a boutique hotel.

last night Max came home and told me that i needed to pack a little bag because tomorrow we would be staying at the charming Historic Craddock Terry Hotel downtown.


i couldn't believe he bought us a suite for valentines day. The thing is, I would have been fine with just a movie, or the sweet card and roses he gave me. But this is our first Valentines as engaged people so Max wanted to do something special for us.

a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about ideas, he suggested a weekend in D.C.

we loved the capital last time we were there but i still wanted a smallish celebration, so i suggested a local bed & breakfast.

and although Craddock Terry is not my quaint vision of a b&b, i was terribly excited when Max told me my surprise last night.

i have the best valentine!




and if i forget to tell you later, Max i had a wonderful time with you- my forever valentine. xo

ps. i can't wait to see how your valentine weekends went! i promise to visit when we get back. off to pack... SO.EXCITED.

"And he normally kisses [her] where I and everybody else can see them, like in the kitchen or in the bedroom on the bed...

He always says, This is what love should be. And he searches into [her] face for whole minutes..."

-Don't Erase Me stories by Carolyn Fernell

roses from Max

sweet gift from Max's Moma

5 things i love about you booklet made by Red4Short.etsy.com

My bestie gave this gift to me, to fill out for my husband-to-be.*

this is our first valentines as engaged people, but we'll celebrate quietly later. Max has to work today and yet, this morning was perfect. A lovely church service with his parents, buttery pancakes for lunch, and for me- a lazy sunday nap.

we're having dinner with his parents again tonight. A valentines day spent with those i love, my family in Virginia...

Amore, indeed.

i hope your day was filled with just as much love & family. xo's

*thanks Marisa! it was PERFECT & i had fun filling it out! i love you valentine.

It's Friday so that means answering some blanks.

another little eatery we've discovered in our new city is the Devils Backbone Brewing Company, out near the ski resort of Wintergreen. They have a jazz night every 1st & 3rd Wens. with retro cocktails and snazzy foods. I'm looking forward to their outdoor music festival in the summertime.

As a vegetarian, i delighted in their veggie burger (and may have eaten every last bit of it). The dark beer i ordered had some kind of coffee in it. It was interesting, but i was glad they served little pints of it.

Happy Friday lovies!!! a valentines weekend one. Since it's friday, how about another round of

1. I am hoping my Valentine's day this year includes, a lot of laughter and kisses from my fiance Max. Last year we ordered a pizza at home while sharing a bottle of wine, danced in our undies to crocodile rock in our living room and were in bed by midnight. It was simple and the perfect way to spend Valentines Day. This year is our first one as engaged people .

2. My biggest guilty pleasure is sleeping in til after noon on weekends after staying up late the night before with a glass of wine lost in a book or blogging .

3. I am most proud of leaving the only home I've known in my beloved Texas to be with my beloved thousands of miles away in Virginia .

4. If I could choose one outfit to live in it would be tights with a comfy shirt dress, heels (always heels) .

5. People are always amazing me. Something I love about blogging is connecting to those who would have otherwise been perfect strangers. I'm always amazed at the secrets people confess to me, an otherwise perfect stranger to them. I sincerely love this fact, that i can be one of those kinds of people; a kindred soul .

6. I would rather have loved and lost than to have never never been heartbroken .

7. I love my nieces & nephew more than anything in the world!

Have fun creating your own fill in the blanks and link up at Lauren's place, The Little Things We Do.

the kind of sunday...

see the mountains in the background? that's my view when i look out our kitchen window, out onto our balcony back porch.

(summer months, i can not wait for you)



maverick asking to play in the snow.

she hops around like a rabbit, trying to keep up with Bubbles.




Today was a pretty day... A kind of sunday that calls for staying in your pajamas. The kind of Sunday that calls for grilled cheese and tomato soup.

The Cavalier on Rivermont.

a local dive known for it's season french fries with a side of ranch (or mustard if you're me). i had a grilled cheese on rye bread and it was yummy. Paired with Stella beers and it was delicious.

i fell in love with the VA licence plates covering the walls (note about VA plates: nearly all of them have phrases or names) & the graffitied tables/chairs.

i took a picture of a hearted M engraved on our table, because it reminded me of this, which reminded me of my bestie.

it's near Randolph College, which until recently, was an all girls college. i have always fantasized about going to a university that wasn't coed.

i'm falling in love with my little city & it's history.

(but i deeply miss you twinks! i can't sleep...

it's after 2 a.m. and i'm still awake)

tough morning.

I have turned in two resignation letters in my life... the one i handed in, folded inside a pretty envelope today was the hardest.

i love my job. i wake up every day never dreading to walk inside my office. How many people can say that? 50% i loved my job and 50% i loved everyone i worked with. It was a joy to be part of it all.

It was scary to turn in my letter. I mean this economy is pretty scary isn't it?

January 4th will be my last day at what has been my dream job.

But as M said when i texted her before handing in my letter, on January 6th I will be with my dream guy again, moving to Virginia. I can not wait for that.

So as much as I am sad to leave the city I love, and most importantly the family i adore (this breaks my heart because we are so close to one other. I will miss sharing every day with my parents and seesters), he is my choice. "Virginia is for lovers."

to my employer, i wrote the following as my last line and i sincerely mean it:

"I wish you and the City of Wichita Falls all the best.

It is where I will always call home."

but home... home is now in his arms and his arms are in Virginia.

(pic 1 from the talented alicia bock / pic 2)