girls' weekend

Girls' weekend officially kicked off on Friday at 4, when we all arrived at Kel's house in Meadville, PA.  We unloaded our cars and hung out for a bit before jumping back in the car and heading south to Slippery Rock for dinner.  We met up with my friends Peter and Bec at the North Country Brewery for dinner.

The food was just as good as the company!  Kel and I split the falafel and the black bean burger, with sweet potato chips and hand-cut fries.  They were both really messy but really good.  The chili sauce on the black bean burger proved to be a little too much for me and I wasn't able to completely finish it.  We also split a hummus platter.  While we ate Lizzie poached food from Bec.

Little baby bird.  And Clare got boozy with the jug of beer.

Then it was home again!  Saturday morning Kel and I went for a hilly run - normal for her, but hill-tastic for me!  When we got home Kel's husband, Keegan, made us all breakfast - sweet potato whole wheat gnocchi, eggs (from the chickens in the backyard!), and zucchini, turnips, carrots, and onion sauteed.  It was amazing.

Saturday we walked downtown to the farmer's market, then came home for a lunch of snacks, then drove to Campbell's Pottery to look around.  We stopped and got ice cream, hung out at Keegan's parents' for awhile (Lizzie made fast friends with Kayden, age 4), and then came home and had pesto pasta with veggies and lemon sorbet.  Again: amazing.  Oh, and entertained ourselves watching these two cuties:

Happy girls all around.  Sunday morning Corrine, Lizzie, Clare, and mom took off for Cleveland.  I had scrambled pesto eggs and veggies (one more time: amazing) and Kel and I talked and drank coffee on the back porch.  Then Kel made me a giant paper bag of popcorn and I packed up my car and headed home.  It was a long drive but a few notable things happened:

1. I finally finished Lord of the Rings.  It was good, but didn't blow me away.  I was mostly just grateful to be done with it, honestly.  
2. I finally met my match in popcorn.  The paper bag proved too large for even me and I actually threw some away.  Shocking, I know.
3. I had the best sandwich ever: pesto and asiago cheese on fresh sourdough bread.  Oh oh oh.

The only regret of this weekend?  Just like last year we forgot to take a picture all together!  I'm so happy we started this girls' weekend tradition.  I just hope next year Jilly can come again so we'll truly all be together!  Last year girls' weekend was in South Carolina and this year Pennsylvania.  Maybe Tennessee next year?