Both of the previously mentioned trips were centered around family (as they should be) but the hardest part about living so far away is that it is hard to carve out time for friends. Since our mega new years party we have relied on the phone to keep us up-to-date on friends engagements, impending moves, new jobs, babies, etc. So therefore my "second" trip (only 10 days prior to my 3rd NC trip) was all about FRIENDS. The official occasion was Jess' Bachelorette weekend - but of course I squeezed in as many "events" as I could!
I flew into Raleigh, in part due to cost, but also to see grab lunch with my friend Kelley! We enjoyed catching up at California Pizza Kitchen and I stocked up on some wedding presents at Belks. Then Jess and her friend Meredith picked me up and we headed to Charlotte to begin the festivities.
It was wierd to head to Charlotte and not stay at my own house, but I loved the chance to hang out in Page and Stockton's new home. On Friday night, we headed out to dinner at Nolen's Kitchen, to satisfy Jess' appetite for new and unique cuisine.
Some of the gang at Nolens
I didn't hit the sack on Friday until 3 am, which meant that I had been awake and traveling for 23 hours. Needless to say, I was exhausted. On Saturday morning, we went on a long walk around Page's neighborhood which was a great chance for me to get to catch up with old friends and get to know new friends! We filled up on some homemade Belgian waffles and fruit before heading out to the pool!
Page beginning a steady stream of coffee...
This is where REAL LIFE happens. Love these girls!
Saturday turned out to be such a relaxing day - escaping the heat in the pool, shopping a little bit around Charlotte and going out for a celebratory drink at Jess' favorite restaurant - Vivace. As the sun set and we lounged on some sofas with a view of the Charlotte skyline, Jess' dad had ordered two bottles of Prosecco for us to toast Jess with! It was so fun!
(sorry - I forgot my camera for that part!)
Then we headed back to Page's house for sangria, enchiladas and to shower Jess with gifts!
I love this picture of Jess - the blushing bride in pink!
After the shower portion of the evening (sadly I can't share too many pictures of that although I am dying to because Jess' facial expressions are priceless!), we crashed much earlier than the night before. Sunday morning we took our time getting packed up, making breakfast and transitioning into the next EVENT of the weekend....Page's Baby Shower!
Almost all of the same girls were going to both events so it was fun to not have to say goodbye yet!
Such a fun crowd and great food!
Lauren and I's joint gift.
The beautiful mama to be and her mama!
All the young ladies!
It was a jam-packed weekend but worth every minute! And the best part is that I will get to see almost all of those girls again in a few weeks! I also did get to see my family briefly on Sunday night and part of Monday before flying back to Houston. Flying back to Texas was so much easier knowing that it would only be one week before I'm back in NC.
While I probably won't be blogging during the trip, I promise to share many fun pictures from these fun events!
Such great pictures, Catie! I failed to get any the whole time... terrible I know. It was such a fun weekend! I really enjoyed getting to know you a little more and look forward to seeing you again in a couple of weeks! Yay! Have fun on all your trips! :)
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