Keepin' It Cool

Virginia Wine Festival!

It's my favorite time of year! Bring on the hot tea, cute scarves, boots, candles, and everything pumpkin because Autumn is finally here!

It's true what they say; on September 1st, Washington goes from a hot, sticky, nasty summer to a breezy and beautiful fall. As the tourists shrink away, it seems all sorts of festivals come out around the city!


Joe and I went with a couple of friends to the Virginia Wine Festival.  There were over 70 wineries and 300 wines to be tasted. As amateur "winos" we thought this would be a great opportunity to learn a little more about wines, and more importantly, what we like. We packed up a picnic lunch and spent the  day on the beautiful grounds of Great Meadow Park and felt very posh. We found that we prefer smooth, medium-bodied red wines and dry white wines aged in oak, rather than steel. All in all, it was a great way to welcome in a new season!

A Silhouette On Our Riverside Picnic View

Next, a fun fall adventure on Friday night. I decided I was in a cooking mood, so I spent the half the day in the kitchen making a three-course dinner of antipasto appetizers, spinach and prosciutto pasta, and iced pumpkin bars. When Joe came home, I surprised him by having everything packed in a picnic basket with a blanket. He decided on the perfect place, so we headed out to Hains Point, which has a marvelous view of the Potomac River. We sipped wine, ate a fabulous dinner (if I do say so myself!), tossed around the football, and enjoyed each other's company on such a romantic evening. Sigh.

Fall = Picnics!

My bucket list of fall activities include:
- Apple picking
- Pumpkin carving
- Roasting the carved pumpkin seeds
- Get ready for all the good TV shows to start up again
- Trying (and probably failing) to bake fun fall things
- Buckeye Football tailgating at one of the three Ohio State bars in DC
- See family and friends :)



Love and miss you all!

A Bride's Tale...

Yes, it's that intimidating.

Hello everyone!

Blake here (aka the bride, therefore my tale). I am so happy to announce that after a few road trips, several visits, multiple emails, and endless phone calls, Joe and I get to announce everything we've accomplished for our wedding! We have set a date, have a venue, dress, caterer, photographer, DJ, and we're currently working on the most inspirational officiant you could ever imagine! Much of this I can thank, in large part, to the massive pink binder of "The Ultimate Wedding Planner and Organizer". I can't believe that, in less than a year, I'll get to marry my best friend and the love of my life. We've had so much support from our family and friends throughout our relationship, and they are being even more helpful when it comes to the wedding. We appreciate all that you do; it makes us feel loved!

First, the date: Saturday, September 7th 2013. Please mark your calendars!

Second, the venue: Freeman's Farm in Columbus, Ohio. (For you Cbus natives-- it's about 5 miles north of Polaris mall).

To us, this is just perfect!

Joe and I are really excited! I mean, we're making this so easy on ourselves! We want to do both an outdoor ceremony and tented reception (not tempting mother nature at all, no!), and better yet, we want to do so in the middle of a meadow at Freeman's Farm (oh yes, it's really easy to build a venue from the ground up). But no matter how difficult it might be I truly believe that, rain or shine, our wedding is going to be fantastic! All that matters is that we have our friends and family at our side. Take a peek! We're going to use the surrounding woods as a beautiful ceremony site.


"Wait, Blake! What about the fun crafty projects that come with wedding planning?!", you ask?  Don't worry-- I saved my proudest moment for last! I recently was inspired by Pinterest to create a "Will You Be My Bridesmaid?" invitation. I realized that, with everyone being scattered across the United States, there was no way we could all get together and meet for a Bridesmaids' Brunch. So I thought I would ask my wedding party, as well as introduce them, through a crafty project. I created an invitation, envelope, and paper cutouts of each young woman that will be with me on the big day!

Thank you, Pinterest!

**Please note: You have to be careful when you walk into places like Paper Source. I could have gotten lost and spent a lot of money in there. Thankfully, I had eleven minutes on my parking meter to get in and get out with only what I needed for the project. Take a look at how they turned out!

We've got a lot more of these little projects coming up... probably a lot closer to the wedding. We'll keep you posted! Just look for more "Brides Tale" posts. Again, thank you everyone for your love and support as we make our way to the big day! (Move over, Dr. Seuss!) We love and miss you all,

Blake and Joe :)