weekend away

Over the weekend, for the first time in I-can't-remember-how-long, Will and I went out of town...ALONE.  We packed up the car, dropped the kids off at Will's dad and step mom's house, and made our way a few hours west to Warm Springs, VA where we stayed in a sweet little cottage at Meadow Lane.  

View from our room

Our cottage - Swiggle

Meadow Lane Lodge

It was a really great couple of days for us to recharge, get some rest, and reconnect.  We spent hours talking about all the things we've done since we got married (it'll be ten years in July!), the things we'd like to do someday in the future, what we need for the house right away, and what color we want to paint our bedroom (fresh guacamole!).  And while we talked, we walked.  

Warm Springs and nearby Hot Springs, home of the famous Homestead Resort, are chock full of great hiking trails.  We decided to head up the Flag Rock trail which had an amazing 360 degree view from the top.

Not a switchback in sight

After our chilly morning hike, we picked up a picnic lunch at The Milk House, a little market/deli selling all local products, and headed down the road about 15 miles to the Falling Spring Waterfall.  

The Milk House Market in the distance.

Local jams, granola, chips, salsa, and drinks.

Picnic lunch in the sunshine

Falling Spring Waterfall

When we weren't exploring, we were either catching up on our reading or, naturally, eating.  We found great home-cooked food at Jason's Pizza and Subs, loved our picnic lunch from The Milk House, and had a fantastic burger (him) and locally caught trout (me) at Sam Snead's Tavern. Yes, Sam Snead, the famous golfer.  Apparently he used to work at The Homestead.

Pretty fireplace at Sam Snead's Tavern

After a great day on Saturday, we decided to spend Sunday working on house stuff on our own while the kids were happily occupied at PaPa and Jean's.  We had several things we needed to figure out before closing and none of it was particularly kid-friendly.  So while they played, we stopped at four different furniture stores and Lowe's and Home Depot to look for some furniture, paint colors, ceiling fans, and window treatments.  I'm happy to report that I think we got almost everything figured out. 

Paint colors!

Tommy chose "fire-engine red" for his room, and although Annabel always chooses whatever he does, we've finally gotten a definitive "purple" from her. So from left to right, we like the "Clear Blue Sky" for all of the downstairs, the "Soft Sapphire" for the upstairs family room, "Candy Apple" for Tommy's room, "Fresh Pineapple" for the laundry room, "Fresh Guacamole" for the master bedroom, and "Lavender Phlox" for Annabel's room.  Master bath, kids bath, and guest room are to be determined, but for now, I think they'll just be white.  We still have a few weeks to change our minds so I'll let you know what the final decisions are and share photos of the painted rooms.  So many fun decisions to make! 

We've decided to make our weekend away an annual occurrence rather than an I-can't-remember-the-last-time-we-did-this occurrence.  I think that's a good plan.  Love you, Will.  Thanks for a fantastic weekend <3

Happy Monday, friends!