insta-lately

Here’s a glimpse of what’s been happening lately – a hodge podge of good food, good times,and good friends. Tell me in the comments…how have your past weeks/months been? 2015 off to a good start?

-Alicia xoxo

 

lately: annapolis!

Labor Day weekend was a weekend full of fun, adventure, and ANNAPOLIS! We were lucky enough to spend time with one of my closest friends – and in true form, it far exceeded any sort of expectations we could have set. From crab cakes to cocktails, water taxis to rickshaws, explorations to excitement, it was a trip for the books.

Friday night was a drive through of the city, touring gorgeous homes and of course…starting the weekend with some seafood!

Saturday saw an early morning exercise session, followed by brunch and exploring. A boat tour {on the  yacht from Wedding Crashers!} was a fabulous 2 hours spent. ‘Twisted History’ was the majority of the evening – think scandalous history lessons told table side at historic bars – it was so neat!

Sunday led us to bottomless mimosas at brunch, followed by a bar hop of some of the coolest spots we could have hoped to experience.

Here’s a peak at some of the shenanigans…enjoy!

crab dip baked into a brioche roll started us off at dinner Friday night

gazpacho topped with crab and drizzled with finishing oil and fresh herbs…with a side of amazing blue cheese coleslaw

a power breakfast omelet after an early Saturday morning workout

signs at the Boatyard Saturday morning…and $2 mimosas before 10am!

the hubs and Rick, tour guide and party planner extraordinaire

sharing a smooch on the yacht Saturday afternoon

future magazine cover, am i right?

some of the brunch spread at Blackwall Hitch on Sunday morning

could not get enough of the decor at Blackwall

nautical details abound

specialty cocktails at Level – one of our Sunday bar hop stops

stopping in for some whisky and bourbon at Dry 85…another Sunday stop

Dry 85

Red Red Wine {bar}

painkillers at PUSSER’S!

the hubs is making the best face. ever.

keeping the fun rolling on the yacht!

1/2 lb. crabcake at Chick & Ruth’s on Sunday morning…so amazingly tasty

champagne, yacht style!

 

a view into the kitchen at Chick & Ruth’s…talk about a well-oiled machine!

how amazing is this view!?

lately: beer & bourbon festival

Ross and I at the beginning of the festival, showing off our glasses!

…because sometimes Kelly and I make goofy faces.

Cortez Cigars make an appearance every summer and it’s always so neat to see them hand rolled.

This was a find! We got to sample our namesake bourbon, and it was H.E.A.V.E.N.L.Y. …if only we could have taken some home!

Watching them pull pork – it was so cool! I was like a kid in a candy store.

Ross and Chris after tasting some delicious beers.

One of the many local food trucks posted up under tents!

A little cornhole action, showcasing the theme of the festival.

Cloudy skies and rain couldn’t deter our fun!

Over 40 types of bourbon and more beers than we could count. Pulled pork and good ol’ Southern food for days.

This was the third summer in a row we’ve ventured down to Cary, N.C. for the annual “Beer Bourbon & BBQ Festival” and, true to form, it was a winning time. We sampled a good amount of tasty brews and beverages, but the best part? Spending time and catching up with friends we don’t get to see nearly as often as we’d like. I feel so lucky we were able to make the trip, and we are already counting down to next summer’s shindig!

lately: our beach trip!

The hubs and I spent an amazing week {just the two of us!} living large on the shores of Carolina Beach. Blessed with absolutely perfect weather, plenty of activities, and within walking distance to just about every amazing restaurant/bar in town, we made sure to live up this trip! Take a peak into how we spent the week.

one of the many beer flights we sampled during the week {this was on our way out, at the Flying Saucer in Raleigh}

the view from our balcony

a rosemary-infused cocktail that the bartender created just for us! {we basically closed it down and hung out with the staff, it was so fun}

rare grilled tuna with an arugula salad, grilled peaches and jalepeno foam

oyster back {oyster on the half shell eaten after enjoying the cocktail of gin/pickled onion/cilantro}

one of the things on our “beach bucket list” was to make a sandcastle – we blew this one out of the water!

at the Shuckin’ Shack {another item on our list was to do an oyster shooter every day – again, we rocked that!}

bringing home with us – Attimo Wine enjoyed, porch sitting style, after an amazing day on the sand

home for the week – 3rd floor of the Marriott

great wave riding this week!

walking along the pier after dinner on Tuesday evening

we made sure to document our presence when we were at the Fat Pelican!

sunshine and tan lines

cocktail night!

we found the hidden bookcase entrance to the Green Light Bar{!!} in Raleigh

vacay recap: sonoma county!

The last few days of our trip out West were spent winery hopping with Lisa, my awesome sister-in-law. We visited 4 wineries throughout the weekend, and ended up shipping an entire case back to our sweet little east coast abode. Truth be told, the wines we tasted were probably some of the best I’ve had, and not to mention the absolutely gorgeous wineries all along the area. Talk about breath-taking! Here are a few shots of our weekend; enjoy!

Lisa enjoying her wine – and the view – at Bella!

Ridge Winery – our first stop!

barrel room at Ridge – stop #3 on their wine tasting tour!

Preston Winery

crisp white wine to sip on at Preston Winery – we sat right outside their herb garden!

wall art at the Dry Creek General Store

gorgeous, locally crafted stoneware for sale at the Dry Creek General Store {I wanted to take all of it home!}

crate of wine on display at Bella

food bites at Bella are handed out before entering the tasting room

the entrance to Bella’s tasting room is located underneath the hillside of their winery!

down the hallway to Bella’s tasting counter

starting our Sunday off with some amazing Zinfandel

 

 

 

Let’s Discuss: Have you ever been out to Sonoma County? What are your favorite wineries? 

vacay recap: our trip to tahoe!

As I’ve mentioned in a previous post, the hubs and I were extremely lucky and blessed to spend a long week on the West Coast – Tahoe City, to be exact! This trip has been in the books since November 2013, and to say we were excited for this adventure is an understatement! The entire time was wonderful – from short hikes to long “high sierra” adventures, happy hours in the hot tub, beachin’, and everything in between, it was more than we could ever have imagined! I wanted to share some of our favorite memories, views, and of course FOOD here with you all, so sit back and enjoy!

part of our “high sierra” expedition into Desolation Wilderness – a 14 mile adventure!

boats loved to park in Secret Cove and take in the stunning views

our first morning waking up by the lake, at sunrise no less – this was the view from our loft!

Lisa and I

Ross and I at Vikingsholm – 4th of July celebratory shirt and all!

Ross and Lisa

Secret Cove – part of my and Lisa’s “sister in law” day…certainly one of the most beautiful places on the trip!

Ross is ready to rock and roll

estate at Vikingsholm

views past Sand Harbor

views past Sand Harbor

Ross playing bartender at the beach

some leisure reading at Sand Harbor

exploring the pier down past the Y after dinner one night

Hula Pie!…dessert was well deserved after our 14 mile adventure

hot tub, wine, and sunset at the chalet {standard evening fare}

Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co! We spent a fair amount of time there one afternoon, and sampled fantastic beers!

brother & sister

some Ridge wine at dinner

 

wings for lunch at the Brewery!

view from Desolation

rock hopping!

the smallest lighthouse I’ve ever seen

one of the many mountain lakes we encountered on our “high sierra” expedition

mid-hike pitstop

gnome tree! I could seriously stand in there and not touch the “ceiling”

an afternoon spent cocktail-hopping around town

beer sampler at Tahoe Mountain Brewing Co!

there was still snow!…granted, our elevation was about 8,000 feet…

….sometimes, you just need a marg

greek pizza at Front Street

morning coffee at the chalet

we made a “california cooler” in the lake on sunday-funday!

…so a bear broke in the day before Ross’s parents arrived. NO LIE! came in through the bedroom window, walked around and tried to exit via the back door, but all he did was create a lot of dust and debris to clean up!…an interesting start to vacation, to say the least.

Ross showing off his uncorking skills at Spoon {out to dinner night!}

explorers

Sugar Pine State Park – we spent a lot of time there!

 

 

Let’s Discuss: coming soon, I’ll show you our jaunt into Sonoma County!