4 Things You Need to Do in The Outer Banks.

Okay, it's fall, I get it. But it's still 90 degrees here, which means I'm still thinking about the beach and summer and all the fun places I got to go during this one. One of my favorite new-to-me experiences was going to The Outer Banks. I loved all of it, but here are four things you really need to do if you go.

Get a donut at Duck Donuts. Don't hate me for this, but I'm not really the biggest donut fan. (I know, I know, first I tell you I've never read Harry Potter and now this. I will accept the bad blogger award, hand it over). I don't not like donuts, I just won't go out of my way for one, because, meh. 
But these donuts. They made me think that maybe I'd never had a real donut before. Because these are my new favorite things in the world. They make them to order, so they're hot and delicious and really just straight up magical. 

I had a glazed and a maple bacon donut. And I have no pictures of those because I inhaled them in about three seconds. 
If you think I will not find some made up reason to visit The Outer Banks again, with these donuts being the real reason, you do not know me. 
Get an acai bowl from The Spot. 

I have The Spot to thank for awakening my acai bow obsession. They were absolutely delicious, and on top of that, it was the cutest little place. Be still, my hippie heart. 
Get lunch at The Bad Bean. 

More specifically: Get the pork belly jalepeno popper eggrolls and whatever margarita special they have, because they use fresh fruit. I had a watermelon one and it was mostly blended watermelon, no fake syrupy stuff. It was so refreshing and delicious. And I'm still dreaming about those eggrolls. My mouth is watering just typing about them, no joke. 
Go to the beach.

I love me some Florida, but I adored this beach. It was beautiful. And trust me, after you eat all that food, you're gonna need to lay down somewhere. Might as well be on this gorgeous beach. 
Have you been the The OBX? I'm obviously going back for the donuts, so if you have anything I should add to my list, let's hear it! 

Wine a Little, Laugh a Lot || Tiffany L Photography

On the last night of our trip, we went to Sanctuary Vineyards. It was the most beautiful vineyard with live music, picnic tables, and wine tasting. The weather was perfect and the company was amazing and we spent the whole night laughing and taking pictures. 

I met Tiffany on our first trip to Virginia and we hit it off right away. She is the sweetest, sassiest, most fun girl to be around, and just like I was talking about in my last post, I'm so glad things worked out the way they did, because now I have an amazing new friend.

A new friend who just happens to be an amazing photographer, which, by the way, is exactly what you want when you're at a gorgeous vineyard on a perfect summer night. We had a spur-of-the-moment photoshoot filled with so much laughter, and I'm so glad I have these pictures to remind me of an amazing week full of adventure. 

Tiffany lives in Elizabeth City, NC, which is only about an hour from Virginia Beach. So if you're near either of those places and need a photographer, Tiffany is your girl. I promise you will have the best time. 

I love these pictures because they don't feel forced, and in all the pictures from that night, everyone looks like themselves. Sometimes when you get professional pictures done, they feel stiff and photoshopped and you end up with pictures that look and feel nothing like you. But these are so natural and I can just feel our happiness when I look at them. 

And here's a few of my best friend, because I think she's beautiful and am obsessed with her, as all best friends should be: 

You can get in touch with Tiffany on her page, Tiffany L Photography. While you're there, PLEASE check out this puppy gender reveal she just did...it is the cutest thing I've ever seen. 

Happy Thursday! 

East Coast Road Trip: Founders Inn & Spa.

When Sam and I first started planning our road trip, we looked at a map of the east coast and all the places we could go. We landed on Virginia Beach because one, I'd never been, and two, it was far enough away from Florida to be completely different, but we could still make it there in a day. From there, we found Founders Inn & Spa and knew that's where we wanted to kick off our trip. 
We fangirled a little bit when we pulled into the parking lot (can you fangirl a resort? Because we did) because from the moment we pulled on the grounds, it was the most beautiful place. So green and gorgeous and historic without feeling stuffy. 
We'd been joking about how fun it is to grow up from college life to post-college life together. When we first became friends in college, a girls weekend looked something like Netflix and Taco Bell, and maybe a trip to Target if we'd gotten paid that week. It's fun to go from that to being able to treat yourself to a real girls weekend (thank you, real life jobs), and this place was the definition of treat yourself. 
Aside from being the most beautiful place ever, they had a pool, a hot tub, a spa, a bar, two restauarants...see what I mean? Treat-yourself-perfection.

We'd been in the car for hours, so after we checked-in, we headed straight for the pool. It was magical. There's all this beautiful forest around, and then bam, a giant pool right in the middle of it. It was gorgeous.
We left the pool refreshed and ready to take on the night. We got dressed up, took a bunch of selfies, and headed to dinner. 

Now, if you're anything like me, you'll understand how you can be at the most beautiful place in the world and walk away saying dinner was your favorite part. Let me explain: At The Swan Terrace (the on-site restaurant), we ordered sangria. The sangria came with a SCOOP OF SORBET FLOATING IN IT. I will never forget this drink as long as I live, and will maybe go back to Virginia just for this. Needless to say, me and Sam and our ice cream sangrias had the best time at dinner. 
We had planned on going out and exploring the town that night, but we left dinner so full, we decided to cozy up in the room, order chocolate covered strawberries and champagne (because we're fancy on girls' trips), and watch TV and talk about life. It was relaxing and perfect and exactly what we needed. 

After the best sleep ever (something I don't normally say when I'm not sleeping in my own bed), we got up and went right back to The Swan Terrace, only this time, for breakfast. And coffee. All the coffee. The breakfast was delicious, the coffee was life-giving (only a slight exaggeration), and it was the perfect start to our day in Virginia Beach. 
We had planned on getting an early start on exploring the city, but this place was so pretty, we stayed behind and walked around and took pictures for a few hours. Because, this: 

And this: 

And this: 

If you're looking to have a little getaway soon (especially a girls trip), I cannot recommend Founders Inn & Spa enough. Everything about it was perfect. We were treated like royalty from the moment we arrived, and everything about this place went above and beyond my expectations. We loved it so much, I know it won't be long before we're planning another trip there. 

I received a free stay in exchange for an honest review of our trip. I would never recommend something I didn't truly love, and this is no exception. I adored our stay here and cannot recommend it highly enough!