Eleven

This past weekend (on the 26th to be exact) we celebrated our 11th anniversary!

Brent's parents came to visit over the long weekend and so Brent planned a mini-trip as a surprise for me. I love surprises.  I pretend that I want to know, but I really don't. 

As we were driving away, Brent gave me a few details of our weekend. We were on the road to Old Town Alexandria.

We checked into the Morrison House (in the midst of wedding festivities for a few couples!) and then decided to walk around before our dinner.

Cupcakes at Alexandria Cupcake were yummy...I chose Vanilla Bean...and the flavor is by far the best vanilla I've tasted in a cupcake.  (I love how you can see Brent's reflection in the table as he's eating his Guinness cupcake.  And I love that he wasn't going to have a cupcake until he heard the word "Guinness"!)

After exploring several more shops and "window-planning" future meals in the historic city, we went to a discovery Brent made a few weeks ago and wanted to share with me.

Society Fair.  It's gorgeous.  One side features a wine & tapas bar while the other is home to a bakery and other market delicacies you can take home with you.

The view from our table overlooking the restaurant...I'm thinking a girls night out here would be so much fun!

After our hors d'oeuvres, we returned to the Morrison House for dinner at The Grille which was amazing.  Seven courses.

And it deserves its own post. Stay tuned for that.

The next morning, we asked for a coffee recommendation and went to Misha's where my cafe au lait did not disappoint.

We walked the brick sidewalks down the street to the Old Town Farmers Market.  We walked through quickly, as it was already a hot morning...and we were hungry. :) But we loved seeing all the beautiful produce, gorgeous flowers (especially these peonies), and some beautiful handcrafted wooden bowls, platters, and amazing cutting boards.

We ended our visit to Old Town with a delicious brunch at  Le Pain Quotidien.  Their bakery display is as delicious as it is beautiful.  My second cafe au lait of the morning was an excellent accompaniment to the yummy chocolate croissant...and I thoroughly enjoyed my banana pecan steel cut oatmeal.

I am already looking forward to visiting again!