebrate his birthday. It was originally just supposed to be my parents and my uncle, but I tagged along as a birthday surprise. We had so much fun! It was a cloudy, damp day, but it didn't keep us from having a great day.

Back porch at Blenheim Vineyards

Outside (above) and inside (below) at Blenheim Vineyards

We went to three wineries: Blenheim Vineyards, Trump Winery, and Jefferson Vineyards. Blenheim is owned by Dave Matthews - kind of neat! All three wineries are within minutes of each other, so it was easy to move from place to place.

We tasted the wines at each, and of the bunch, Trump was definitely our favorite. They had the largest tasting area, a beautiful patio with comfy furniture and beautiful views, and the friendliest staff. Had we not been on a mission to go to more than one place, we probably could have just spent the afternoon there!

Photo-bombed!

That's better... my cute parents

Views at Trump Winery

I kind of want to live in the building... so lovely!

The birthday boy!

Fun fact about Trump Winery: they are one of the few local vineyards that produces sparkling wine. Half of the tasting was of their sparkling varieties, and it was a cool experience - I've never done a sparkling wine tasting! Couldn't drink a whole lot of it, but definitely recommend it. Definitely helped me to determine what I actually like when it comes to sparkling wine (helpful, since my usual "selection method" in the grocery store is just to grab the cheapest or prettiest bottle... typical!).

Even on a grey, cloudy day, the Virginia countryside is absolutely beautiful. You just can't beat the sights in the fall around here! It obviously would have been perfect and gorgeous if the weather had been nice, but, like I said, we had just as great a time with yucky weather. Good wine and better company makes for a wonderful day!

We wrapped up the day with dinner at Travinia in Charlottesville, and C drove down to meet us for that part of the fun. A giant feast of delicious Italian food was just what we needed after all the wine... plus a little more wine to wash it down, of course!

And there ya have it - another day where I chose an experience and quality time with my family over the piles of laundry or dirty kitchen floor that may have been calling my name. Of course, I will be rushing around to get it all done before Thanksgiving, but I certainly wouldn't trade the day I had for a couple baskets of clean clothes. I know there is that saying that "babies don't keep," but really, I believe that life doesn't keep. I'd rather enjoy it!

Coffee Talk #1

My mind is going a mile a minute right now. So many random thoughts that I'm not entirely sure how to reign in to create a logical post... so I'm not going to try.

Several of my favorite bloggers (including Gina and Casey) have done posts recently where they set the scene as "If we were having coffee (or wine), what would we talk about?" and I really like that. It's so real and honest - it's a "here's what in my head," "let's just talk" forum, without being a structured "I'm a blogger!!!" post. Sometimes simple is best!

So let's see. If we were having coffee (or wine, let's be honest), what would I tell you?

• The weather is terrible today. I've been working from home, and therefore not exposed to the rain we've been having, which is great. Today is the worst day this week - raining buckets, wind, just all-around nasty out. Perfect day for staying home, right? Sadly, that is not the case. Today, I had to go to the office. The commute was horrendous, which subsequently puts me in a horrible mood. Great for team work! Not.
• On Tuesday night, I used leftovers to create Cheeseburger Quesadillas. They were delicious, and I was really proud of the final result. I think the idea came to me from several other food blogs, but I'm not entirely sure which ones - I just know it was a great idea, and a very successful dinner.
• American Horror Story: Coven started last night. Anyone else watch it?? I totally love and hate this show. We've watched both of the previous seasons, and it thrills and terrifies me every time. I torture myself every week. This season looks in-tense already!
• I took CX Works (a core-intensive class) and BodyCombat (kickboxing on steroids) back-to-back on Tuesday, and I paid for all day yesterday. Every muscle in my body hurts... but in a good way. I think.
• We are starting to think about what should be the first big house project that we take on. After painting the basement, I want to paint everything. But I also want to rip out the carpets on the main floor and put down hardwood (or laminate... not sure...) and that seems like something we should do first.
• Smaller house projects: we currently have a broken toilet in the master bathroom and a dryer making horrible sounds. Seems like those two things should come before the big projects. Sigh. Joys of home-owning! 
• Have you heard of Lorde and her song "Royals" yet? I just came across her last weekend, and I'm trying to decide if I like the song or not. I think I do. I started a Pandora station based off her, and I'm kind of enjoying the mix I've heard so far. Her subject matter is pop-y, but her sound is different. 

So what's new with you? Pull up a chair and pass the wine... let's talk for a bit.