Thrift Stores and Shopping and Tornados, Oh My!

You know that feeling on a Monday after you just had a really awesome weekend, and you're sorta depressed but not really because it's finally a beautiful Fall day, you might be able to straighten your hair today, and overall you just feel very blessed?

My parents, the recent empty nesters as my little sister began her college years last week, spent last week on vacation traveling around to some of their favorite local spots up in PA, and ended the week with a visit down to Nova to see us. And they came bearing whoopie pies. I knew it was going to be a great weekend.

After dinner and drinks at Sweetwater Tavern on Friday night, they accompanied us on a morning of house hunting on Saturday followed by a trip to Middleburg, VA. I had briefly been to Middleburg on a wine outing several months ago but since it was a Sunday evening most of the shops were closed. I knew that my parents would love the charming little town and I myself wanted to check out some of the adorable shops.

The verdict: I love Middleburg! It's amazing that in less than an hour in one direction you can be in the heart of DC, but an hour in the other direction takes you through quaint towns sprinkled with antique and thrift shops

The sky started to get dark with the pending thunderstorm coming our way, so we ducked into Julien's Cafe, an adorable little eatery serving French inspired cuisine. Complete with French fries.

Next thing we knew, it was dark as night outside, the lights started flickering, and my phone started blaring that God-awful emergency beeping noise you heard on the radio when there is severe weather in the area, letting us know that a tornado had been spotted in the area. It was starting to look like the Wizard of Oz outside, with leaves and branches swirling around and rain pelting down on the car. 

So we figured it was best that we get in the car and drive to the mall, where we'd be safe.