arosto, you're great-o!

Sometimes, there are too many good things happening all at once.
For one, DICKEY'S IS BACK. You can imagine our excitement!
Comfort-food binges are now back in style.

Secondly, we're going to London and Paris on a romantic extravaganza in TWO DAYS!
I can hardly stand it! I'm almost packed (meaning 6-8 hours to go, most likely) and am brimming over the edge with daydreams about crepes and macarons. I tried to quickly learn French yesterday but it turns out, learning a new language is hard. 

And lastly, but not leastly, we have a new favorite restaurant in town!
We've talked before about Waterstone Pizza downtown, which we adore. We've been a few times, most recently during our two-year-anniversary celebratory weekend.
Well, the same company that owns Waterstone has developed a more casual pizza place called Arosto!
We were totally blown away by this place.
It's located in the same little complex along Wards road (the main Lynchburg road beneath the university, that holds all the staples like Target, Walmart and Starbucks) as Chipotle and Bloop.
It's perfectly located, and is brand new and ready for our service.

Talk about the perfect atmosphere to enjoy a fire-roasted pizza after a work day!
Affordable date night, coming right up!

One of the best parts about this place is that it's quick! The service is great and works so well for a quick lunch or time-crunched dinner. But it's also perfectly welcoming for a leisurely chat with mouth-fulls of pepperoni!
Although, we've been there twice -- and the second time the place was packed!
So the word is getting out. :)

But the best part about this dining experience?
The pizzas are build-your-own. That's right!
The menu is loaded with fresh ingredients for you to pick and choose from to create the perfect, melty concoction of Italian pie.
Red sauce, or white? How about pesto? Pepperoni, sausage, bacon...pineapple? Jalapenos? Would you like some delicious goat cheese sprinkled on top?
YES PLEASE.

Once you load up your pizza creation, they cook it right there in their amazing oven and your food is delivered to your table in a few minutes, a hot and drizzled perfection.

But fear not, my minions. For you indecisive folk, there is a ready-to-order menu as well. Specialty Pizzas and good old fashioned Cheese, Margherita and Pepperoni pizzas lie patiently waiting for you to speak their name.

They also have salads and sandwiches! Check out their menu to discover its pleasures.

If you're not hungry yet, I haven't done my job.

And if you're wondering, my job is to make you want to come visit so we can go out and eat together!

Arosto, yum! :)

In love,
Cait

the twilight zone

I absolutely love to eat out.
I'm the person that always leaves a good tip, loves to smile at the waiter or waitress, oohs and aahs at every tasty thing, and looks forward eagerly to the next stage of the meal, particularly the finishing cup of coffee with cream and sugar.
I don't have bad times at restaurants. I just don't. I always enjoy it. I know what to expect, I know how the system works...it's all pretty standard and I know what I like to eat, so I'm hardly ever disappointed.
Since moving to Virginia, we've had a great time experimenting with new places. We haven't loved and raved about every single one, but for the most part, we really enjoy the restaurants we've been to.
I think I've only written one bad review on this blog.

Well, buckle up, sailor, because you're about to enter...
THE DINING TWILIGHT ZONE.

It all started on one eerie Thursday night. It happened to be Valentine's Day, which would have explained the fancy way we were dressed, and all the pink and red being worn.
The amazing dress was bought weeks in advance, the anticipation for being worn growing with each passing day. The suit and tie was worn from morning to date -- one of the perks of being in law school and dressing up every day, there's no need for an outfit change for a fancy date night.

The drive: 19.9 miles, approximately 30 minutes.

Bedford.

Reservations had been made in anticipation for this night, and nothing could go wrong.
Reviews were raving, main street was hopping, bedford was charming and the restaurant was darling.
All the proper ingredients for an evening of romance.

Flowers adorned our corner table, and the other chairs throughout the restaurant were decorated with smiling people paired off in sweet couples or laughing in large groups.

7:15 - We sat on the same side of the table, the booth side.
Maybe that's where we went wrong.
Maybe, in the Big Book of Restaurant Voodoo, a curse befalls those who cuddle.
We'll never really know.

The restaurant was chatty and loud and clinking, so we sat side by side, perusing the menu and whispering sweet nothings. Like, "Cake". And "Creme Brulee".

7:22 - A woman arrives. She looks innocent enough. She informs us that she is not our waitress, but would love to take our drink order.
Water for me, cola for him.
7:30 - Our true waitress presents herself, helping us decide what to eat and how to decide between which steak and which seafood dish. She's quiet. Her eyes whisper evil. We order.
Appetizers: wedge salad for me, crab mac & cheese for him/us.
Entrees: salmon for me, steak for him.

A Valentine's Day card, for him:
And then the prince and the princess rode off into the sunset,
stopped at Ye Olde Pizza Shoppe on the way to the castle...
...and spent the evening in their leisure cloaks,
snuggling on the royal sofa and watching movies on the imperial flat screen.
Ours is my favorite fairy tale.

7:40 - The table to our left becomes occupied, with a sweet and rich-looking couple. They're visited by a neighboring couple, and the wife is wearing a fur coat. They mention their daughter lives in San Francisco and is working for Google. They're fancy. The table to our right seats a group of four, they receive their entrees.
A neighboring waitress notices our drinks are gone, offers to get us refills and more bread.
Bread? What bread? our stomachs cry.
Refills and smiles arrive for the tables to our right and left.

8:00 - The salad and mac & cheese arrive. Delightful. We scarf them down with reckless abandon.
Tables around us empty; the table to our left receives their appetizers.
We ask a next-door waitress for refills.

8:10 - Our waitress returns, just as we've forgotten her face. We introduce ourselves.
We ask her for more bread. She nods, avoiding eye contact.
Our food will be out shortly.
Lies.

8:20 - We get more bread. The sweet nothings are becoming less pleasant. Like "Vegan cake", and "Sugarless pudding".
The table to our left receives their entrees.

8:30 - The table to our right is enjoying their desserts and wine.

8:45 - We make awkward eye contact multiple times with our waitress, who hasn't come across the invisible line in the middle of the restaurant for half an hour.
We start to realize she's cast some spell on us - we are invisible and unable to communicate with anyone around us.
This is confirmed as the man next to us drunkenly yells, "where'd that weird young couple go!"
Or maybe that was just my imagination.
The table to our left receives their desserts and fresh coffee with cream and sugar.

8:50 - Dusty's eyes start to bulge and his wisdom-teethless cheeks look angry. I try to calm him down but all I can say is, "Bullion cubes", which aren't even sweet at all.

9:00 - A strange, gangly bus boy comes to our table. "Just to make sure - you guys have not received your food, correct?"
Dusty's imagination is running violently amuck and can be seen clearly through his eyeballs and I have to quickly answer, "No!" before he says anything.
The table to our left is now empty.

9:10 - Dusty fights his way across the cursed restaurant barrier, pushing back a troll and smiting a flock of fairies before he reaches the dungeon keeper, victorious.
He lets her know we would like to leave. We do not want our food, we just want to go home.
NEVER! she shouts, Dusty does a counter-spell, she softens, and says, yes. Yes. We will box up your food.
No, we don't want it. Dusty shakes his head. We just want to go home.
It's a busy night, the kitchen is backed up...
Righteous indignation flashes, No. No, it's not. We've seen successful eating, drinking, and happily leaving all evening. Particularly with that blasted table to our left. Do not lie to me.
She breaks down.
Take it all, all for free. 

9:30 - We pull out of the parking lot, cold and feeling weird. The Twilight Zone. 

I still have no explanations for any of the night's events. I'd like to think we were somehow invisible, that there must have been some kind of mix-up...it was one of the strangest experiences of my life.
We were just flat-out ignored all night long. We were exhausted and totally bummed out.
Luckily, the owner handled it well...she admitted that she had no good excuse, and that sometimes things just didn't go right. She gave us our food boxed up, and comped the entire meal. She even threw in a $25 gift card.

On the way home, we sang together, ran through McDonald's for cookies and shakes, and cuddled up at home.
Overall, I can't complain too much. It may have been a kind of wasted evening but I still have an amazing husband who makes even bad adventures a heck-of-a-lot better. :)

And I got to wear the anticipated dress.

We're planning on getting dressed up again, same outfits, and going out to a local restaurant for another fun dinner this weekend.
And meanwhile, I got to feel super fancy at work today with my salmon and potatoes for lunch!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!
How was your night??

In love,
Cait

new year's resolutions

Have you ever had a New Year's Resolution that you've actually kept?

I honestly can't even remember any of mine. I'm sure I had some like, "lose weight", "do better in school", "learn a new language", "work out more", "journal every day", etc. etc. throughout the years. All the typical improve-yourself regimens.
Yet as we all know, decisions like those tend to fizzle out after...well, after New Year's Eve.
It's like a summer camp spiritual or emotional high, feeling like you can conquer the world. So many possibilities!

I'm kind of shooting myself in the foot by being so pessimistic about New Year's Resolutions, when this blog is actually about my resolutions for 2013! It has been years since I've made any. So this year, I have two definitive resolutions.

1. Read 36 Books

I've realized that my love for reading has been slowly squelched in the last few years, due to busy schedules and way too much TV. This year, reading will reign supreme. 36 books sounds like a very small number, but it boils down to about 3 books a month. I was originally going to do 50, but I want to succeed, and I think this is a reasonably challenging number that will encourage me without totally overwhelming me. I'll have some leeway.
I found a great app through Facebook called Goodreads, which will allow me to input my 2013 goal and keep track of all of the books I read. It also has shelves for me to list all of my previously read books!
I also already have one of my friends joining me in this 36-book challenge, so I'm excited to get started!
I'm currently reading/finishing Eye of the World by Robert Jordan to start the year off.

2. Posies by Cait

As you might know, I am the owner/creator of a little Etsy shop called Posies by Cait. 
Last year was my best year yet, and I still have so many ideas and designs swimming around in my head. 
While it may be a bold conquest, my resolution for my shop is to roughly double my revenue from 2012.
Stay tuned for fresh designs and ideas for affordable accessories! So far, my plan is to post new items twice a week and to be extremely active with social media to help my shop's traffic.
I've made a Posies by Cait Instagram account (follow me @posiesbycait!) and will continue to utilize my Facebook page, Facebook.com/PosiesbyCait.

On top of all that, I'm confessing this all to you, so I have some friends as witnesses to my endeavors!

This is an exciting year.
This is the last full year we will be in Virginia. I don't think I fully realized that until I just typed the words.
At this moment, I have butterflies in my chest region. The future is uncertain and scary and exciting and completely exhilarating, fear and anticipation combined. 17 months from now we will know so much more about where our future lies.
I am praying for a summer internship in Arizona for my husband, that he might be able to get valuable experience for future Arizona employers. I am also praying, ultimately, for a long-term job for him in Arizona. Worrying does no one any good, but we will be heartily thinking about and praying about his employment, on top of 3 more semesters of classes and the all-encompassing Bar Exam in 2014. Whew!

This weekend we will be recovering from two full weeks with our families in Arizona.
It's hard to get back to the grind, and I'm thankful that I only have to work today before the weekend!
Tonight we'll be heading to a mini getaway to the Craddock Terry Hotel in downtown Lynchburg.
I have been wanting to go there ever since we moved here!
I've been to the hotel a few times, including Dusty's birthday last year (we ate dinner at Shoemaker's, the fancy hotel restaurant), and this summer when family came to visit (we wanted to show my aunt and cousin how cute it was). But we've never stayed there!
(Just a refresher about this hotel - it used to be a shoe factory, and now everything is shoe themed. The lobby, the decor, the books, the room numbers, the art...they even serve breakfast in shoe boxes).

Needless to say, I'm thrilled.
And I'm very much looking forward to some down time with Dusty before he has to go back into school mode.
2013, here we go!

In love,
Cait

small pleasures

Have you ever really watched someone make sushi?
It's an art. It's beautiful, it's fragrant, it's precise.
We finally found our sushi place, ya'll. It has happened.

It's called Wasabi, and it's a Japanese Steakhouse and Sushi Bar.
It's actually about a 37 second drive from where I work on campus.
Which is a really big problem, if you know us at all.
We're easily derailed into food-related temptation.

It used to be a mediocre Mexican food restaurant, and it finally got remodeled into this fantastic spot.
It's pretty pricey, (we're keeping our fingers crossed for the development of a "Happy Hour" sushi night or something!) but it's really delicious and seems packed with new admiring customers! The place looks awesome, and the entire center of the place is dedicated to the Hibachi grills.
The sushi bar is off to the left, and it's really nice. The service was spectacular, and the sushi was delish.
It's possible we just haven't had good sushi in so long that we actually don't know how to tell if sushi is really good or not, but we liked it. A lot.
Which is why we went two nights in a row.
Oops!

The Volcano Roll
Our sushi glows, ya idiots.

The Lynchburg Roll

On our second night, we decided to try a few different rolls!
The presentation is just lovely. It's art, like I said.

The No Name Roll and the night's special, The Phoebe Roll

We ordered the "Phoebe Roll" because of the jalapeno!

On both nights, we ordered little avocado rolls - which were divine, so smooth and fresh.

On our second night, the sushi chefs handed us each a bowl of fresh tuna and avocados with their specialty sauce drizzled on top!
He said, "for dessert" with a big smile on his face, "on the house".
By golly, don't mind if we do!

 It was a great weekend. We shook our bellies like bowls full of jelly.

T-minus TWO days until we're home for Christmas! :)

In love,
Cait

dustykins

This past week we celebrated my darling husband's 23rd birthday.
We are exactly six months apart; I'm older, of course. So it was also my half birthday!

We had so many grand plans, which included a lot of surprises, because I LOVE surprises!

On his actual birthday, we decided to go out to breakfast! For the last few years we've gone to Denny's to get his free grand slam, but this year we had to settle for the Ihop, since there is no Denny's nearby!
We woke up extra early so that we could eat before his first class.

The very sleepy birthday boy!

He got his pancake breakfast for free, and I enjoyed my usual sunny-side up eggs on wheat toast. Yum! It was a chilly, windy day. We were looking forward to school and work being over, so we could enjoy a birthday dinner and movie!

That night, we got all dressed up and ready to go.

Dusty had also gotten me this gorgeous ring a couple weeks before, as a surprise. A girl in his class sells Lia Sophia, and he knew how I loved to sell jewelry a couple years back; but it was also really tough to get started! So he wanted to help her out, while also getting me something pretty :) so he gave it to me on his birthday!

Our original plan was to go to Waterstone, which is our favorite pizza place downtown. Dusty got some great coupons emailed to him for his birthday, so we wanted to take advantage of them!

Unfortunately, Waterstone was too busy for us to be able to eat in time for our movie. So we headed up to Shoemaker's, which is the fancy restaurant attached to a super cute "shoe" themed hotel.

Luckily for us, he also had a birthday coupon there. For a free entree! And we had never been there before, so it was the perfect time to try.

I loved the shoe-inspired art.
This quote read:
"I still have my feet on the ground, I just wear better shoes."
-Oprah Winfrey

The food was incredible. The spinach and artichoke dip was warm and melty, and absolutely delicious.
We both got the evening's special, which was this cut of steak with a crab cake on top. Yes. Steak, with a crab cake, on top. Ohmy.
I would definitely recommend this for a dressy evening out! The service was great, and the restaurant itself has the perfect dinner atmosphere. (Quiet, private, dim-lit, shoe-themed, fancy).

After our savory dinner, we had plans to go and see Titanic in theatres. Dusty had never seen it, so we figured it would be a fun and romantic movie to see together! We were running late, but managed to make it just as it was beginning! Unluckily for us, the only choice was to see it in 3D.
So our first 3D movie experience was to see hundreds of people dying.
Not ideal.
At least the 3D glasses helped conceal our sobs.

The next day, we were planning to head out to a surprise getaway to a Bed and Breakfast.
Dusty knew we were going to a B & B, but he didn't know where!

The drive was beautiful.
I had him drive, so I could read off the directions one by one. It was a gorgeous drive, as we slowly left Lynchburg behind and headed to the peaceful hills of Afton.
My coworker had told me about one of his favorite restaurants, called Blue Mountain Brewery. His description of it was what originally led me to the idea of having a B & B getaway for Dusty's birthday. Blue Mountain was only 2 miles from where we were staying, so we went there first. We arrived at the Brewery for dinner before sunset. Look at this view!

The restaurant is up on a little hill beside the main road, and has plenty of outdoor seating to enjoy the view. While it was a slightly chilly evening, I can only imagine how delightful it is to sit outside in the warmth of springtime and early summer.

We decided to split their vegetable pizza, which was absolutely amazing. It had all of the good stuff, including goat cheese.
We also got their burger with swiss cheese, which is cooked in their own brew. It was outstanding. And their beans were actually probably the best I've ever had. Yum!

With our bellies full and the sun beginning to set (and the evening getting extremely chilly), we decided to finish up and head to where we'd be staying!

We headed up the driveway to the adorable little (huge mansion-like) farmhouse, excited to experience our first Bed and Breakfast. I wasn't really sure what it would be like. It seems like a romantic idea, but could also be really awkward, like staying in a stranger's home. Which is basically what you're doing!

Luckily for us, it was a great experience. We loved it! We felt like grown-ups, travelling around and staying in this historic home, meeting other travelers and staying in the mountains.

The room was clean and comfortable, and it was wonderful how friendly (yet professional) the innkeepers were. The couple welcomed us in, gave us a quick tour, and showed us where everything was that we might need. Our room was upstairs, and at the end of the hall was a little corner of goodies. Water for hot tea or hot chocolate, and a glass tray of freshly made brownies and cookies. There were also cold sodas for us to enjoy at any time.
She informed us that she would have fresh coffee placed in that corner in the morning, and asked us when we would like to have breakfast in the morning. We told her 8:00am, and she told us she'd put us down for that time. So cute!

Our room was called The Mornington room.
Every room had its own name/theme...The Jefferson room, the Shenandoah room, etc.

I loved the glass detail above the entry!

Our room windows overlooked the sweet little garden area to the side of the house.

Breakfast in the morning was really good.
As soon as we sat down, they brought out chilled orange juice and fresh organic coffee.
We had several courses, starting with homemade banana bread and butter. Then they brought out a breakfast quiche, and finished with a blueberry parfait.
I had 3-4 cups of coffee (they were sorta small cups, which is how I justified it) and we were both stuffed.
Another couple joined us partway through the meal and told us about all the vineyards they had visited the day before. So we decided to go to one of them later on, and take advantage of the beautiful weather!
(I've always wanted to go to a vineyard, ever since I saw A Walk in the Clouds!)

All in all, Afton Mountain Bed and Breakfast was a success. We loved it.
Here were some more fun details of the house:

Stained Glass Entryway

Front Sitting Room

The Dining Room

The main staircase

My personal favorite was this adorable light-switch cover, located by the "Powder Room" across the way from the dining room. It's obviously hand-painted, incorporating Alice in Wonderland characters throughout the property of the Bed and Breakfast! Adorable.

The outdoors were just as lovely. As I said, it was a beautiful day!

The great front porch!

Pretty tree blooms.

Fabulous phone booth.

Hand-thrown mugs, for sale as souvenirs for guests.
And of course...Dusty and I can't resist souvenirs.

And on we went!
We went to Veritas, which was only a few minutes away. I've heard from a few wine drinkers that this is a great place to go! It was a sunny day, perfect for walking around. We both were wishing they had a restaurant there, because it would have been lovely to get something to munch on with the vineyard in the backround!

The inside was really fancy. It was also crowded! Obviously a hot-spot for locals, and travelers alike. :)

We loved their giant display of "LOVE" using wine corks, hanging on string!
It must have taken quite a lot of time to put together.

We took some time to walk around and soak up the sunshine, before heading off to get something to eat! We were starving!

We went into Charlottesville and found a Red Robin. Yummm!
We hadn't been there in ages, and a juicy burger sounded great to both of us. Plus Dusty had a birthday coupon! $5 off of $20 or more, PLUS he got his burger free because it was his birthday month.
I just love birthdays!

After lunch we wandered around the mall for a while (quickly discovering it was just as bad as Lynchburg's mall), stopping in a few stores and browsing. We came across a massage place, one of the fabulously cheap ones, and decided on the spot to each get one.
It was actually kind of wonderful. The Asian ladies were hilarious, talking loudly to each other across the curtains and making jokes. My masseuse kept referring to Dusty as my boyfriend, and I thought she was going to faint when I referred to him as my husband. She was also 23, (she thought I was much younger), and she just couldn't believe I was already married. She was too funny...I loved her. I feel like we could be friends.

I had informed Dusty earlier that I had reservations for dinner that evening. He had no idea where. On our drive back, we decided to swing home first so I could change and freshen up, and we could drop our stuff off before going in to dinner. I also wanted to be driving, so he couldn't see where we were going.

I had him lean his car seat back, and he even called his mom on our way there, so he wouldn't be able to pay attention to where we were going.
When we got there, I asked him to take his best guess. "Olive Garden," he said immediately. Ha! What a punk. He was right, of course.
Little did he know, a table full of our friends was waiting for him in the back :)

I had been planning for weeks. Dusty loves a good party, and he loves social events. While we enjoyed a great weekend planned for just us, I knew he needed something with friends, too.
We walked in, paused for a little bit at the front, and then I took his hand and dragged him straight back to the table I knew was waiting for us.

Happy Birthday Dusty!

After dinner, a group of us headed to the dollar theaters to see Woman in Black.
It was a jumpy, old-school scary movie, and I spent the entire time with my eyes squinted and my ears plugged. My whole body was sore afterwards, just from being tense for so long!
Luckily for all of us, we got to experience the movie in a dollar theater full of misfits. Everyone was talking, screaming, and commenting on the movie in the most hilarious ways. It was like a giant party. So funny.

We had such a great weekend, and still had Easter to look forward to the next morning.
Which brought two last surprises -- first, that I got Monday off of work! Dusty didn't have school that day, but I had told him that I didn't get any vacation days for the Easter holiday (because I actually didn't realize that I did). And two -- well, I'll get to that later. :)

Also, in true tradition, we had his birthday favorite -- dirt cake. :)

 Who needs dinner, when you've got Oreos and pudding?

Happy Birthday baby!

In love,
Cait