my first time {at the white house}

there's been so much going on {hence my MIA-ness last week} and i was sick last week, but am glad to report that i'm well now and had an incredible weekend of lots of new experiences that i'll be sharing with you!  i figure this is an appropriate time to share a few snaps of my time at the white house fall garden tour {thanks for inviting me, ames!}.

this was my first time up close & personal with the president's home and though we didn't get to go in, the backyard is pretty stinkin' awesome.  we got in this ridiculously long {but quick!} line around this lovely statue and into the garden.

apparently the prez likes golfing and playing on the playground in his free time...?  surely his girls are a bit too old for this, but i'm sure there are plenty of kids who enjoy the company of this jungle gym along with a few secret service agents. (;

people are right when they say the white house doesn't seem that big from the outside, but the architecture is surely has a grandeur about it and it's something worth seeing at least once in your life.  somehow in the crowd we ran into another familiar face we had to snap a picture with!


imagine having a garden like this in your backyard.  they even have a beehive on the property!  granted, i'd never ask for the presence of bees, but i get the purpose.  there were so many beautiful plants everywhere, but it was roped of so i couldn't pick anything {sorry chef friends} unless i wanted to get arrested.

and this is the breath-taking view when you stand immediately outside the white house.  see the hundreds of people?  we went for a 3:00pm tour and the white house staff said 14,000 people had already come through that day, and an expected 40,000 total for the weekend.  cue jaw dropping.

i owe this girl big cause i keep getting treated to all these DC tours for free.  last year she gave me my first look at the capitol!  needless to say, i had an amazing time in the city on saturday.

xoxo, megan

p.s. a little shout out to shop sunchild for the ahoy mate skirt i wore

it's my first time {visiting wineries}

the only times i've ever been to these beautiful virginia wineries is for work, so i've never been able to really enjoy the view, tastings, etc.  it's really just a 30-40 minute drive west and there are wineries galore.  so as a belated birthday celebration for one of the girls, we decided to pack a lunch and stop by two of them!

 the first one we went to was delaplane cellars and the view of virginia was just stellar.  my jaw dropped when we pulled up the hill.  the leaves are just starting to change color here, but even now it is just such a sight.

at delaplane, they had grapes still on the vines.  they grow a lot of the grapes on their property, but they get some from other growers in virginia.  you can't really see them here, but there were bees everywhere on these vines!

 i was in love with the inside the tasting room – slanted ceilings + lots of gray and white beauty.  i think the 2010 williams gap we tried was my favorite taste there.  oh, and we used the tractor in the vineyard to self-time some group shots of us, but of course i had to take a picture on it myself.

we had some extra time so our next stop was aspen dale winery!  this place was super quaint + rustic.  i felt like i could live here and there was the cutest 11-year-old fella hard at work driving a john deere!  the girls and i decided he probably drives better than all of us.

i loved the cozy feel of this place.  they have live music on the weekends and you can bring a picnic and eat anywhere on the property {which is exactly what we did!}.

this fabulous circle staircase led up to a little attic room overlooking the tasting room with some of the cutest furniture ever.  my favorite piece was this little red desk!  along with wine, they import olive oil from greece that is to die for.  it was so good i picked up a bottle!

 the owners of this place are super friendly {as is their staff!}.  we had a great time and felt right at home.  aspen dale did wine pairings, so we tried each wine with different cheeses, chocolate, and pheasant.  my favorite wine here was Mary Madeleine's Rosé, and this was definitely my favorite tasting experience.

 i just loved the atmosphere here, and we saw a horse getting some exercise in those barns in the back.

 the four of us are definitely glad it's finally fall – we all wore boots to our outing!

what a great way to start a saturday!  i can't wait to explore more wineries in virginia.

what's your fancy?

while writing this post and dealing with the exponentially increasing traffic, it finally hit me that it's the end of summer – school is starting and fall is coming!  which means it's time to cross off some adventures on your list before the cold sets in.  here are a few of my suggestions, but sadly i've only done #3 this summer, but perhaps you will adventure out more than me and i can live vicariously through you. (; 

(1) have a boho-chic teepee picnic with the girls, (2) go stand-up paddle boating, (3) make the beach your home for a day, (4) rent a treehouse, (5) go tubing

happy wednesday!

i hope you go on a great adventure.

happy friday!

I've been skimming through the June/July 2012 issue of Lonny Mag and love this Sheridan French feature (especially those pillows and napkin ring!).  They have a summer worldwide getaways section that's sure to get you daydreaming.  My pick is Sorrento, Italy - blue ocean water and a breathtaking view!

 

I'm not a biker (but I wish I was!), but I love this "Exhilarating Ride + Riveting Read = Dreamy Summer Day" column they did.  If I were one, I'd probably be "boisterous belle" (love that bike) or "preppy pacesetter" (love the tote + throw).

Here are a few more links for your weekend:

- "Why Women Still Can't Have It All" :: A very insightful article by Anne-Marie Slaughter about work-life balance and American society.  It's a lengthy read, but an eye-opener.

- Be amazed at Aaron Savage's CD cover creations out of LEGO.  Recognize these?

 

- A great etiquette post from Southern Weddings on how to tip wedding vendors for your big day.

- Traveling this summer?  My friend introduced me to Hipmunk and I've been hooked!  It's essentially a graphed/charted version of Kayak or Orbitz, finding you flights through various air carriers, but they have an "agony" scale organizing flights from shortest commute time, airport, etc.

- As I'm in the process of getting settled at my new place, I'm thankful that places like Container Store and West Elm are currently having sales!

- Looking to spice up your work space?  Order some poppin' office supplies from Poppin' (like these tape dispensers or variety of colored pens).  They're sure to brighten your day - a little extra to look forward to in your day.

 Have a fantastic weekend, y'all!

Instagram photo by FECastleberry

happy friday!

photo from what katie ate

burgers are up for tonight's dinner with the youth kids.  thinking about unique toppings to bring for everyone besides the regular suspects.  perhaps some salsa, mushrooms, eggs, or peanut butter?  what do you put on your burger?

 

earlier this week I went to a Kina Grannis concert at the 9:30 Club in DC.  it's been a while since my last concert, and I forgot how much I love them!  I saw Kina last year in Houston and loved it, but even back then she played a solo act and this time around she had a cellist with her and it was phenomenal. cello's are my favorite.

anyway, here are some big music festivals coming up this summer!  what are your picks?

+ Sweet Green's Sweetlife Food & Music Festival :: Saturday, April 28 :: Merriweather Post Pavilion :: Columbia, MD

featuring kid cudi, the shins, explosions in the sky, fun., delta spirit, and more

+ Pitchfork Music Festival :: July 13-15 :: Union Park :: Chicago, IL

featuring feist, vampire weekend, tim hecker, and more

+ Lollapalooza :: August 3-5 :: Grant Park :: Chicago, IL

featuring red hot chili peppers, the temper trap, passion pit, delta spirit, florence + the machine, and more

+ Outside Lands :: August 10-12 :: Golden Gate Park :: San Francisco, CA

featuring stevie wonder, foo fighters, norah jones, regina spektor, fun., metallica, andrew bird, and more

+ Mixtape Festival :: August 17-18 :: Hersheypark Stadium :: Hershey, PA

featuring kelly clarkson, backstreet boys + new kids on the block, the fray, carly rae jepsen, and more

have a happy weekend!

destination: charlottesville

Grab a cup of jo, sit down in a cozy chair...relax.

*original image by Lara Jade

It's peaceful here, and that's what I love.  The lulled murmur of cars that pass, families with young kids getting froyo, and couples with their dogs walking through the park...these are the things you miss in life when you run too fast and surely I've done so.  I can hear the birds calling, writing songs as the brittle winter branches stretch and awaken to a bright Spring day.  Their close-to-withering leaves seem to squint at the harsh, but oddly familiar rays of the sun.  It's nice to finally notice things again.

Charlottesville was wonderful, a breath of fresh air and a time of peace.  Driving is always something that just makes me feel free.  When I moved to Houston for college, I got used to the 3-4 hour drives  to Dallas or Austin.  The drives in Virginia are particularly beautiful, though.  I'm a little of both - city and country.  I love me some Zac Brown Band, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, but I still need a dose of the city's bright lights every once in a while.

It's a road trip weekend!

Here's a recap of my week in instagrams - it all started off at National Harbor on a beautiful Sunday.  The weather's been warming up here (at least temporarily - DC is very bipolar), which means meals outside (like my fabulous lunch break at Bethesda Bagel), gelato treats from Boccato, and shifts in the wardrobe - cue the skirts & shorts!

Also, I've recently been addicted to Indian food, so much so that I think I have one meal/week that's comprised of butter chicken, naan, curry...mmm.  I'm making myself hungry, but that's beside the point.  So my Indian meal of the week was Aditi - I love their buffet lunch special - but this time I went for a late dinner with some friends and it was quite glorious.  Alright!  Enough about food - now some links for your weekend:

Revisiting France

I got mail!  And not just any sort of mail, mail from France.  This, my friends, is the best mail of all.

it's my first time {snowboarding}

I am so sore.  This is all I've been saying (or whining?) since I've been back from my first snowboarding experience.  For those that have been before, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  I went with a group from my church to White Tail (a ski resort in Pennsylvania) and, though having prior painful experiences with snow sports, attempted to conquer the slopes.

{currently}

Happy weekend, everyone!  It's been quite the week for me so far, and a working weekend for me as well.  This post will be mainly a smorgasbord of my random thoughts from the week - let's go!

one)  I'm in serious need of getting my nails did.  The winter weather has done them over, and they are starting to get brittle.  Recently I've become a big fan of butter london nail lacquers.  I used to never get my nails done, but it's definitely a treat I could get used to having more often. {pictured below: the full monty // yummy mummy}

 

two)  The weather here is get fuh-reezing!  We had our first snow!  And I know it's just getting started.

all photos, few words

A few snaps from my life within the past 2 months:

bodo's bagels in charlottesville, virginia

shenandoah joe in charlottesville, virginia

private capitol tour

all about autumn

original image by vicki grafton photography, flowers by holly chapple

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! I know it's a bit early to be talking about autumn, but the weather in northern Virginia is definitely getting there.

recap: nyc day trip

A few months ago, I hopped on the Bolt Bus (free wifi!) and took a day trip to New York City to spend the evening with one of my best friends for her birthday. Last Spring was my first time at the big apple, and I must say I've gotten more comfortable navigating the subway. We ate at some delicious french food at Flea Market Cafe and then headed to Max Brenner for some ridiculously chocolatey desserts. Here's a few shots from my quick trip:

{on the road} hello, virginia!

It's been a crazy past few days since I arrived in Virginia.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and prayers! We didn't have any problems on the road - no flats, no accidents, not even any traffic. There's not much to say right now, except that my housemates are amazing and my room is finally coming together. Here's a whirlwind of "before" pics I'm sure many of you are itching to see. I will do some before & after posts with DIY projects to come - promise!

 

  

closet space, aka "Narnia"

Thanks to my awesome not-so-little brother for all his help on putting things together and carrying things I could not (or could if I were willing to break my back). A few little fun facts about the new place & some other random updates:

• That white dresser in the first picture was left behind, so the girls gave it to me for free!
• I spent $20 at Goodwill and got a cute wicker laundry basket, lamp base & shade, cute wooden bowls, and a hanging shelf. Photos to come, of course.
• I used craigslist and got a night stand, bookshelf, and metal bed frame for a total of $32.
• I live so close to the metro it's amazing. I have yet to take it, but am excited to explore like crazy!
• My brother developed a love for gelato. We've been to Boccato twice since Sunday. This one's oreo and white chocolate.

• My first piece of mail was waiting for me when I arrived at the house. I was ridiculously excited. My brother kept telling me to stop taking pictures of it cause it's not a celebrity, but maybe it is. Thanks, dear friend. (:

• I will forever be a Texan at heart, and a Singaporean, but I'm glad to be here enjoying my time in VA. Though I don't quite miss Texas yet, it's probably because I've been so preoccupied with everything else. So...no hard feelings, Texas, but I have a huge crush on Virginia right now.