There are still quite a few things I have on my summer must-do list before the weather changes and Ryan and I experience a real fall for the first time in years.
Some of my summer must-dos:
- Spend a full day at the beach or on the lake
- Eat s’mores (Preferably around a campfire, but I’m not picky!)
- Take an outdoor yoga class
- Visit the U.S. National Whitewater Center
- Run in my first Charlotte race (I am currently eyeing the Electric Run with my friend Lindsey!)
- Go on an all-day hike
- Catch an outdoor concert
- Grab dinner from a local food truck
What about you? What is one fun thing you’re hoping to squeeze in before summer ends?
Weekend
Our weekend was pretty low key but in a very good way! I spent Friday with some new friends and checked out Vapiano, an Italian restaurant in Charlotte.
The concept of the restaurant reminded me a lot of a wine bar. When you arrive, you’re given a card that you take around the restaurant and use at various stations, including the bar and pizza, pasta, salad and antipasti stations. It was a neat restaurant that I’d happily go back to for lunch or with a group. (It’s not really a great “date night” restaurant in my opinion since I’m pretty sure Ryan and I would likely be in and out in 20 minutes.)
An added bonus? When you leave, you can take a little cup of gummy bears with you for the road!
(And yes, I totally used the little scoop to grab only the red, orange and white gummy bears.)
On Saturday, Ryan and I spent most of the afternoon running around town with our realtor. We visited a house we like a lot for a second time and left with a bunch of questions. It’s a great house but there are some pretty big changes we’d want to make if we bought it (which both excites and intimidates me), so we’re setting up an appointment with a contractor this week to see if our vision is doable within our current budget. It’s a process!
Sunday centered around laundry and cleaning in the morning but became a bit more enjoyable once we made it outside for some afternoon hiking with Sadie.
We drove out to Crowders Mountain State Park, but hiked up to Kings Pinnacle this time rather than tackling the Crowders Mountain hike we did back in June.
The hike was scenic and challenging but the trails were absolutely packed with people. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who had the idea to hike on Sunday afternoon! Ryan and I prefer trails that are a little less populated and made a mental note to avoid this one in the future unless we make it out there earlier in the day. It’s a great hike with wonderful views from the top, but weaving in and out of people and dogs made it slightly less enjoyable. I think it would’ve been better had we been out there without Sadie, but navigating around people with an energetic dog on a leash isn’t super fun.
But you can’t complain when you make it to the top and see this:
Once we arrived home, we ate dinner on the couch and I got totally sucked into Titanic on TV. I haven’t seen that movie in years.
And now we’re all caught up!
Hope you guys are having a great Monday so far!
Questions of the Morning
- Share one of the highlights from your weekend!
- What is one fun thing on your “to do” list that you’re hoping to squeeze in before summer ends?
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I went to my first concert ever this summer- Queen and Adam Lambert. So fun! They were awesome.
How cool!!
Oh wow. What concert did you go to? How was May on guitar? It’s amazing how they keep producing winners even after Mercury’s departure.
Same thing with Journey! The guy they got to sing in place of Steve Perry sounds amazing!
I went to Mohegan Sun Casino in Ct. Small venue so it was great! Adam’s voice live is crazy good… Brian was fantastic and Roger Taylor and his son did a drumming duet that was sooo good.
I just visited Vivace the weekend before last for the first time. We went with a group for brunch, and I really enjoyed it. Another thing I enjoy – the White Water Center. Fun times! I like the idea of your summer list. I should make one too!
I think all tummies taste the same except the green ones, which taste like lime. You have the same experience?
I feel like there is a difference!
Happy Monday! My weekend was great, full of teaching group fitness a few nice dinners out in the city. I’m planning a quick trip back to Florida to visit my family and friends before the summer is over and I can’t wait! An outdoor concert is also on the agenda though. 🙂
Sounds like a great weekend!
The Mr helped out a friend whose computer was crashing at his business when we happened in and as a thank you payment, I got to pick out a free piece from the shop! Score free antique case molding for the kitchen pass thru! WOOT! 🙂
my summer officially ends on wednesday when i return to work! waaaaaah!! these next two days?! spend as much time as possible with my little one!!!!!!!
I go back to work today! 🙁 summer is gone…
I don’t know if this counts, but I slept in past 5 a.m. I am an extreme morning person, so it is unusual for me. I actually slept until noon! I needed it so badly. I then went to the lake with my boyfriend to go for a swim, followed up with Chinese takeout! WIN! (That was my entire Sunday, before going home to go to sleep at a super early time.) I must say; that day felt more like summer than any I have had!
Before summer ends, I MUST go cliff-jumping at my favorite quarry! That summer tradition has yet to be fulfilled.
Blessings and prayers to your house-hunting!
Hannah
Cliff jumping!? I would LOVE to do this!! Where do you go?
I live in Wisconsin, so I go to a place called Redgranite, which doubles as the town’s name!
I have always loved going there!
Having a much overdue date night with my hubby Saturday night and an awesome 12 mile run Saturday morning! 🙂
What a gorgeous view!! And omg.. I’m dying at the titanic duck! Hilarious
Kim
http://trendkeeper.me
http://YouTube.com/thetrendkeeper
Did you to Vivace or Vapiano? Didn’t know Vivace had changed their concept to be more like Vapiano on Tryon St downtown.
Oh I am so embarrassed! I meant Vapiano! I totally got the “V” restaurants confused. Thanks for letting me know, Sarah. Just updated the post!!
I eat at both frequently and have to check and make sure I’m headed to the right one all the time- both Italian with similar names. FYI vivace is much more date night appropriate and you should add it to your list. Not sure how to delete my comment but feel free to do so now. 🙂
Oh we will have to check it out! I think Vivace has been recommended to me a number of times so I totally confused them. We will definitely check it out. 🙂 Thanks for the recommendation!
I only have two and a half weeks before moving out to college, but I would love an all-day hike and going to bowling and Smashburger with my friends!
A highlight of my weekend was swimming at the beach while it was down-pouring. Warm ocean + cool rain made it a really cool experience!
Sounds like a fun summer ahead! On my list…
-try SUP in the Boulder Reservoir
-Go white water rafting again
-go kayaking in Summit County
-Go camping
-Hike another 14-er
-Learn how to mountain bike
…I better start getting busy! haha
Looks like a great list to me!
gummy bears on the way out of the restaurant!? That is so cool! Probably almost as good as those little mints, yummmm. My bf and I have a huge list of things we want to to before the summer is over. I hope we can get it all done!!
The gummy bears were such a neat treat! 🙂
I haven’t been to the beach AT ALL this summer but will be going to South Beach in September so that will count and I LOVE having bonfires with friends so that’s probably top of the list!
My husband and I went to the whitewater rafting center a few years ago and it was so much fun! You definitely need to check it out!!! I want to go SUP this summer and try some yoga poses while on it.
That restaurant is exactly like a chain we have in Europe called Vapiano! They also serve gummy bears when you leave – how funny 🙂
That’s so funny – I’m a yellow & green gummy bear fan all the way! 😉
Highlight: moving into a new apartment!
A trip to CA for a weekend is something I’ve been wanting to do yet this summer it’s just a drive away!
There is a winery in Walla Walla, WA called Vapiano that I LOVE, but you don’t get gummy bears as you leave. 🙂 The highlight of my weekend was finishing a 217-mile two-day relay with eleven other runners. No sleep and running at all hours of the day/night. It was pretty crazy but super fun. We had a storm roll through right before finishing and it took down the finish line set-up. One thing I would still like to do this summer is float the river and summit South Sister (the third tallest mountain in Oregon).
That sounds like such a neat concept for a restaurant!
On my summer to-do list: spend as much time as possible outside & swimming with my baby! 🙂
Looks like another beautiful hike! I know what you mean about wishing there were less people around. If I go for hikes on the weekend (when it’s more crowded) I always try to get there early in the morning. I’d much rather get up early than deal with lots of people.
Omg I love that duck meme. haha And yes to smores. I had them this summer around a campfire and it was perfect. A highlight of this weekend for me was a wine festival I went to. There was so much good food and wine and everyone was so friendly!
YES the Whitewater Center is on your list! You guys will love it. Lots of activities, great people, and you can top off your day with a tasty beer. Also, Thursdays they do River Jam in the evening, which is super fun. One of the things my bf and I miss most about the Queen City!
What a gorgeous view!!! Your pictures always make me want to visit NC! We celebrated at a friend’s wedding this weekend back at our old UW-Madison stomping grounds. So much fun!
I’m really hoping to make a trip to the beach before summer ends, my boyfriend comes home in 8 days, so maybe once he gets back we’ll go :). And omg, that view is gorgeous!!
I’ve heard great things about the National White Water Rafting Center!
i definitely got sucked into titanic on saturday night, too! i stayed up way past my bedtime because i couldn’t turn it off. 😉
and yes, clear gummy bears are the BEST! 🙂
Whitewater rafting sounds awesome and slightly terrifying.
Good luck with your home search; it is quite the crazy process. I am sure you are getting lots of unsolicited advice, so here is some more. 🙂 My relator recommended living in a home a few months to a year before taking on any major renovations. She said this would help you better figure out what changes you really want.
Check out the Greek Festival 5k- it is “flat” in Charlotte terms. That race is 8/23 and then the Hit the Brixx 5k/10k is in Sept. Both are on the runforyourlife.com site. Great local running store!
Sweet!!! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
Eeeek, that’s so exciting about the house!! I hope it works out for you guys!
Taking my little guy to the zoo (he LOVED it) and then crushing my 10 mile training run made for a pretty awesome weekend.
I really want to go to a new nearby waterpark before the summer is over!
Thanks so much! And great job on your run! That’s awesome!
My highlight was doing nothing absolutely nothing yesterda and just hanging out with my boyfriend. So nice to just relax!
I’m totally with you with over populated hiking trails. I love ones that are not crowded..I personally think they are better too because there more challenging!
That last pic, I’m dying haha! This weekend my hubby and I celebrated our anniversary. We kept it pretty low key, but it is so nice just to spend time with him 🙂 I would love, love, love to hit up a beach this summer, it may not happen, but it is still on my list 🙂
You should definitely check out the whitewater center! Its such a fun place I’ve gone so many times this summer (for trails rafting and SUP). They also have a lot of trail races there that are pretty awesome.
My weekend highlight was doing the Amphibious Duathlon (run kayak run) at the whitewater center with my bf!
My weekend was spent moving and at the farmers’ market! Excited to be moving up.
10 mile long run was my highlight! The rest of the weekend was spent packing. We are moving to an apartment while we build a house! Exciting and stressful. Good luck in your house hunt! Make sure you get what you want. Biggest thing I didn’t like about my current house was no pantry and a small closet. Both of which I am super sizing in the new house:)
I hope to squeeze in a camping trip towards the end of summer when it isn’t so hot!!
I’m with you on s’mores. I think we’ll have to make ours in the microwave, though 🙂
One thing I’m trying to do before summer ends is dine at a rooftop bar! It’s so nice to see the city lights and skyline while munching and sipping! Hopefully this will happen this week!
Fun!!
My husband and I ate at a Vapiano’s in Berlin before the marathon last year. I didn’t realize it was a US chain as well. The pizzas were great!
We tried to do the Electric Run in Philly last summer and we were literally lined up in the corrals when it started to thunder and lightning and they cancelled the whole thing. We never got a refund and we’re supposed to get an entrance to “next year’s race” which apparently isn’t happening. It’s a little bit of a sore subject haha.
Oh no!!!
I went car shopping this weekend 🙁 Mine is at it’s expiration date! But my mood was lifted with some beautiful boating on Sunday! The water was absolutely perfect and we had a good mix of sun & clouds! No major goals for the rest of the summer, just enjoy the temperature and spend as much time outside as possible! 🙂 Have a great week Julie!
Everybody knows clear gummy bears are the bees knees. So I’m very proud of you for that.
I am just SO jealous of your gorgeous pictures of every weekend recap.
Exciting news about your house hunt! I know y’all will be able to tackle a lot more changes than you probably even realize, you are just such go-getters!
Check out Food Truck Fridays in South End. They do it on Saturdays too, but not as many food trucks show up. http://www.historicsouthend.com/events/food-truck-friday/ Always a good time and lots of variety.
Thanks!!
We had Vapianos in DC, where I used to live.. The gummi bears are totes the best part! 🙂
Ummm a restaurant that gives you gummies on your way out? YES PLEASE!
we have Vapiano’s in NYC too — i’ve heard it’s a chain but haven’t seen one in another city yet. i don’t recall the gummy bears when i was there 2 years ago, though, so you win. 🙂 nice pix of the hike! one thing i need to do this summer/fall is hike, actually!
This weekend we visited a lighthouse on the coast and went to San Francisco to visit the Ferry Building (and had some amazing food there!). On my summer list is white water rafting! I’ve never gone before.
I am with you on the s’mores thing! I am itching for it to be fall! I bet you guys are going to LOVE fall in NC! Totally different than fall in Florida!
That is such a gorgeous and majestic view! I went hiking the other day with my baby attached in front of me (13 months old) and it wasn’t toooo crazy like I expected–thankfully. But I saw people with their dogs and they had to either go up really fast or stop every other minute because something would come up, haha. And a poor pitbull was breathing so hard we could hear him from yards and yards away, poor little guy :/
I watched the Titanic on Sunday night too. Thank you ABC Family. I had a fever all weekend, which ruined my fun plans, but at least I got to see Jack and Rose fall in love.
Hope you are feeling better!!
Aww thank you so much! I am on the mend I do believe!