Zac Brown Band!

This is the first Sunday in a long time that I have been so, so excited about! We went to a cookout, watched part of the Kansas game, and the jumped in the cabs to head to the Richmond Coliseum!

The Girls!

And the Guys!

As soon as the guy's cab got there (they had to wait for a later one), Jon and I headed down to stake out a good spot near the stage. We were lucky enough to be the third row back, and we had the best view I have ever had at a concert. It was incredible.


When they first came out



Then they came out and played right in front of us!

See them behind us?! I was so excited!

It was such a wonderful night of singing and dancing along to Zac Brown Band's incredible music. I seriously love their songs. It was the perfect way to end out a good weekend!

Happy Hunger Games!

Friday was a tough day at work, so imagine my surprise when I went out to my car and saw a note in the door handle. It was from Jon, and inside the note I found Zac Brown Band concert tickets for Sunday night. I LOVE Zac Brown Band. I had mentioned that I was dying to go to this concert to Jon but, with everything else going on, I was sure he had forgotten. What a tricky boyfriend!

BUT before we got put our dancing shoes on and headed to the concert, we had a very exciting (in my nerdy, girly mind) Saturday waiting for us!

That afternoon we headed to Stony Point and had a very happy Hunger Games at Cinebistro! I seriously love that place. Where else can you reserve your seats in advance, have wine while you watch, and sit in extremely comfortable, spacious chairs?


The Cinebistro Theatre. Image via Richmond Times Dispatch.


The Hunger Games' movie was very good but, as book to movie adaptions always seem to be, not as good as the book. The pieces left out or skipped over were mostly small, but I wish they had been there. However, I was still just as in love with it as I hoped to be and I cannot wait for the next one. As for Jon, he "didn't hate it", which I saw as a great success. Now I have a whole year and a half to turn that "didn't hate" to love before the next movie comes out. A girl has got to have goals right?


After our Hunger Games date we met Amanda and Mike at The Continental for dinner. The Continental is a new restaurant, on Grove Avenue, that opened where the old Phil's used to be. Jon and I had been there for drinks, but we had not had the opportunity to eat there until Saturday night.

The Continental via Richmond.com

After trying the food, I was able to confirm that I absolutely love this place! It does get very, very crowded - especially because it is new - so if you are looking to eat without a wait try going during slower hours or on a week night. However, if you want to tackle the more lively crowd, just show up, put your name on the list, and grab a drink at the bar until your name is called. They have a wonderful selection of beers, wines, and cocktails! And their comfort style food is delicious!

All in all it was one of the best Saturdays. I can't wait to share the concert with yall, as well some other things going on around here! But both of those will have to wait for another day :) I hope you all are having a great start to your week!

"A Stolen Life: A Memoir"

Before I share the rest of our exciting weekend with you (/as soon as I get the time to upload the pictures), I wanted to share a book I just read with y'all. Yes, another book! I finally found my extremely smart father's book loving genes somewhere inside of me!

Last night I bought "A Stolen Life: A Memoir", by Jaycee Dugard, on my Nook. I had not heard much about this book, aside from the early interviews I had seen of Jaycee, but it had received incredible reviews on the bookseller's charts. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the story, Jaycee was the eleven year old girl who was kidnapped on her way to school and found 18 years later. She had the courage to describe her time in captivity, her transition to the real world, and the childhood she had lost in this book. Her goal in writing this was to show people that they can survive the most difficult times and prevail.

Image via ABC News

The moment I began the first chapter I was captivated by this woman's tale of the horrific 18 years she faced. The survival skills she exhibited, courage she showed, and reflections she had on her actions were nothing short of incredible. Someone truly lived through this this horror and survived.

I expected to buy this book and slowly read it over the next week or so, but ended up starting and finishing it last night. It is not something for a light read, it is extremely detailed and hard to read at times, but it is an incredible story of perseverance and survival.

Amuse - ing Night

There have been quite a few things to celebrate recently so Julie and I decided to treat ourselves to dinner at Amuse on Friday. Amuse is located in the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and is absolutely enchanting! As Julie put it, "where else can you have a great dinner AND see ancient artifacts on your way to the restroom?" Not only is the walk to the restroom a treat, they also have gorgeous views from the restaurant which overlook the VMFA courtyard.

The (rainy but wonderful) view from our table

On Thursday and Friday, from 5-6PM, Amuse has a prix fixe menu for $28. For that price, you get to choose one appetizer, one entree, and a dessert. I chose to have their Manakintowne Salad, Jumbo Lump Crabcakes, and Chocolate Pate, which were all delicious!

In addition to great food, Amuse also has a wonderful selection of wines and cocktails. They have a small bar area if you are only interested in a drink, but I highly recommend splurging for the full experience at least once!

Most exhibits in the VMFA are free, so grab a friend, take a tour, and have a wonderful dinner at Amuse!

(*They accept reservations on Open Table)

Erin McDermott Jewelry

Happy Thursday everyone! Thursdays always seems like a breath of fresh air because Friday is right at your finger tips. And who doesn't love a good Friday?

Things have been absolutely crazy around here!

A few weekends ago I had a happy hour/jewelry show at our apartment. I was absolutely thrilled to have so many of my friends in one place! For the show, Erin McDermott graciously offered to come up from Charlotte and share her beautiful designs with everyone.

Of course, being the inexperienced host that I am, I completely forgot to take pictures because I was too busy running around like a chicken with it's head cut off. Classy description right?

For about three hours we drank wine, snacked on delicious appetizers, tried on jewelry and purchased the pieces we couldn't live without. And let me tell you, there were a lot of those pieces. :) I cannot begin to describe how talented Erin is, but I can say that I get more compliments on her jewelry than any other brand I have purchased. The pieces are unique, high quality, and absolutely beautiful. Not to mention, Erin may be the sweetest person you will ever meet. 

Erin attends many shows in Charlottesville and Richmond, as well as other cities around the East Coast. At these shows she offers a number of one of a kind pieces that are not found on her website (which I highly recommend you see!). AND Good news for all of your Richmonders: Erin will be in Richmond next weekend, March 30, at the Bizarre Bazaar! However, if you are unable to attend an event you can browse or purchase from her website.  http://erinmcdermott.com/

Here are a few examples of her wonderful designs (*all images VIA Erin's website):

"The Hunger Games"

Ok, I caught the fever. For the first few nights of this week I was too immersed in "The Hunger Games" to do much of anything else. Really, this girl - who usually follows a very strict 90 year old lifestyle including 5:30 dinner and 9:30 bed - stayed up until 2 AM twice because I could not put the book down. 

I have finished all three books and convinced a certain someone to go see the movie with me, all in five days. (The second part of that statement being the most difficult...)

I was a little apprehensive about the books, mostly because Harry Potter is my main squeeze, but I finally opened my heart to another series. I could not be more thrilled that I did. Suzanne Collins' writing will have you captivated from the moment you open "The Hunger Games" until the minute you tearfully set down "Mockingjay".

If you are looking for a new book to read, you must pick up "The Hunger Games".  You will not regret it!

My March Birchbox!

It's finally here, I received my first Birchbox of the year! I could not have been more excited to see that little pink box waiting patiently on my doorstep! I, not so patiently, ran and scooped it up, immediately opened the package, and found six wonderful samples waiting for me inside!



Please excuse the quality - I was too excited to use my real camera.



The contents!!

The six samples were:

· AHAVA - Essential Day Moisturizer for Normal to Dry Skin

· Annick Goutal - Eau d' Hadrien

· Color Club - Nail Lacquer in Peace Out Purple

· Jouer - Luminizing Moisture Tint

· Orofluido - Beauty Elixir

· Tea Forte - Skin Smart Teas

Descriptions of each sample

I am already a huge fan of Annick Goutal (Petite Cherie is the perfume I always use), but the rest I am pretty unfamiliar with. I cannot begin to describe how pleased I am with my Birchbox purchase, and cannot wait to try out all of these wonderful items!

As you can see from the card, along with a description of the product, they also give you the price of the full size item. If you fall in love with the sample, you can head right over to their website and purchase the real thing. How convenient!

Sign up for Birchbox here!
Oh Birchbox, its already love at first sight.  Is it too soon to be anticipating April's arrival?!