Recently, I spent the weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia – and it was one of those amazing, fun weekends! Bridgette was running her second half-marathon, so my parents, her in-laws, and I all made our way to Charlottesville to cheer her on. Bridgette was an incredibly fast sprinter in high school, but she never considered herself a long distance runner… I beg to differ, now! Last year, she ran the NYC Women’s Half Marathon in Central Park, and this year, she did an amazing job with this half marathon in Charlottesville. I hadn’t cheered her on in running since her high school track meets, and I had so much fun (and I know everyone else did, too!) cheering our favorite girl on in this (very hilly!) race. Bridgette is such an inspiration & motivation, and I am so proud of her for accomplishing her goals!

My mom did such a good job making some fabulous (double-sided, even) signs/posters for Bridgette’s cheering squad, too. We definitely got our own mini workout in as we trekked across Charlottesville to several different spots to cheer B on! And, since Bridgette gave up eating tortilla chips while training for the race, we had tortilla chips waiting for her at the finish line. We then checked out the bustling Charlottesville Farmer’s Market, indulged in a Mexican feast for lunch, and then headed out into the Blue Ridge Mountains near Charlottesville for a fantastic afternoon/evening of winery & brewery stops – perfect!

Bridgette & Rob planned the afternoon out perfectly, as Veritas Winery, Afton Mountain Winery, and Blue Mountain Brewery were all within five minutes of one another – so easy and convenient! We first ventured to Veritas Winery in Afton, Virginia for a wine tasting. Since it was essentially the first beautiful Spring Saturday, it was packed there! We did a great tasting of all of their wines & then sat outside at a picnic table enjoy the beautiful sunshine & Blue Ridge Mountains in the near distance. We then went just down the road to Afton Mountains Vineyard for another tasting. It was a much more intimate winery, and I just loved one of their white wines, the Gewurztraminer. We had a delicious picnic spread outside overlooking the mountains and the vineyards. As you surely know by now, this was a pretty perfect day – I just love wineries, picnics, being outside in the Spring, and spending time talking with my very favorite people. Perfection!

After our afternoon tasting wines and enjoying the views, we went just down the road to Blue Mountain Brewery, which is also a full restaurant with an extensive menu + beer selection. Rob and I attempted to conquer the beer sampler, which was ten tastings of all of their beers – but neither of us could quite make it through all of them! I know we all enjoyed our dinners and the atmosphere, and this was a great last stop for the day.

After all four parents left to head back to North Carolina on Sunday, Bridgette and I went to Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards, which has long been on my winery bucket list! It’s also most definitely on my dream wedding location bucket list – wow, is it gorgeous! There are rumors of celebrity weddings occurring here, and I’ve also seen many stunning weddings featured in my favorite blogs at Pippin Hill. Someday I would love to plan a wedding here, too! Pippin Hill is a pretty upscale, but not pretentious, winery and restaurant, and the views are stellar. We went on the perfect afternoon, as the Sunday crowds were minimal compared to Saturday’s. We had the wine tasting area practically to ourselves, and the decor, outside patio, and views were spot on. I enjoyed all of the wines we tasted, and I’d love to come back and check out the restaurant one day, too. We each got a glass of white wine and took it outside to the fire pit area, soaking up the warm sunshine, vineyards & rolling mountains, and a great time with my favorite person.

Thank you, Bridgette and Rob, for hosting such a wonderful, memorable, and delicious weekend!! And check out Bridgette’s weekend recap here! She’s just the best.