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?! 

Happy Leap Day!

I hope all of you leap day babies out their enjoyed your single digit birthdays, and that the rest of you took advantage of some of the many hotel/food/clothing deals out there!! As for me, I enjoyed my last Febru-any sub :( $5 dollars for a meal that lasts both lunch and dinner? yes mam.  (Although Jon has informed me that the turkey sub is always $5 dollars, but it just won't be the same.)

To send February out properly we attended the Virginia Wine Expo this past weekend with a group of friends. It was fabulous! 70+ wineries doing tastings, wine goods for purchase, delicious food, great friends...I was one happy girl. Not to mention, Ryan and Gina made the trek up from Virginia Beach to join us! 

1/2 of the out of town visitors :)

The Group minus Elyse and Nelson

We decided to attend the Expo on Friday in order to beat the crowds, and I sure am glad we did! There was still a large number of people there but we never had to wait more than 5 minutes to taste a specific winery. They also had just about every kind of wine you could imagine. From red to white, sweet to dry, warm to frozen...the Expo had it all! 

wine lovers

Such a wonderful night!

I hope we keep up the good momentum in March, and that more weekends are filled with good wine, good friends, and some good ole fashion college headaches in the morning. :) Happy March!

The Next 100!

First and foremost, I cannot believe I am over the 100 mark in blog posts. A huge, huge thank you to all of you who have read this, laughed a little, put up with my crazy posts, challenged cooking, and so much more. You have no idea what it means to me :)  When I started this blog I had no idea how much I would cherish it. How many people have a basic account of their post college life that they can look back on for years to come? And the fact that people actually read and enjoy it, that truly blows my mind (in a very great way). SO thank you, thank you, thank you for reading the good, the bad and the ugly. You are the best.

Secondly, can y'all believe this weather?! I have been trying to take full advantage of these spring like temperatures because I just love this type of weather. Who doesn't? One of my favorite past times is to throw on some shorts, lace up the tennis shoes, and head out for a walk around the Richmond neighborhood of the day. Normally this means alternating between Libbie/Grove, Carytown, Monument, River Road and those areas in between.

I recently took one of my favorite routes and ended the walk with a trip through the grounds of the VMFA. As I turned the corner and headed home, I was left with this image:

What a perfect way to end a day, and begin the next 100 blog posts.

Burch vs. Burch and 100th Post!

Two in one day? And my 100th blog post? And Wine Expo Tonight? Woohoo!

I am back so soon because I wanted to share an article I just read with y'all. I was a bit slow to jump on the Tory Burch train, but now I am in love with her flats, handbags, clothing, etc. So in love, that I even made sure to stop by her Madison Ave. shop while we were in NYC.

In front of the Tory Burch Door (Mom loves to Zoom.)

This morning I read a very interesting article about Tory and her ex-husband, and I wanted to share. Tory's ex, Christopher Burch, has recently started a brand called C. Wonder, which looks strikingly similar to Tory Burch in every aspect. The difference? C.Wonder sells at a lower price point than Tory Burch.

C. Wonder Left. Tory Burch on right. (Image from New York Magazine.)



Tory Burch Store



C. Wonder Doors and Entrance (Image from Design Library)



Love it? Hate it? The tale behind these former lovers, their rise to fame, divorce, and new competition, is highlighted in the New York Magazine article (found here).

Some will see this as the magazine described:

"To Tory Burch, he might as well have erected a giant lacquered middle finger in the front window, directly facing the orange-lacquered doors of her eponymous store a few blocks away."

Others, in an era of continued success by stores like H&M and Forever 21, will see this as a great way to get fashion for less. 

What do you think?

Wine a Little

Happy Friday!! I hope you all are enjoying this beautiful weather!

Tonight a group of us will be heading to the annual Virginia Wine Expo for a night full of wine tastings and good friends. Seriously, what could be better than wine and friends? This will be my first year attending the show, and I cannot wait to experience this Richmond tradition.

Image VIA

For the event, wineries from all over Virginia come to the Richmond Convention Center to do tastings/offer more information about wine. This year about 70 Virginia wineries will be exhibiting, and I cannot wait to try them! (Responsibly, of course, Dad and Mom.) :)

If you all have any interest in visiting the Virginia Wine Expo this year, you have until Sunday! More information is available here. Or simply purchase tickets here (about $30-35 online, $40 - 45 at the event).

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Christmas in February!

Last night I received a surprise inbox delivery from Birchbox! After multiple days of stalking my g-mail account, I have finally been taken off of their waiting list!! I did not talk to anyone for the next 5 minutes as I excitedly signed up, filled out my beauty profile, and basked in the glow of being a Birchbox member.

For those of you who have not heard of this company, Birchbox is reinventing the way people perceive and use samples. They changes them from something you toss into a drawer, to a wonderful surprise that you cannot wait to try. Each month a Birchbox will be waiting on your doorstep. The box is filled with 4-5 samples they think you'll love, based on your beauty profile. When you find yourself in love with one of your new samples, you can even buy the full size version right off Birchbox's website!

Another added bonus: Good bye TSA problems, hello travel sized beauty.

Image Via Birchbox.com

I have been on the subscription waiting list for about two weeks and am so excited to finally receive my first package next month! These subscriptions are perfect for yourself, your bridesmaids, your friends, and more. Sign up today at Birchbox!

Birchbox offers yearly ($110), monthly ($10 per month) and gift subscriptions.

Stay tuned for my March Birchbox!

Can You Feel the Love Tonight?!

Last night, Jon and I had a date with Raffiki at the opening night of The Lion King. I was so estactic about this date!! Like in the singing Hakuna Matata and Circle of Life all day kind of way. Out loud. To people. And it is my fourth time seeing it. (Hi my name is Jessica and I am an addict).

Wednesday Night Date <3

I will admit that I have always found the acoustics at the Landmark to be sub-par. It is a bit disappointing to know the capability of these performers and not hear it as perfectly as you would in other locations, but the show must go on.

And go on it did. It was incredible!!  The Lion King is visually amazing, heartwarming, and full of talent. Not to mention, the songs are perfect in every way. I truly get chills just thinking about the opening act. I now have new aspirations to be a giraffe or elephant in the show, because goodness knows I can't sing. 

Oh and to become best friends with Raffiki. Seriously. She's beyond fantastic.

From Broadway.com

When the show ended I asked Jon to stop and wait for me to buy a CD. Luckily, he so nicely agreed. I am so happy I made the purchase! You can bet your bottom dollar that I'll be listening to that bad boy while driving/showering/hula-hooping/sleeping/etc.  AND it came with a free behind the scenes DVD!!! I'm. in. heaven.


My New CD/DVD!



 In all seriousness, if you live in Richmond, you must take advantage of this incredible opportunity. Of all of the shows I have seen, The Lion King is by far my favorite musical. I am positive you will not be disappointed.

Tickets are still on sale here. The show will be here until March 11.

....!!!!!

Someone got a new job and it definitely calls for a big blog-o-sphere congratulations!

Congratulations, Concetta!!!!  

I am so proud of you/excited to visit/hope you will become friends with T Swift/need to find a private jet so I can visit more often/cant wait for 1000 more hours of hours of house tours with you!!!!!! OK, I might have been kidding about that last one. 

Love you!

We're All Fired Up!

Well, I did the impossible. After six months of begging and pleading, I finally convinced Jon to take me on a date to the pottery place in Carytown. Oh yes! My sports loving, beer drinking, boyfriend was finally going to paint pottery with me. Not only that, we got Mike and Amanda to come along too! It was such a successful Saturday!

All Fired Up in Carytown (Image VIA)

When we arrived, we each picked out blank canvases and let our inner artist shine (especially Jon!). And by that I mean we annoyed the heck out of the staff there, but it was worth it! Amanda and I got to have some good ole girly fun while the guys were convinced they were racking up some serious good boyfriend points. Win-win for all.

After an hour of pure creativity, Jon and Mike started to get antsy so we painted our final touches, signed our names, and handed over our works of art. It takes a week for them to glaze and fire so we had to wait until this Saturday to go back and pick up our masterpieces!

Here they are!



Mike's Bowl and Amanda's Wine Glass

 

Jon's Plate



Inside of my bowl

Outside of my bowl

The VMFA will probably be calling us soon to display them. Don't worry, I'll make sure all blog readers get in free!

PS. Opening night of the Lion King tonight!!!!! I am so excited!!! Anyone else going while it is in Richmond??