I Love Leesburg

Today is my 23rd birthday! To celebrate, Frank planned a day trip for us last Saturday to Leesburg, Va., which has pretty much become our favorite place in the world.


Practically the whole day we were discussing strategies to move there after we get married.

By the way, guys, I just recently learned how to use Google Photo editing and I'm having a lot of fun with it - maybe a little too much fun. :) So please bear with me if I get a little carried away making collages and adding fancy text in the next few posts.

Anyway, back to the story. Leesburg is the most delightful place with a quaint little downtown area. We spent the day visiting thrift stores and feasting on delicious food. It was truly a Day of Decadence.

Our first stop:

We hit the jackpot in there. Frank found some fantastic records to add to his collection (he convinced me to let him put a record player on the wedding registry) while I started a collection of my own - a collection I've dreamed of for a while.

I've been fascinated with blue-and-white china plates ever since I was a little girl, probably a result of reading Blue Willow and a general love for pretty old-fashioned things. For a long time I've wanted to have some mismatched blue-and-white china of my own.

Guess what we found for just $3:

The Inaugural Plate of what I hope will someday be a grand collection.

After that we browsed a local art festival and then stopped in the cutest little coffee shop called Shoes.

Frank and I had lunch there. I thoroughly enjoyed my "cheese and charcuterie" plate and the shoe-themed decor all over the place.

After lunch we went in an Antiques store, which I discovered is not as exciting as a thrift store because things are more expensive, but we still bought a few things and had a laugh at some of the goods on sale.

There was a life-size Yoda statue (just what every  house needs!) and enough blue-and-white china to satisfy all my dreams. This china shepherdess bookend made me think of the famous china shepherdess from the Little House on the Prairie books and the little statue of a courting couple made me think of Frank and me on our first few dates.

Out of all the treasures, I picked this little book. Being a twin myself, I felt practically obliged. :)

I was also very excited because this book came highly recommended on one of my favorite blogs. It was so exciting to find one of the series that Leila spoke of so highly! I hope I can add more of the series to my book collection.

We went to a few other stores after that and I found a pretty blue turtleneck for just $5. Score!

A row of pretty rain boots:

I took this picture to remember to look up this book series for my girls someday. They're about a spunky young nurse named Cherry Ames who goes around solving mysteries. Doesn't that just sound like the greatest thing ever? I can't believe I'd never heard of it.

Frank specifically requested that I take a photo of this sweet Winnie the Pooh print so we can remember it for later. Perfect for a nursery, we thought. Not that that is an imminent possibility, but someday, we hope.

For dinner Frank took me to the famous Hunter's Head Tavern. He had been raving about this place for months! I was pumped and Hunter's Head definitely lived up to the hype. Every detail was perfect, from the cluster of beer mugs above the bar to the old-fashioned English decor and ivy-covered walls. And the food! Best chicken and figs of my life. I can't wait to go back.

The drive home was over an hour so we stopped at a grocery store for chocolate to eat on the drive... and then we stopped again when we saw a sign for frozen custard. Like I said, Day of Decadence. :)

We finished up the evening watching the Notre Dame-Michigan State game at my friend Joe's house. Sadly there isn't a picture of ourselves from that day (I'm sure posterity is heartbroken) but we did capture our matching brown boots... and you can just take my word for it that we were the picture of coordinated fall fashion. ;)

Have a lovely Wednesday! Go out and have a cupcake on me. :)