Foxfield Races

Dressing up preppy and heading to the Foxfield Races in Charlottesville is a huge tradition for me and Rob.  We have gone every year for the last six years and look forward to it all spring.  In case you have never heard of it, Foxfield is a horse race but more importantly a giant, all-day tailgate.  We usually go with Rob's fraternity but this year we decided to go a little crazy and introduce our Marine Corps friends to this debauchery we love.

Rob and I started planning this event months ago and of course we had to go all out for it.  We planned a bus for transportation and started making lists of all the food/drinks we would need.  About a week ago, we found out that Rob got scheduled for a mandatory test the morning of the races.  While we were so sad, the party had to go on.  I kept everything running smoothly until Rob could join us.  I was a little nervous trying to buy enough alcohol food to satisfy 50 Marines but I think I did okay.  (The Chick Fil A tray did run out in the first five minutes we were there!)



We were really lucky because the weather was absolutely gorgeous...73 and sunny all day!  I think everyone had a great time...some people a little too much fun ;)  Everyone made it back on the bus and home safely, so I consider that a success!!



As TBS is coming to a close and everyone is beginning to think about where they are off to next, it was really fun to get everyone together for some celebrations!  I really think we are so lucky to have met such wonderful friends here and truly loved our experience at Quantico.  It makes me happy to know that it is such a small Marine Corps and we will continue to run into these people in the future!

D O :: Maymont Estate

One of my favorite things to do when the weather is nice is to go on drives and explore new places.  Usually I am the one with ideas but it is always a special treat when Rob comes up with a specific idea.  Sunday morning Rob and I woke up and got lattes from Panera and drove to Richmond.  Rob said he remembered a place from when he was a child that he thought I would like.

We arrived at the gorgeous Maymont and just walked around and enjoyed the scenery.  The weather was a little cool but the sun was warm making it the perfect spring day to explore.  This amazing estate spans over 100 acres and includes the mansion on the hill, numerous gardens, and live animals.  Just five miles from downtown Richmond, this place seems like a world away.  And it is free!

How incredible are these purple flowers?!  Springtime in Virginia is always breathtaking and Maymont was perfect proof of this!



As we started to make our way through most of the estate and back to the mansion, we came across the Italian Gardens.  These were my absolute favorite!  There were rows and rows of all different varieties of tulips and their colors were incredible!




While Rob was checking out the sundial and seeing if he could tell time using it (of course he figured it right out...he is so good at stuff like that!), I was falling in love with the quote.  "Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be"  I just love that.  Completely by chance, the next picture I took was of the most adorable old couple who had popped up lawn chairs right outside of the gardens and were reading and enjoying the weather.  I got chills when I read the quote again then saw that picture!


Maymont also offers carriage rides through the estate.  While we did not take one, we did go over to see the beautiful horses!  Overall, it was such a perfect way to spend time together before Rob went back into the field and I love my husband for thinking to share this place with me.  I definitely want to go back this summer and picnic on the lawn!

Color Me Rad 5K

Saturday morning a bunch of the Alpha Company TBS wives headed to Richmond to run the Color Me Rad 5K.  I had heard great things about this run and was super excited when another wife organized our team.  It was a bit of a struggle on Saturday morning to wake up and go (too much fun on Friday!) but I am so glad we did.

Looking a little rough first thing in the morning!

Of course I wanted a cute outfit so Mackenzie and I spent Thursday night glittering tanks and making tutus.  The tutus were so easy to make and I think they turned out perfect.  Let's just say all of the glitter covering my apartment was totally worth it! ;)

Rob was a sweetheart and came down with us to take pictures.  He was such a good sport and captured a bunch of cute ones!  I was a little nervous since I did not train for this race at all but it is definitely more of a fun run.  While we jogged the whole thing, there were tons of people walking and it was not competitive at all.  I liked this and thought it added to the fun vibe of the event!



Our goal was to get colorful and I definitely think we accomplished that!  After the race, we took a few pictures, toweled off, and then introduced Mackenzie to her first Cookout experience (YUM!)  I was super impressed with how easily the color came off...the glitter from our tanks-not so much.  It was really nice to get together with a bunch of the wives and do something fun together before the guys graduate!

Chili Lime Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

After weekends of overindulging, I find myself craving food that is light and healthy, with fresh flavors.  This works well with my schedule because I am also usually looking for something super quick to throw together.  These shrimp lettuce wraps are absolutely perfect for both.  They take ten minutes start to finish and are so flavorful without being heavy.  They are perfect to make with whatever ingredients you have in your fridge!  I added avocado and mango salsa to the shrimp, as well as cheese and sour cream after this picture!  Whether you are eating clean, low carb-ing, point counting, or just looking for a fresh meal as the weather warms up, these shrimp lettuce wraps are a perfect fit.

Chili Lime Shrimp Lettuce Wraps

Ingredients:

1 lb Shrimp, cooked and tail off

1 Garlic Clove

2 T Olive Oil

Juice from a Lime

1 T Chili Powder

4 Lettuce Leaves

Avocado

Mango Salsa (I use Garden Fresh Gourmet) 

Cheese

Sour Cream

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add shrimp and garlic and cook for 6-8 minutes, until shrimp are pink and warm.
Sprinkle with lime juice and chili powder and stir until well coated.
Fill lettuce wrap with shrimp, avocado, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and any other desired toppings.
Roll up and enjoy!  Makes ~4 lettuce wraps.

Roasted Garlic Mashed "Potatoes" (Cauliflower)

Roasted Garlic Mashed "Potatoes" (Cauliflower)

Adapted from: Reddy Or Knot and Inspired by: A Taste of VT

Ingredients:

1/2 Bag of Frozen Cauliflower

1 T Heavy Cream

2 T Butter

2 Garlic Cloves

Salt and Pepper

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 275.
Melt butter and mix in an oven safe bowl with garlic cloves.
Bake at 275 for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Meanwhile, cook cauliflower as normal until soft.
Combine all ingredients (including garlic!) in food processor and blend until smooth.

Virginia Tech's London Broil

Okay, I'm going to brag a little.  I went to college at Virginia Tech and in case you don't know, they had/have one of the best campus dining in the nation!  When people talk about how they hated their meal plans in college, I get so confused.  What is there to hate?  My days were filled with juicy cheeseburgers, french onion soup, steaks, pastas, and even fresh lobster.  I kept my meal plan all four years and was seriously depressed when I graduated, knowing how much I was going to miss the food.  One of my absolute favorite meals was the West End london broil with garlic mashed potatoes and corn bread (How on earth did I not gain the freshman 200 eating like this?)  I swear I ate it at least once a week all four years.  I am so excited to say that even though I thought I would never be able to eat it again, this fantastic london broil was just recreated in my kitchen for dinner tonight.  

This fall, I saw a few things on twitter and instagram about a new cookbook out, "A Taste of Virginia Tech".  I heard it featured some of Blacksburg's favorite recipes.  After a little more research, I realized it was written by Kris (of Young Married Chic) and Krista, who just so happen to be my VT Tridelta sisters.  I was SO excited and of course had to pick up a copy.  Let me just say the cookbook does not disappoint!  I cannot wait to continue to cook my way through it, especially after how fantastic my first try turned out (Even my UVA grad husband is thrilled by these recipes, although he may not want to admit it.)  Whether you are a hokie fan or not, you need to check out this cookbook...the recipes are incredible.  And definitely check out Kris's blog, she is such a dollbaby and I know you will love her!

West End's London Broil

Adapted from: A Taste of Virginia Tech

Ingredients:

2 pounds Flank Steak

1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce

1 1/2 T Red Wine Vinegar

1 1/2 T Soy Sauce

1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 Cup Onion, chopped

1 Bay Leaf

2 T White Wine

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together in a plastic bag and squish until mixed.
Place flank steak in the marinade and squish until meat is well coated.
Place in fridge overnight (or for at least four hours)
Pre-heat grill pan and drizzle with olive oil.
Grill steak until desired doneness (about 6-8 minutes on each side)
Remove meat and let rest for five minutes before cutting into thin slices against the grain.

G E T A W A Y :: Las Vegas

Last week was my spring break, so I spent nine days in Las Vegas with my family.  (Rob was out in the field on his 3rd FEX so he couldn't come.  It was so weird without him!)  While it wasn't your typical Las Vegas trip, (I never stepped foot in a club and I gambled a full four bucks at the penny slots) it was exactly what I needed.  I spent the majority of the week lounging by the pool, working on my tan.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous all week; 85 and sunny.  My brother drove up from 29 Palms on Sunday and it was nice to have the family together--which hasn't happened for more than 24 hours since before he got back from Afghanistan.

Easter morning at the Excalibur pool

We stayed at the Excalibur the first night and the Paris for the rest of the week.  I can't believe how massive all of the hotels on the strip are and the details inside.  I swear it felt like I was eating crepes in a real cafe in Paris!


Tuesday night we saw Jersey Boys and Wednesday night we saw Cirque Du Soliel Mystere.  I loved both shows and we did not stop singing songs from Jersey Boys the entire week.  I ordered my dad the soundtrack from my phone so that it would arrive at home when we did.


While I had an amazing time, I was definitely ready in some aspects to come home.  I ate WAY too much at buffets over the week and I missed Rob like crazy.  It will be so nice to get back into a routine and not eat every single meal out at a restaurant.  Plus it seems like we brought the warm weather back to Virginia with us...in the 70s and 80s this week :)  This spring break trip definitely just started my countdown until summer!

#tbt Honeymoon in St. Lucia

I cannot believe it has been an entire year since Rob and I went on our honeymoon to St. Lucia.  In the anticipation of this year's spring break, I started going through pictures of that incredible week and thought I would share some with you.  We got married in January but since I am a high school teacher and couldn't take off a week of work, we waited until my Spring Break to take our honeymoon.  This was the best decision we could have made; it gave us time to fully enjoy our wedding and our out of town guests and also fully getting excited for and enjoy our honeymoon separately.

We left Easter morning and flew to St. Lucia.  The main airport in St. Lucia is about an hour and a half drive from the resort we were staying at (Sandals Grande St. Lucian).  I get carsick and was nervous about the drive so we decided to make it an excursion and took a private helicopter ride between the airport and the resort.  I am so so glad we decided to do this!  The helicopter ride gave us gorgeous views of the entire island and only took 15 minutes.  By the time the bus arrived with the others from our flight, we were already a glass of wine in eating lunch by the water.

There are three Sandals resorts in St. Lucia and after hours a little research, we decided to stay at the Grande St. Lucian (aka the big one).  You are able to visit all three no matter which you stay at and eat at their restaurants, drink at their bars, etc etc.  Each resort has a little bit of a different personality and this one was definitely the best fit for us.

I won't give you a play by play of the week but I will tell you some of the best things. First and foremost, the food.  As soon as we checked in, I went straight to the registration desk and made reservations at all of the restauarants that needed reservations (do this!).  Therefore we ate at the "fancy" places every night and never at the buffet (Hey, I was getting the most out of my all-inclusive!)  Also, most people eat breakfast in the buffet but a little secret we figured out is Toscani's (the italian restaurant) has the most incredible champagne brunch every single morning.

Second favorite thing, the main pool with the swim up bar.  After brunch every morning, we would head straight to the main pool to stake out chairs with umbrellas  (I consider myself a sun goddess lol and I still got burnt here.  The umbrella was a necessity) and a raft (people would literally fight over these rafts).  All of our days were spent lounging at the pool, drinking pitons, pineapple mimosas, and frozen drinks.


While we didn't plan on doing any excursions, we spontaneously decided to do the "St. Lucia adventure"  I can't remember what the real name is but everybody who comes here does this excursion.  Every different tour company has their own variation of this and it is the best deal.  We were able to go snorkling, eat at a local restaurant, take a dip in the mud baths, and visit the waterfall that Jake and Vienna went to on The Bachelor, all by boat.


Speaking of boats, we did some sailing of our own.  One thing I am really happy we did not splurge on was the room.  We spent all of our time making the most of our time in St. Lucia that we were barely ever in the room.  Our basic room was perfect for us and even had a private patio where Rob smoked his Cuban cigars we ate brunch one morning.


When it was finally time to go home, we last minute splurged and took a private car back to the airport.  We figured why ruin a perfect vacation getting car sick on the way back to the airport.  The private car was incredible.  Our driver was so nice and packed us drinks for the drive.  The minute he turned on the Enya soundtrack, Rob and I both fell asleep.  He also stopped to let us take a picture with the gorgeous scenery and even offered to let us pick up last minute souvenirs at a shop along the way.


St. Lucia was absolutely incredible and I would go back in a heartbeat.  Rob and I love to daydream about our trip back and know it will happen eventually.  What anniversary is acceptable to repeat your honeymoon?  Have you ever been to Sandals (St. Lucia or other)?