Memorial Day in Charlotte

We couldn't resist taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to squeeze in a little road trip so when we were deciding where to go, one place seemed like a no brainer-Charlotte, North Carolina.  My brother lives in the queen city and I am embarrassed to say that we haven't visited him since he moved there after college.  Plus one of our favorite couples has made Charlotte their home, making a visit there even more enticing.  We definitely made the most of our short time with some of our favorite people and really enjoyed the fun city of Charlotte.

Our journey started Friday morning with an easy drive South.  6 quick hours and one stop at Sonic(what I probably miss most about Southern Virginia) later, we were in Charlotte.

We were greeted by the most adorable pup ever, Bowser, and this thoughtful welcome basket left for us by Mariel at C&M's cute home.

My brother and Callie joined us for our first meal of the weekend at Midwood Smokehouse.  This was the perfect spot to start our visit off right.

Everyone's food was amazing but I was the biggest fan of mine-brisket ends served over fried mac and cheese with a side of creamed corn.  Gosh I love the South!

Our next stop was Jackalope Jack's for a few beers in mason jars,

 and a lot of skeeball playing.
We then were treated to the most entertaining karaoke experience ever.
Mason jars, skeeball, and karaoke?  I am officially in love with this bar!

Saturday morning started with more delicious food at Sunflour Bakery.  I am obsessed with this perfect spot and it's delicious breakfast.  I somehow ignored all of the amazing pastries staring at me and opted for bacon, egg, and cheese on a cheddar biscuit.  It's probably a good thing this bakery is located 6 hours from us, otherwise I would eat this every single day!

Our next stop was the huge and impressive Charlotte Farmers Market to stock up on dinner necessities before making our way to Mountain Island Lake for a day of fun in the sun.

Former Roomates reuinted at last-VABeau and Connor

My brother, Brennan, and Callie guarding the cooler.

The boys relaxing in the water.

Most of my day was spent doing nothing more than this.  It was amazing!

  

The wake boarding pro!

But Brennan managed to squeeze in a little physical activity.

After a great day on the lake we all headed back to Connor's house for a BBQ.

Brother and sister

I had so much fun chatting with Callie before dinner.  Aren't her neon pants amazing?!

The various pairings continues with Brennan and Callie

So proud of my little brother all grown up and living the life in Charlotte!

VABeau with our chef and amazing host-Connor.

The dogs provided our entertainment for the night.  It was so hilarious to see tiny Bowser play with Callie's much bigger lab mix.

The dogs begging to join the dinner.

Delicious chicken fresh from the grill. 

Sunday morning I squeezed in a much needed run while the boys watched Sports Center on the porch.  Connor installed a TV on his screened in porch and I'm pretty sure VABeau never wanted to leave this spot!

But it was time to eat yet again so we put our name in at Zada Jane's Corner Cafe for brunch.  We had to wait awhile  for our table but didn't mind since they had shuffle board to entertain us.

I was pretty horrible at my first Shuffle Board attempt.

The boys setting a few ground rules.
The brunch  at Zada Jane's was definitely worth the wait and a perfect last meal in Charlotte.  We had a great weekend in Charlotte and were pretty sad to leave.  Connor was such a great host and both he and Brennan knew exactly how to keep two visiting foodies happy all weekend long with great restaurant and bar suggestions.

Fortunately our weekend with family didn't end in Charlotte.  We split our drive home up with a stop in my hometown in Southern Virginia to visit my parents.  We enjoyed steaks on the grill and a perfect evening on the porch with my parents

We have been so busy lately with trips and projects around our house that we were very tempted to stay home this past weekend and use the extra day to accomplish stuff at our house.  I'm so happy we decided not to and chose to visit family and friends instead.  The home projects will always be there but a relaxing weekend with our family and friends was just what we needed and was something we definitely needed to take advantage of!

How did you spend your Memorial Day weekends?