Virginia Archives - 2 Cats and Chloe

December Confessions

When in the world did 2015 decided to practically up and leave? How is it already the middle of December? (For the record, it is 75+ degrees here - which is far from normal - so mentally, I am still in enjoying late-summer / early-Fall.)

As I sat in my dark, dark batcave this morning - see picture above of our room at Nana’s house, in the middle of the afternoon, when it was bright and sunny OUTSIDE - I was simply in awe of the fact that it really is December. Christmas is less than two weeks away! TWO WEEKS! I have just a couple decorations out, Christmas Vacation hasn’t been watched more than twice, there are presents to wrap and still a couple more to buy!

Which got me thinking… maybe instead of a “Five on Friday” this week, I needed to do some sort of December Confessional. Partially because it’s Monday and not Friday. But also because let me be frank - I cannot be the only one who does the following:

Confession: I try to send out my Christmas cards really early. Why? Only partially to be ahead of the game. More so because I LOVE receiving Christmas cards and I figure, if I beat you to it, maybe you will remember to include me on your mailing list. Selfish? Yes, definitely. (Who doesn’t like getting real mail that isn’t a bill??) However, this year, since we are in such transition, I wanted to be sure to include all of our mailing address(es) too… So selfish, yeah… but I’m also trying to help you from getting a “Return To Sender” card next month.

Confession: I purchased “Ugly Christmas Sweaters” for my dogs. Yup. I’m that girl. But quite frankly, they love dressing up. While they may look terribly silly, these two border collies are thrilled to be so dressed up, festive or not.

2 cats & chloe: Christmas Lights Williamsburg VA

Confession: I wait until after Thanksgiving for all things Christmas, except music and movies. I start playing Christmas music, except for the occasional Nsync “Merry Christmas” that is allowed to play all year long, in early-November. I typically kick off the cheesy holiday flicks as soon as Hallmark Channel starts playing them! But everything else (decorations, cookies, cards, etc) waits until December. #RespectThanksgiving.

2 cats & chloe: December - all dressed up for holiday party

Confession: Last week I went to my first real business holiday party. As someone who works from home, runs my own businesses and rarely sees other human beings - it was nice to dress up, drag my husband along and attend the holiday party for one of my biggest clients. Even if we had to drive 4 hours there and 4 hours back in one night!

2 cats & chloe: Coffee on my front porch

Confession: I am beyond devastated that we will not be “Home for the Holidays” this year. Considering that we began packing up our home in Newport News, VA last January - I really did hope, deep down, that we would be in our new home by the end of the year. As my dad, our builder, told me last month - “Suz, it’s just not happening!” And then I cried, like any self-respecting, 6 months pregnant woman should do…

2 cats & chloe: Busch Gardens Christmas Town Germany

2 cats & chloe: Pregnant Suz at Christmas Town

2 cats & chloe: Busch Gardens Christmas Town England

2 cats & chloe: Family Selfie at Christmas Town in Williamsburg

Confession: Even though it isn’t easy, sometimes you just have to put the drama, home building crap and life aside… It took quite a bit of coordinating, but yesterday my family put our busyness aside and spent some quality time at Busch Gardens’ Christmas Town. (Nana didn’t join us because she preferred to watch the Duggars…) If you are in Virginia, I highly recommend you trek it to Williamsburg for a festive night of lights and entertainment at Busch Gardens! So much fun. So many twinkle lights!

2 cats & chloe: December Confessions Holiday Border Collie

Confession: I feel like every year the holidays come and go, quicker and quicker. As I get older, I find myself fighting to not get “lost in the motions” of the season. Am I alone in this? I cannot wait until Lorelei is here with us for Christmas next year. Will the magic return when there is a child in the house? What do you do to stay in touch with the reason for the season?

Do you have any December Confessions you need to get off your chest? Leave them in the comment section below!

Halloween Camping!

by Susan

Can you believe it is November First?! Where in the world has this year gone folks? (Don’t get me wrong, my current situation is not ideal, so I’m okay with time flying by right now - but a good friend, who is about 60 years older than me, once told me to not wish time away because you will never get it back… That being said, SLOW DOWN TIME! JUST HURRY UP THE HOUSE BUILDING PROCESS!)

For the last three-ish weeks we had one of my cousins in town from Switzerland. I’m pretty positive we did more local touristy things in the last three weeks than we have done in the last three years. It was great. But exhausting. I feel like I have so much catch-up to do, yet I am lost at where to start.

So here I am, blogging. Because what better way is there to avoid real life chores, other than the obvious, netflix or cheesy christmas Hallmark movie binging??

Last week my husband and I packed up Jellybean, our Shasta camper, and hit the road. We planned on taking the pups along, but unfortunately, we had to attend my grandmother-in-law’s funeral. And I am pretty positive the dogs would not have been welcomed. Chloe went to stay with our old neighbors in Newport News and Olivia went to play with her Gran-daddy in Chesapeake. (Truth be told, Chloe needs breaks from Olivia from time to time!)

Friday morning we rolled out of the camper, put on our funeral clothes and hit the road before the sun was up. Thankfully we did not run into any fellow campers because we were extremely overdressed for camping. Fun fact, traveling through the state of Virginia in the fall is one of the prettiest times to see our state. However, being pregnant while traveling through rolling hills laying in the midst of freshly manured farms is enough to make a girl vomit. I spent a portion of our ride inhaling scents from our chipotle lunch.

Did I mention we saw the sunrise and the sunset while on the road? While it was an emotional day for everyone, seeing God’s artwork all around us was a great reminder of the joy that surrounds us daily.

We arrived at the campground after dark, only to find our friends and family already there, with dinner and a campfire waiting for us. While our dinner was good, the dinner that really smelled great was wafting from the site across the way from us… I think my mom was so tired of her pregnant daughter craving whatever it was that they were cooking that she went across the way (at 10pm) and offered them breakfast bacon for a bowl of their stew. #ThanksMom

Saturday started with breakfast over the fire… a paleo brekkie of bacon, bacon and some more bacon. Oh, and eggs with gluten-free pancakes for everyone else.

We all hit the road and did our own things for the day. The boys went go-carting. I dropped the ladies off at a wine festival and then went on my merry little way to look for maternity clothes. (I finally decided I should not walk around with unbuttoned pants anymore…)

Believe it or not, the picture above was their sobber-selfie.

When shopping, drinking and carting wrapped up - we worked on the fire, the paleo dinner, the halloween decor and the football streaming.

Have you ever made tin-foil dinners? These are the absolute best dinners for camping. Easy to pack ahead of time - simply bring tin foil, olive oil, meats, veggies and spices, then let everyone make their own dinner foil ball of food! Toss the ball over the coals for about 20 minutes and then enjoy! We had steak, chicken, peppers, potatoes (pre-poached in the microwave since they take a long time), onions, garlic and tomatoes. This dinner is always a hit! I promise you and your family will love it too!

The coolest part of this festive Halloween camping trip was when all of the kids and adults dressed up in costumes and went from camper to camper, trick-or-treating. I kept my costume simple and was a “Pumpkin Smuggler” with #BabyMagotes.

All in all, it was a great weekend with the family and friends. Three campsites, tons of candy and lots of laughs. Such a fun way to spend the holiday. I cannot wait until Magotes arrives and we can continue camping traditions with the next generation!

What did you do for Halloween? Did you dress up or go to a party? Better yet, did you enjoy the smell of a campfire and roasted marshmallows?

Gluten Free, Southern and Delicious: Tupelo Honey Cafe in Virginia Beach

by Susan

While most of you are assuming that I am completely missing in action (because, let’s be real - I am. I’m living in what I call “The Batcave” with little to no sunlight in my grandmother’s attic) I have been trying to force myself out of this funk and back into real life, blog life and work life. Or as close real as my current situation can be.

Y’all know I don’t do change. It mentally drains me and the stress usually causes health flair ups. Last week, unexpectedly, my husband had to leave town with just a few hours notice. So in the midst of packing, moving, unpacking and trying to feel settled - when Michael pulled out of my grandmother’s driveway for a couple of months, I felt completely lost all over again. I just couldn’t sit down and write because all I wanted to do was sleep.

And then the opportunity for a Girls’ Night happened. It was honestly perfect timing. I did my best to get over my social anxieties and went out with Heather and two of her girlfriends to the private, soft opening of Tupelo Honey Cafe in Virginia Beach, VA. Timing could not have been any better. I needed to get out of the house. I needed to be around people. I needed good ole, southern style, comfort food. And that’s exactly what Tupelo Honey had to offer!

Since we were there to check out the place and sample some entrees, we were given smaller menus and instructions to pick different dinners for each person at the table. Easier said than done when you’re dining with a gluten intolerant guest. I had noticed on the large menu posted outside of the restaurant that Tupelo Honey Cafe offered quite a few “GF” options, all marked on the main menu. When our abbreviated menu didn’t have any Gluten Free Options, the waiter and manager went above and beyond to make sure I had tons of amazing options.

Because of my gluten intolerance, the manager said we could order off of all four abbreviated menus for that night. He then proceeded to explain how Tupelo Honey Cafe handles food allergies. When you tell your waiter that you have an allergy, it’s their policy to report it to a manager and the kitchen. My dinner, while normally grilled, was pan seared to ensure there was zero cross contamination. I was also THRILLED to hear that they have gluten free bread available. For no extra cost, they gave us gluten free bread with our pimento cheese spread for our apps. It really meant a lot to me to know that the staff at Tupelo Honey was well educated and took my food allergies very seriously.

I was told that Tupelo “invented” pimento as an appetizer… While my southern grandmothers would probably disagree, I have to say that this was one of the most delicious versions of pimento cheese I have ever had. (Paired with my GF toast, for the win.)

For my entree I picked their pork chop with a fig glaze, over sweet potato mash with a side of asparagus… and let me just say it was absolutely delicious. The pork chop was cooked perfectly!

I then stole a couple bites of Heather’s dinner, my second choice, sea scallops with risotto. While I highly recommend either of these entrees, I think the scallops were my favorite.

No dinner is complete without dessert, and we got two to share. I did learn that while they have a ton of gluten free options on the menu, they do not have any gluten free desserts. That being said, the gals at the table were so enamored with the southern style banana pudding, I just had to taste the tiniest little spoonful of it. It was totally worth the intestinal discomfort! This has to be some of the best banana pudding I’ve ever had in my life. 2 cats & chloe: Southern Style Dining // Virginia Beach, VA // Tupelo Honey

I had such a great time and enjoyed this dinner so much that I didn’t even realize the time. We shut Tupelo Honey Cafe down! The place was completely empty as we rolled out of there with happy hearts and full bellies.

Tupelo Honey Cafe in Virginia Beach officially opened their doors yesterday, July 13. My sister, who works across the street from them said that it has been packed. We are actually going back tomorrow, for my sister’s 27th birthday (when did that happen?!) with reservations for lunch.

Good food just makes me happy. Tupelo Honey Cafe and a girls night out was exactly what I needed last week. Their food was amazing, the drinks were wonderful (definitely try the lavender lemonade drink!) and the atmosphere was full of southern flair. Go check them out and let me know what you think!

Please note: Tupelo Honey Cafe did give me a complimentary dinner but these opinions were all my own. You will love this place. And if you need a dinner friend, let me know. I will be more than happy to join you!

Winter Hit Virginia Last Night

by Susan

I sit here staring the blank, white, word press canvas that lights up my screen. My cat is snoring up on his perch, located at the far right end of my desk. My puppy is curled up on my lap, falling in and out of sleep. She must be uncomfortable, because at 15 weeks old, she is getting to be just a wee bit too big for this. While I love my puppy cuddles, here’s hoping she grows out of lap time before she is a full size border collie and 40 pounds heavier.

Winter hit us last night. For the first time all season. Yes, we’ve had a handful of bitter cold days here and there - but today actually looks and feels like it’s winter. The trees, power lines, bushes and even my Christmas swag (that should’ve come down weeks ago) are frozen in place. The trees have a shiny, glass-like look today. It looks like if you threw a rock at them, they would all just simply shatter.

From my view, the ice has thoroughly covered and coated everything. My desk sits directly up against two windows so when I am not staring at up at my computer screen or down at my calendar - I’m staring out at the trees which normally have a dull wintertime look to them this time of year. Today though, today they look shimmery and slightly magical.

This morning I ventured out for a quick sprint around the yard, camera in hand, hair wet, no socks. I’m a crazy person. But I needed to capture a little bit of the beauty in the midst of this grey, ugly day.

Stay warm and stay safe - especially if you’re experiencing the same gross-but-beautiful winter weather that we are here in Virginia.

Getaway without Technology: Grayson Highlands State Park

by Susan

I know, I know. What in the world happened last week?! I have no excuse for my absence other than the fact that my blog decided to freak out on me {many thanks to Bless Her Heart Y’all and It’s All In The Details for both contacting me and helping me through my blogger problems - definitely more to come on that in the near future!} Between the techy shutdown and the fact that I was out of town Wednesday until late last night… unfortunately blogging just didn’t happen. Yes, I know. Rule number one in Blogland is that when you go on vacation, your blog cannot. Except, I went where few bloggers go… to the land of no cell reception. We left at the crack of dawn {read: it was 9AM before we pulled out of the driveway} on Thursday morning for the western part of Virginia. Grayson Highlands State Park to be exact. This was the perfect pick because it was “in the middle.” Jess and her hubby drove 6 hours from ATL while Michael and I drove 6ish hours from HRVA. It’s rare, but about once a year I get to see Jess in person… it’s always a treat! I have plenty of things I want to share with you from our little trip {like must-do adventures, healthy camp recipes, a scary shot taken when I was snapping pictures while riding my mountain bike and crashed into my husband…} But today, I’m not going to bombard you. I am going to keep my words short {as I’ve been told twice in the past 24 hours that I am just way too wordy on my blog! Whoopsie!} and share a few of my favorite pictures. Details will come later this week! I promise!

Tent Camping in Grayson Highlands State Park

Grayson Highlands State Park - Wild Horses

Grayson Highlands hiking trails with waterfall

After glancing through almost 200 pictures taken within four days of vacation, I really notice what my true loves are: friends, food, and great views. I think I took just as many pictures of our food as I did of the great views! Despite the fact that it was freezing for most of our trip {the temperature on the mountain is about 15 degrees cooler than what weather.com says it is!} we had such a great time. I really needed a few days to get away and literally unplug everything. Like I said, more to come later this week and into the next! I have two spectacular recipes to share with you that are meant for camping but can just as easily be made on the grill at home! You will love them! Stay tuned y’all!

December Confessions

Halloween Camping!

Gluten Free, Southern and Delicious: Tupelo Honey Cafe in Virginia Beach

Winter Hit Virginia Last Night

Getaway without Technology: Grayson Highlands State Park

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