I am back from my trip and so happy to be staying put for a while. But while it feels so good to know that I won't be going through an airport check point for a while, I did have the best time in Virginia, and it was so sweet to see almost all of my best friends from college.

On Saturday night I, as well as some of my fave people in the world, witnessed and celebrated our best friend Trey's wedding to his beautiful bride, Christie. It was such a fun night! My favorite part had to be their ceremony, which was succinct and yet so moving. I couldn't help but weep as they said their personal vows to each other, especially when Trey described to Christie all of the ways that he will seek to love her like Jesus loves us. Yes.

For the rest of the night we ate bbq and whoopie pies, filled out hilarious mad libs, had many cheers, listened to some perfect toasts (seriously--two of the best wedding toasts I have heard), and danced the night away. And by danced the night away I mean...we seriously held down the dance floor. Such a blast.

The next morning we headed over to a yummy breakfast with the bride and groom and recapped everything awesome and wonderful from the night before, including hilarious dance moves, sweet things said, and new friends made. I just love it when newlyweds stick around a bit before leaving for their honeymoon. It is always so fun to get a little extra time with them to laugh and share all the stories from the night before, whether from the wedding itself or the afterparty, while they are still fresh on everyone's mind.

After hugging and waving off the new Mr. and Mrs. Foster as they left for their honeymoon, we all headed down town Harrisonburg to have brunch at The Artful Dodger. Definitely worth a stop if you are ever in Harrisonburg. The breakfast tacos were a hit, and we also cracked up at the "Pot O' Tots," which Mike happily noshed on.

I spent Sunday night with my girls (and former housemates) Danielle and Becca, dining alfresco on Danielles lovely balcony. Dani made us her special chicken curry, which, from a few years of being spoiled by her, I have now come to associate with my best friends and cozy nights together. Talk about comfort food.

On Monday Becca and I gallivanted our way out to Loudoun county to explore The Old Lucketts Store. Bex had a hunch that I would love the mix of antique and new homewares, and she was so right! We wandered for almost an hour, and I couldn't get enough of the cool décor and furniture, especially the plethora of neat glass bottle and vases.

That green cupboard in the corner....love.

After Lucketts we (very) spontaneously decided to pop into Fabbioli Cellars and do a tasting! We tried eight of their wines, including their prized pear port. Each wine was paired with a tiny bite to show off different food pairing options. Among our fave combos was the Rose Luna with the bite of cucumber, chive cream cheese and dill on a triscuit. Another yummy one was the Petit Verdot with a tiny piece of sopressata and horseradish spread. (The owner is Italian and prides himself on his reds--they did not disappoint) The absolute fan favorite, though, was the Rasberry Merlot with the tiny Dark Chocolate Truffle. I don't typically like desert wine, but this little combo was insane. A sip of the wine plus a bite of the truffle sort of exploded in your mouth like a little juicy bomb of fresh raspberry-chocolatey goodness.

Our little visit to Fabbioli was such a fun little excursion, and it also made us really curious to check out the other vineyards in the area. I also think it would be kind of fun and romantic to take John out there next time we are in the DC area. There is so much to do in the Leesburg area, and I imagine it would be a perfect day adventure.

Overall--a wonderful weekend. Some days I miss our community in Virginia a ton, so I felt so blessed to log some time up there. Until next time!

Happy Wednesday Friends! Heres to a productive second half of the week--we're over the hump!

xoxo,

Emily

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Me, Hope, and JR. Fredericksburg 2014 | Photo: Lindsey Bachelder

Its May 28th, which means that John and I have been married for five whole months! Seeing as I skipped our four month update, I thought I would just combine our four and five month updates for the loyal few who actually care to read our silly news. Here is what has been going on in the past few months amidst our wedded bliss....

Firsts: I graduated from college and John went primal and took down two wild hogs.

Favorite Meals: Mixed green salads w/ rotisserie chix, avocado, feta, red onion, and carrots ; Shakshura

Favorite Words: certificate, primary, tomato (John has some huge heirlooms growing, they are his babies), phone muster, lemon tree (my baby), floods, graduation

Favorite Snacks: Nothing new here. See previous updates.

Favorite TV Shows: Game of Thrones, New Girl

Favorite Game: Settlers. Duh.

Currently Reading: Over the past couple months I re-read (devoured) the Green Rider series by Kristen Britain. I adore the series, and the newest book, Mirror Sight, came out in the beginning of May. Different, but very good. If you have a weak spot for medieval fantasy like I do than you should definitely give this series a shot. I have loved it for years. John has been using his time off to study EPs (emergency procedures) but has also picked up Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis.

Gallivants: Since John has been in between phases of flight school, we have been lucky enough to do some wonderful gallivanting together in the past two months. We attended our first wedding as Mr. and Mrs. Richey, in Connecticut. We then headed up to Vermont for a lovely few days before heading down to Fredericksburg, Va for my graduation from the University of Mary Washington. Along the way we stopped in Kinderhook, NY to have lunch with John's favorite cousin's on his dad's side. We also made a pit stop in Peapack, NJ to spend a night with my Aunt and Uncle, which was so lovely.

Theres nothing like your best friends. | Photos: D. Whitty

We had the most wonderful time in Fred, and it was so special to be with some of our best friends as well as family, and to celebrate the end of my undergrad career. One of the best parts? My godmother, Hope, and my best friend Lindsey (her daughter) surprised me in Fredericksburg! It meant the world to have them at my graduation, and also to introduce them to a place that is so close to my heart.

From Fredericksburg we headed up to DC for our little Goddaughter Callie's baptism and first birthday party. We spent the most lovely day in Arlington celebrating Callie, and hanging with some of our favorite cousins and friends. Unfortunately, John had to head home to Pensy after that, but I headed to Front Royal, Virginia, to spend a few days on the Shenandoah River with my best friends from college.

Front Royal, Shenandoah River Valley, VA 2014 | Photo: Author

We had an absolute blast on the river, and it was a wonderful way to fully wrap up the last few years of our lives, as well as celebrate a new phase. On the way home I got stuck in Miami for two and a half days, which was a bummer, but over all, we both felt so blessed to have been able to take such a fun trip and squeeze in so many of our loved ones.

Finally, we spent this past weekend with my other godmother, Libby, in Albany, GA. We had the best time eating some crazy good mexican, grilling out at the cabin by the lake, fishing, collecting fresh chicken eggs, walking through beautiful pecan groves, biking, watching Flynn own his stripes among Libby's doggies, spending a day on Lake Blackshear, and (for John) hog hunting. We also spent a lot of the day on Sunday at Sherwood Baptist church, where we got the opportunity to hear some amazing sermons, meet some incredible people, catch up with some Sherwood friends, and worship together. All in all, we drove away from the long weekend feeling so refreshed and spiritually nourished, so much so that we are heading back up on Friday!

Flynn and Buster, Albany, GA 2014 | Photos: Author

Meanwhile in Pensacola: As I mentioned before, John has been in between phases of flight school for the majority of the past few months, which after the grind of API has been so wonderful. He has been able to relax and do some fun stuff around the house, including planting and tending the aforementioned tomato plants (his pride and joy), as well as have some serious bro-time with Flynn. Meanwhile, I started and finished an editing certificate program, in between working at Bluetique, which is the best. Also, my parents came to visit for Easter! It was so fun to see them and introduce them to our life here. After they left we had a peaceful few weeks until the wild floods. You can read that story here. We also checked out the Pensacola Bay Brewery, discovered Fort Pickens, went to a few Wahoos games, and celebrated John's birthday!

George Laurence Richey, Born May 26, 2014

Finally, we welcomed our new niece, Sophie, and our new nephew, George, into the world! George was only born two days ago, and we already love him to the moon.

It is crazy to think that this next month will be our sixth month of marriage (half a year!). It is truly flying by, and we are continuing to grow together each day. The adventure never ends, and John starts Primary next Monday, which marks the beginning of a new phase of flight school, and at the rate we are going, a new phase of Navy life.

Lastly, thank you so much for stopping by the blog. I know you all have incredible and crazy lives, and it means the world that you take the time to see what is going on in this little corner of the universe called The Gallivant.

Happy Gallivanting!

xoxo

Emily

P.S. Like what you are reading and want to keep up with all of our latest gallivants? Go ahead and subscribe by entering your email address into the form on the lefthand side of this page so that you never miss a post! Or you can follow me on Bloglovin.

{Gallivant} Harrisonburg & Leesburg, Virginia

{Marriage} Months Four & Five

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