4th of July Vacation: Birmingham

Hello friends!

After spending a few days in Birmingham with family for the holiday weekend, we are settling back into our daily routines and I wanted to take a moment to share a few photos of our time with you.

For the past 12+ years my family and I have visited my Aunt, Uncle and cousins in Birmingham, AL.They have a lovely home with a large pool and the most relaxing sun porch made for reading and naps, of course!
Adam and I decided to go up a couple of days early to have some alone time in addition to exploring the city and suburbs of Birmingham. I took some time prior to arriving to research a few places to visit and was lucky enough to do it all. On Wednesday we had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen followed by shopping at The Summit (Madewell, C. Wonder, Sur La Table). I purchased a couple of turkish towels at sur la table for our future home and am so I'm excited to be able to use them.

Thursday we ventured to a small but very affluent town, Mountain Brook. Driving through the tree lined winding roads you were met with beautiful custom homes on both sides. I apologize for the photos being slightly grain-y but we were going about 45 mph so this is as good as I could get. I must say, the Colonial home was my favorite.

We drove into one of the villages they have in Mountain Brook, specifically English Village to have brunch at Chez LuLu. Having arrived a little before they opened, we meandered about the shops and grabbed a couple of treats and an iced latte at The Continental Bakery.

The thumbprint cookie with raspberry jam and the the french love cookie, respectively.

After walking about the village we sat down at the tables outside of Chez LuLu (adjacent to the Continental Bakery) for lunch and were able to eat with my cousin, Tessa.

First they greeted us with a bread basket and dipping oil, so naturally we felt like we made the right choice.

I ordered the soup and salad sampler with my choice of any soups or salads offered. I chose two salads, the roasted walnut, goat cheese and pear salad with a champagne vinaigrette; the beet and avocado salad; a warm carrot soup (this was absolutely amazing!) and a cup of the gazpacho whose descriptors have left me. It was yummy, that's all I can recall.

 

Adam had the Goat Cheese, Pesto and Tomato Sandwich along with a cup of the gazpacho as well. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon in and out of the local boutiques and later saw a movie with the family!

On the 4th we all slept in and enjoyed a pancake breakfast thanks to my Aunt Beth. It was red white and blue themed, of course. We had our bathing suits on, magazines out and sunscreen applied by mid morning. It was so relaxing!

After swimming and hanging out for quite a while we hopped over to Steel City Pops for an afternoon treat. They make  gourmet popsicle's  and let me tell you, they do it well. Hello, Coffee Pop!

By the end of the day I looked like one hot lobster. I don't tan, I mainly burn, so I am still reeling from the effects of the sun. Regardless of my candy cane lookin' legs, we had a wonderful time. I realized after uploading all of the photos that it was mainly of the fun food we ate and none of us or our family! 

If ever you find yourself in Birmingham or in the very least passing through, I suggest you take a few minutes to explore this fun city.

I hope your holiday weekend was enjoyable! We'll talk soon, I promise.

xoxo  bd

Disney Adventure: Day 1

I am currently laying on our hotel bed looking at an awesome view of the lake and Downtown Disney. We arrived Saturday afternoon and have been moving ever since. I'm thankful for this little bit if quiet time to myself while the boys talk shop. 

Yesterday was our first full day in Magic Kingdom which is what most would consider quintessential Disney. There's Main Street filled with nostalgia shops, ice cream parlors, families decked out in their best summer gear and of course Mickey Mouse everywhere. I haven't been to Disneyworld since I was 10 and the park has changed a lot. It really felt like I was experiencing it for the first time all over again!

We made our way thru the fun shops and purchased a few goodies, of course. Yes, we officially have the classic Mickey Mouse ears with our names engraved on the back. Both of us wished for those little hats so badly when we were children that we felt it was about darn time we got 'em.

Oh yeah, they totally have Starbucks- God bless America!

For dinner we took a boat over the lake to eat at The Wilderness Lodge's Restaurant. The ride to the hotel was absolutely beautiful and the sun was setting the whole ride over. We were so relaxed!

Our service and food was phenomenal. Izzy was our waiter and he exceeded all expectations- he went above and beyond for us! Once he heard we were celebrating, he brought every one a glass of champagne to toast the evening. 

We dined on mussels for our appetizer (to die for!)' halibut for dinner (freaking ridiculous) and then he asked us to get up out of our seats. We all looked at each other, confused. He asked us to follow him. We walked across the restaurant and there was a cupcake sitting on a table. He'd then told us we would be recreating the cutting of the cake from our wedding! We were blown away at how he treated us like we were the only ones in the restaurant. Izzy, you're amazing and you made our night magical.

We took the boat back to the park to see the fireworks and of course take advantage of the extended park hours. We got back to our hotel room by 2:30.

As we walk up to our door we notice there is a banner hanging saying 'Welcome Home!'. We thought oh that's nice of them and then we opened the door... to Mickey happiness! 

Mickey decked out our room like a boss! Disney knows how to make you feel special even after feeling like your expectations had already been exceeded. 

Looks like we are headed to Hollywood Studios for the day but I will update more via Instagram @lovelybdavis 

Ill talk to you soon,

Xoxo bd

The Great Smokey Mountains

Hello there and happy Wednesday! I hope you had a wonderful holiday celebrating New Years!

We are officially back from our week away in the mountains and have definitely gotten back into the swing of things. Being able to wake up whenever I pleased was quite nice and also to staying in my pjs until 11 AM was splendid! Despite a lack of wifi or phone service in general while at the cabin, we had a great vacation with family.

We spent our time shopping around Gatlinburg, took a trek around Cades Cove and stuffed ourselves silly with food. Did I mention there was a hot tub conveniently located outside of our bedroom window? There may or may not have been a couple of midnight dips in that beautiful thing. Thanks definitely goes to my in-laws and Adam's Aunt and Uncle for blessing us with the cabin, transportation and food!

I have so so many photos on my phone of our outings like tasting Smokey Mountain Moonshine or a late night tour of the aquarium but sadly they are all a little dark, grainy and wonky (as you will see below). 

Here are a couple that I posted on my Instagram:

The respite was much needed but I've got to say that my bed was definitely calling our names. 

It was a bunk bed...did I mention that? Oh the countless times we hit our heads in the middle of the night!

O.U.C.H.

With that said, we had a blast and are ready for 2013. I have a feeling it's going to be a good one!

I'll talk to you soon...

xoxo bd

Beach Getaway:

Being that the weather has heated up I have found myself dreaming of a getaway.
I'm thinking some place private with drinks, a good book and frequent dips into the water. Above are a few luxury pieces I thought might make a day on the beach that much more indulgent.
If only I could jet set this weekend...these southern summers are brutal- today has already reach 100 degrees!


I hope you are having a lovely {warm} Thursday! 
Talk to you soon!
Xoxo bd