richmond

Our Winter Getaway | Personal

Our Winter Getaway | Personal

Before getting married, I had never before realized the importance of taking vacations. Nathan and I love to travel, but in the past few years we've focused more on doing things with our free time to help (like heading to Africa twice last year!) than taking a cruise or laying out on the beach. We love travel but we also love doing things that matter, so last year when we sat in the middle of a snowstorm on the Dulles runway for our fifth anniversary as we headed to Africa together, it felt right.

This year we didn't have such a grand opportunity, but with year number 6 (oh how the time flies!) coming up we decided at the last minute to take an impromptu trip to see our favorite places in Hampton Roads and Richmond. After an engagement session Friday (eek, can't wait to share!) we headed up to Williamsburg and had a very cozy, lazy night in while we talked and recovered from the week.

The next morning, we got up and headed to our favorite place {besides Portland, of course)...

Our Richmond Vacation | Personal

Our Richmond Vacation | Personal

Family time is absolutely the best thing for me. More than traveling the world, more than long weekends with nothing to do, and more than coffee with a good friend - though these are all things I love. But nothing sets my heart quite at peace like spending time with my family, and all the better when EVERYONE is there - which is hard to coordinate with so many people now!

A few weeks ago my Mom arranged a weekend for us in Richmond. Last year we vacationed with family in the Outer Banks but with busy schedules, new kids, and babies on the way, she planned a weekend excursion in Richmond instead. We went to a campground and had our own little cabin to stay in.

The first night we simply all showed up and spent time together. It's amazing how quickly our family has grown, so catching up with my favorite people is always a joy that takes hours and hours, never quite getting done! On Saturday we woke up to a full day together and my Dad continued the tradition of having a family devotion, something which I haven't always appreciated but have grown to love over the years...

An Impromptu Richmond Getaway | Personal

An Impromptu Richmond Getaway | Personal

Confession: I've been traveling quite a bit recently. I went to New York less than two weeks ago, knowing fully that I would come back and leave the next day for Richmond. But I love traveling, and this trip was very different than the first, so I made all the plans and just got excited!

Nathan and I are bad at making plans with just the two of us, especially if it involves travel. We travel so much for weddings and seeing family that it's rare we plan a trip that doesn't involve other people. I don't really know why I thought about this one day, but I realized we needed to fix that! So, unbeknownst to him, I found the cutest little hotel in Richmond and planned a day to walk around Carytown, eat the best gluten-free pizza at the Mellow Mushroom, and be together - just the two of us...