living in richmond, va (rva to those who don't know) has started to grow on us a bit, and we have actually discovered some pretty good stuff around here.  the food scene is burgeoning, the art and music scene is coming to life as well, and outdoor life has more to offer than we thought.  not only have we discovered many cool things here in rva, but there are numerous entertaining destinations in all directions, and they are just a short drive away.  the nations capital is only an hour and a half away, charlotesville--the home of thomas jefferson, one of our founding fathers--is a short 45 minutes away, and the always classy virginia beach is about two hours to the east--with options like this who wouldn't be excited!  in the extremely fast nine months that we have been here we have seen all of it and more, pretty good for a couple of full time students, one of which is working full time too.  but enough whining about how hard we are working, here is a little sneak peek at central va....

more to come...

r+m

no really we are alive...

so it has been over one year since our last post, yeah i know pathetic, but we are back, i promise. a lot has happened since we last posted so here is a quick recap of the year. we moved to richmond, va, we got a new dog, we switched jobs and schools, and we have just been real happy! just wanted to get y'all (we have to say that now we are in the south) up to speed. look for lots of new posts in the coming weeks...

r+m

happy friday!

why is it that four-day weeks sometimes seem the longest?? well, all that matters is that it's friday, and we're looking forward to cleaning up the place (i.e. unpacking from last weekend's vermont getaway), relaxing and watching the oscars (have you made your picks?)  tonight we're going on a little movie date and maybe to this place after.  other weekend activities may include...

these guys...

eating this...

making this...

drinking these...

and hanging out with this girl.

happy weekend!

r + m

february is for lovers

we know this post is late, but we have to share it because it was just that fun...

two weekends ago, ryan took me on a surprise date to a paint your own pottery studio.  i was so surprised, and had no idea this was something that he'd been dying to do with me.  we picked out our pottery pieces from a selection ranging from candy dishes to baby head busts..(yea, we were creeped out too).  ryan decided to paint a coffee mug for me and i painted a pitcher for our place.

being the perfectionists that we are, it turns out we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

four hours later...

and four days later...

this surprise date was such a great way to spend an afternoon together...we can't wait to go back!  the next night, we spent valentine's at salts restaurant in cambridge.  what an amazing night..the food was unbelievable, the wine was delicious and the company was even better.

and this is why we loved this restaurant so much...the salts!

hope your february was filled with love, too!

r + m

sometimes its the little things....

sometimes its the little things that make us fall in love.....


happy valentine's day maggie
love ryan <3

'le petit' vacation

three hundred and ten short miles north of boston lies an experience typically thought to be accessible only by a six-hour flight.  montreal, a city so close yet so foreign, offered all that we were looking for in a weekend getaway....and more.  after checking in late the night before at le petit hotel, we set out to explore the city.  a few metro stops later, we landed in le plataeu-mont royal borough of montreal.  this area is home to many shops and cafes (offering refuge from the freezing temperatures and blizzard conditions!).  

later that evening, we indulged in a classic french meal at brasserie l'express, followed by live jazz at diese onze next door (a recommendation from our waiter).  

sunday, we returned to le plateau to explore more of what the area has to offer and to check out some local recommendations.  with excellent espresso and pastries as our fuel, we trekked through the snow with intermittent stops in boutiques.  le touilleurs, a chef's dream store, was our main destination for the day.  we had read about this gourmet kitchen supply store in numerous articles and blogs and decided it was a must-see for our trip....and it did not disappoint.  

from here, we made our journey toward the much talked-about brewpub, reservoir.  with blunt service and no help with the all-french menu, we decided to point out a few random things off the menu and hope for the best.  lucky for us, everything came out amazing (including the house-brewed beer).  

 a few days of walking in negative-degree weather had caught up to us by this point, and we opted for some tv time in our comfy, warm room.  looking for something close for dinner, we went off the concierge's recommendation and walked two blocks down to an amazing experience at barroco.  crafted cocktails and spanish-influenced cuisine were absolutely perfect for our last night in montreal.  

even though we only had a few hours before heading out of the city the next morning, we simply had to visit every spot scribbled on the piece of paper handed to us by our waiter the night before.  the so-called "best patisserie in montreal" (le saveurs du plateau) certainly lived up to its expectations, as did the italian espresso bar, cafe olimpico, and st. viateur bagel.  

montreal is the perfect getaway.  it offers a uniquely european feel, rich in history, culture and some of the best food we've eaten yet.  the trip's best moments did not include looking through a traveler's guide, but rather talking to the locals and sitting back to enjoy what this beautiful city has to offer.  

r + m

use this

do you have fleur de sel at home?  if not..your life is about to change drastically.  we bought a container of this fleur de sel about a year ago and it's already almost gone...yikes.  find it here.

 

tonight we're off to montreal!  happy weekend...

r + m