I Wish I Was in Dixie Land

L and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary a couple of weeks ago.  Knowing my love for home renovation and house flipping, L planned a little 1-night getaway to Richmond, Virginia: home of Young House Love bloggers.

Okay, so I'm kidding on that last part.  I mean, we really did go there, and that really is where the YHL couple lives, but that is NOT why we went there (and I am not that into home renovation or flipping).  L and I each have lists of places we want to visit and Richmond was on both of ours, so L studied up and planned the trip out.  We got up early Saturday morning, hit the open road, and he didn't tell me where we were headed until we were heading south on 395!  He knows I love a good surprise.  While in Richmond, we opted to explore the Museum of the Confederacy and adjoining Confederate White House where Jefferson Davis lived during his tenure as President of the Confederacy.  After that, we made our way over to Cary Street to peruse the shops and then rounded out the afternoon in another area called Shockoe for a little sustenance.  Then we checked into our hotel and we were just going to relax- we had about 3 hours to kill before dinner- and take our time getting ready for our 8:00 dinner reservations… until I realized I’d left my shoes at home.  I was wearing brown cowboy boots that day and everything I brought for dinner was black.   Plus, it was a nice restaurant, so even if my cowboy boots had gone with my clothing options, it wasn't the kind of place where girls can role in wearing dirty, old cowboy boots and a dress or skirt and not stick out like a sore thumb!  So off we went to try and find the mall where Nordstrom, Macy's, and Dillards all are.  We never made it, but that's because eagle-eyed L spotted a DSW on the way (apparently that mall is not actually in Richmond; we'd been driving for 20 minutes already and it was still a handful of miles away).  L and I were quickly reminded why we usually don't shop for me together (I like to peruse ALL available options, whereas he often picks the first thing that meets his needs), but I got down to business and quickly scoured the store, which resulted in me finding 2 options to bring back to the hotel to try with my various evening clothing options.  Dinner was at The Dining Room at the Berkeley Hotel (very good, although L had a sinus infection and wasn't feeling great).  Sunday morning we got up and had a great brunch at Strawberry Cafe before heading out of town. 

Given the pitiful state of my camera, I didn't take many pictures.  In fact, I only took 3.  I give you my shots of Richmond:

Isn't that the best-looking fall sidewalk??  I love the colors of the leaves.  So picturesque.  The homes lining this street were so quaint with big front porches and siding of various colors.  You can tell they've been around for a loooong time by the architecture, the lead panes in the windows, and the fact that there's only about 3 feet between every house. 

Now, for my other 2 pictures.  As we walked down Cary St., I saw a cute little veterinary office that seems so friendly!  I mean, it's called PAL: 

And then I saw the sign on the street:

I'm all for controlling the pet population, but the way they just put it right out there caught us both off guard.  I assume all they do is spay and neuter pets, but really, I have no idea.  I'm sure Bob Barker would be happy.  In all seriousness, it looks like a charming little vet, so if you live in Richmond and own a pet, why not check them out. 

Anyway, it was a fun way to celebrate our anniversary and now we can check off Richmond on our list of road trips!