adventure

NC Mountain Weekend Getaway

~ Stephanie Shaul ~ Leave a comment

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One weekend in August, the stars magically aligned (or, well, our calendars) and we were able to escape to the mountains of North Carolina for a weekend getaway with many of our close friends. Six married couples, four babies/toddlers, and one mountain house = an incredibly relaxing, fun weekend with lots of laughter and new memories!

Here’s a peek at our weekend in the mountains, if you’d like to see…

We ate lots of Mexican food, went star gazing in the middle of nowhere late at night and saw a million stars, rode horses, waded in a mountain stream, ate a picnic lunch, had lots of great conversations, played cards and chess, enjoyed the hot tub on the deck, drank margaritas, played with adorable babies and toddlers, laughed a whole lot, ate a traditional Romanian breakfast, stared endlessly at this stunning vista, and enjoyed the rustic mountain life. It was blissful and happy!

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I’m so very grateful for these wonderful people and our friendships with them! And a huge thanks to the Senters for opening up their family home to all of our for the weekend.

Travels of 2015

~ Stephanie Shaul ~ 6 Comments

aiport2015 has come and gone, and it was a full, busy, and wonderful year! Last year around this time, I was combing through old blog posts and my photo archives to try to remember each and every place I traveled to throughout 2014. So, for 2015, I vowed from the very beginning of the year to keep a running record of all of my travels and trips. It made it infinitely easier to remember all of the wonderful locations I’ve been able to visit and the people I’ve been able to see. I kept a list on the Notes section of my phone (my longtime go-to place for quick lists and reminders, like travels, books, shoot ideas, restaurant recs, gift ideas, etc).

I traveled a ton in 2014, and my goal for 2015 was not to travel more, even though I ended up doing so — I really wanted to travel to new places this year! In the list below, the new places I traveled to are denoted with an asterisk (New Hampshire, Harrisonburg, VA, Elizabethtown, NC, Bethany Beach, DE, Catlett, VA, Pittsburgh, Harpers Ferry, WV, and Bald Head Island.  Throughout the past twelve months, I was able to travel to 40 places… most of them weekend trips (or longer). Needless to say, I spent much of the last year traversing the Eastern seaboard, for the most part! And what a blast it was!!

JANUARY
Asheboro
Charlottesville
Charlotte

MARCH
Boston
New Hampshire*

APRIL
Charlotte
Asheboro
Greensboro
Charlottesville
Harrisonburg*
Charlotte
Charlottesville

MAY
Charlottesville
Charlottesville
White Lake & Elizabethtown*
Bethany Beach*

JUNE
Catlett, VA*
Raleigh
Chapel Hill
Charlotte
Nashville

JULY
Columbus
Pittsburgh*
Charlottesville
Raleigh
Harper’s Ferry, WV*

AUGUST
Charleston
Raleigh
Charlottesville

I moved from DC to Raleigh in mid-August!

SEPTEMBER
NYC

OCTOBER
Winston Salem
Charlotte
Bald Head Island*
Ohio

NOVEMBER
DC
Charleston
Chicago
NYC

DECEMBER
Winston Salem
Charlotte

Whew!! It was a total blast, for sure… I definitely remember April and November doing me in, in terms of travel and being so, so on-the-go. But I really do love visiting friends, seeing family, attending weddings, planning weddings, traveling to styled shoots, and seeing this beautiful country. It’ll be interesting to see how 2016 shapes up, in terms of travel. I have a few exciting trips planned, and I can’t wait to add more destinations to my calendar!

I’d love to hear… where all did you travel to this year?! What was your favorite place you went, and what’s at the top of your 2016 travel bucket list?

Charleston To Do List

~ Stephanie Shaul ~ Leave a comment
Charleston is my favorite city in all of the US, it’s safe to say. There’s just something about it that I simply adore, and every visit just gets better and better! I’m headed back to my beloved Charleston a couple more times this year: once to assist with the amazing The School of Styling and a subsequent vacation with some friends & then again in November for Creative at Heart. Needless to say, I am giddy with anticipation and excitement for both of these trips! The Holy City has a special place in my heart, that’s for sure – and even more so now.
Over the last several months, I’ve been keeping a simple “note” on my iPhone of all of the restaurants, coffee shops, stores, wedding venues, and to-do list activities while in Charleston. I’d say it’s a pretty comprehensive list at this point: it’s filled with some of my tried and true favorites, as well as definite favorites of others that I follow + trust their opinions! charleston2
Restaurants/Coffeshops/Drinks/Dessert
Husk
Xiao Bao Biscuit
Butcher & Bee
Poogan’s Porch
Zero George
The Daily
The Grocery
Callie’s Hot Little Biscuit
Sugar Bakeshop
Butcher and Bee
St. Alban
Boxcar Betty’s
The Obstinate Daughter
The Park Cafe
Leon’s Oyster Shop
Jeni’s Ice Cream
To Do & See
the Battery
Firefly Distillery
Angel Oak tree
Rainbow Row
the waterfront + pineapple fountain
bike the Ravenel Bridge
Fort Sumter
Shop
stroll King Street
Lula Kate
Moon & Lola
Charleston City Market
Wedding Venues & Pretty Places
River Oaks
Boone Hall
Lowndes Grove
Middleton Place
William Aiken House
charleston1What do you think? Do you have any resounding opinions on any of these places? I fear that there won’t be enough meals in the days during my trips to make it to all of these phenomenal restaurants! And I am already dreaming of some wedding venue site visits… hello, gorgeous Southern charm!
Are there any other must-eat/see/do recommendations for me?