Family Weekend in Raleigh, NC

It’s been awhile since my last little getaway. I honestly can’t even remember when the last time was that I snuck away for a weekend. I suppose it’s because I have been adjusting to my new job and settling into my new homebase in DC.

Either way, I had the opportunity to enjoy a relaxing weekend with family in Raleigh. I always love these trips because they’re short and sweet. There’s little planning to do on my end, I just sleep on the car ride down and have fun while we’re there. Aren’t trips that you don’t plan the best for that reason?

To sum it up – My aunt lives in Annapolis so we set off from there early Friday morning. We always stop at the same Panera a few miles south of Richmond to break up the trip and enjoy a quick lunch. I could eat their mac and cheese or pesto pasta for days – can “you-pick-two” mean picking two pastas?

We arrived early in the afternoon and enjoyed the warm winter sunshine with cousin Alexis and her puppy Tucker. The leaf piles were plentiful and Alexis happily showed off her best leaf-pile-jumping techniques. While she was quick to climb up trees and toss off a few cartwheels, my mom had a bit more of a struggle. What she lacks in cartwheel skills, she makes up for in spirit.

For dinner we met got to meet the guest of honor, baby Sophie. Zest is perhaps our favorite spot to eat in Raleigh because the food is delicious and the shop next door is filled to the brim with adorable goodies. It’s hard not to buy everything.

Saturday lunch was at Saints and Scholars, another delicious restaurant. While it is an Irish pub it was formerly a Mediterranean restaurant with the most delicious goat cheese and hummus appetizers served with fried pita. The Mediterranean fare is still on the menu so we go for it every time.

Following lunch we decided it was time for a little shoe shopping. Cousin Sam is the women’s shoe buyer at SRI so I can always count on her to help me grab the latest fashions. We can (and do) spend hours in this place. We walked out many bags heavier and in a hurry to get home for a family birthday dinner.

While the weekend flies by quickly, it’s always nice to catch up with aunts, uncles, cousin and grandparents.

ZEST CAFE + HOME ART

8831 Six Forks Road

www.zestcafehomeart.com

SAINTS AND SCHOLARS

909 Spring Forest Road

www.solomons-restaurant.com

SRI SHOE WAREHOUSE

6031 Oak Forest Drive

www.srishoes.com

www.shoeflake.com

How do prefer it – family weekend road trips or a full blown family vacation?

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