West Virginia...Mountain Mama

I spent last weekend in Huntington, West Virginia visiting a dear college friend and her family.  We had a b-l-a-s-t!  I got to see her home, meet her children for the first time (ages 6  months and 3 years), get to know her town, and have some great girl time!  It was great!

Here is a picture of Sarah and I over the summer at our Ten Year Reunion:

 

 Here is a Group shot of all attendees from the Class of 2000, just for fun :)

Anyway, back to my trip--Huntington, WV, for those of you who don't know, is about a 5 and a half hour drive from Richmond, VA--about 45 minutes past Charleston.  It was a super easy drive--all interstate!  I had my Books on Tape, beautiful scenery, Diet Coke, and interstate driving--it was great!  I snapped some pictures along the way (do not tell my Mom I did this, and I do not recommend doing this, as I imagine it is not terribly safe), but check out what I got to look at along my drive!

I got to Huntington just before dinner time--perfect timing, as Sarah (aka The Hostess with the Mostest) had a wonderful appetizer of Citrus, Rosemary, and Ginger Brie ready to munch on, accompanied by some sparkling wine!

(Don't worry, I have requested the recipe and will be sharing with you once I get it)

I also got to meet her sweet children, Jackson (3) and Ashlyn (6 months)...her most accommodating husband, Brian was also there to welcome me to their home!

 Her kids are so sweet and so cute!  Jackson is a laugh a minute and kept me entertained for much of the time I was there!  Ashlyn was a doll who would smile and cuddle up with you--loved meeting them!

Check out our dinner (I have requested this recipe as well)--Beef Tenderloin stuffed with Feta, Walnuts and Basil--yumm-o!

 

 

Brian opened the good stuff for us :)

We had an amazing evening catching up, reminiscing, and visiting with each other!  The next day was rather low-key--with lunch out in Huntington and a trip to the gym and then Black Bean Chili for dinner (with brownie ice cream sundaes and "Couples Retreat" after, snuggled in bed--Brian was on-call at the hospital, so he wasn't snuggling with us, in case you were wondering).

Huntington is a sweet, quaint town with neat neighborhoods tucked away, amazing houses, a cute downtown, and parks (as well as Tudor's Biscuit World, which I was able to snag on my way out of town on Monday).

 

 The next day we totally vegged for most of the day...and did a craft!  Instead of bringing Sarah and Brian a candle or hand towel or something they probably don't need, I brought stuff to make a Yarn Ball Wreath for their home (I just think they are so darn cute)!  The original idea was that Sarah and I would both make one, but then Ashlyn really wanted to help, so Sarah kept her happy while talking to me while I worked on the wreath.

 

 

 

So, here is a little tutorial--

I had all of this stuff--but only used a fraction of it:

I wrapped the Wire Wreath Form in Yellow Ribbon:

 

Securing it with hot glue at the end (and occasionally along the way).  This was to prevent the mishap that occurred last time I made a Wreath.  What is not pictured is the wrapping of the yarn around the Styrofoam balls and me hot glueing the bejeezus out of it onto the wreath...use your imagination...

And...here is the finished product!  Pretty cute!  Sarah decided to put it in Baby Ashlyn's room, as it it perfect with the color scheme.

Speaking of their home, let me just show you some pictures of Sarah and Brian's gorgeous home, that was built in the early 1900s--it is 90 years old!  It is truly amazing and I know Sarah is eager to get started in decorating it all over and making it their own!!!

 The front of the house--taken from the street.

 The side of the house--the other side used to be open like this, but has since been enclosed to form a sun room-type space.

 This is a separate carriage house--how could would it be turn this into a separate guest house?

 I am loving the yellow wallpaper in this room---it is hard to tell, but there are birds intertwined with the full blooms.  I also adore the built in china cabinets!

 This is the front foyer--I love the wooden door and big brass lock--along with the charming details of the woodwork surrounding the front door.

 Here is the formal living room--a room Sarah is still getting together in her mind--I love the huge space they have to play with here and the fireplace and windows are great!  In the photo below is a painting of the house that the former owner left them--I love the personal touch!

Here are some pictures of Ashlyn's room--

 I LOVE the cornices around the windows!  Such a great idea!

 I think the wreath looks pretty good there--how about you? I suggested possibly getting a round mirror to go inside to give it a little something extra...

 And here is the lovely occupant...

Jackson was way into building with his Tinker Toys...

 Check out the cool train toy box in the background--love it!

Then there was the red "Jackson" chair--perfect for reading a story...or doing some building...

After our relaxing day, it was time to go out to dinner at one of Sarah and Brian's favorite restaurants--Rocco's.  It was delicious!  The food was amazing, the wine was fantastic, and the company was great!  I loved that the local Italian place had red-checked tablecloths!

 Fettuccine with Chicken, Cream, Walnuts and Sun dried tomatoes

 Mussels

 Lobster over Angel Hair Pasta in a Cream Sauce

 It was so yumm-o!!!  I can't wait to go again on my next visit to Huntington!

 Ashlyn loving the necklace I wore.

 Sarah loving on her "Little Lady".

Sarah and I

 What a wonderful trip!  We had a relaxing time filled with chatting, laughing, snuggling (with the kiddos), eating, and being together.  It was great and so good for my soul.

 

Thank you Price Family!

Has anyone else been to Huntingon?  Or anywhere else in West Virginia?
~Lexie

Girl's Weekend (Part 2)!

I am very happy to report that the rest of our Girl's Weekend was WAY less eventful than the first day!  After we were all rested from our adventure on Friday Night (aka. the cameo from Gas Can Annie), we awoke to a beautiful morning in the Blue Ridge Mountains!

I shot these on my way up to the gym Saturday morning:

Breathtaking! 

After we had sweated a little bit and had a little fortification (by the way of scrambled cheese eggs with sauteed mushrooms--thanks Mom), we made our way up to the Spa!

We lounged at the spa for 6 hours!!!  There were massages, pedicures, facials, manicures, and steam baths--along with lounging in the lounge with herbal tea and a good book--heavenly!  It was a pretty perfect day, let me tell you!

After we were all relaxed, rubbed, and cleaned, we made our way back to our room for some pre-dinner wine and cheese!

(Please disregard the random phones, cameras, maps, and remote controls.)

As I have mentioned before, I love wine--and I was in good company this weekend!  I also am a HUGE fan of cheese!  There was also some yummy hummus and roasted eggplant spread that my Mom picked up at Sticks, which is absolutely yumm-o!!  So, we drank some vino, talked about how relaxed we were, ate some appetizers, then got ready for dinner!  (There is a theme here--eat, drink, rest, eat, drink, rest.)

Along the way, we stopped for some gorgeous pic (the setting was nice too--haha)

 (I totally want to submit this one to www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com )



We had a fantastic dinner at The Copper Mine Bistro and the moseyed on over to the bar down the way for some after dinner drinks before we headed back to our room for dessert  and sparkling wine (see, the theme continues).

Yes, we changed into our pj's before partaking in fruit tart and sparkling wine!  After that, we were so exhausted from our day at the spa (it truly is a rough life) and eating and drinking, we called it a night!

The next day, we drove around the mountain checking out the beautiful views and possible condos or houses that might be for sale (Wintergreen is so conveniently located, I really think someone needs to consider purchasing a vacation home, so that we might all be able to use it :) ). 

We had an absolutely wonderful time and have decided that next time will need to have at least one more day, as we did not even break out Taboo, Backgammon, or crafting activities!  Thank you so much to Mom and Gina for taking Lori and I on this amazing trip!  We are so lucky to have such wonderful Mamas!!

Now...a few pictures of the gorgeous surroundings to leave you with. Enjoy!

 

 **Okay, so it was more than a few, but I couldn't pick--they are all so pretty!

**I forgot to mention that almost the entire time Lori and I were speaking in a very southern drawl twang, which made everyone us laugh quite a bit.  It really is fun to talk all souther-fide (I just made up that word).