{Girls Trip} - Christmas 2021 - Nutcracker Ballet at The Greenbrier

Oh, what FUN!

A few years ago, I started the tradition of taking my girls to Atlanta to see the Nutcracker at the historic Fox Theatre each December (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). Sadly, it was decided that after a 24 year run, 2019 would be the final year that The Fox would host the Atlanta Ballet production.

Since for me, the uniqueness of the venue is just as important as the performance itself, last year we switched it up and spent a couple days at The Greenbrier! It's one of my favorite places to visit, AND it also hosts an annual Nutcracker performance!

The girls an I left early Tuesday morning and stopped to grab breakfast at Pepperbox Doughnuts in Charlotte, NC...

While in the neighborhood, we visited a couple of our favorite murals...

Confetti Hearts Wall by Evelyn Henson

Doughnut Wall by Gina Elizabeth Franco

Krispy Kreme Headquarters

From Charlotte, we continued north and tried to grab lunch at one of our favorites, The Village Coffee Shoppe at The Draper Mercantile in Draper, VA, but...

 

the lunch spot was closed with only the retail shops open.

We drowned in our sorrows with a song...

and snacked on a veggie wrap in the car...

From Draper, we continued on to our final destination, The Greenbrier!

Once we arrived, we booked it straight to our first activity, the Escape Oz Escape Room!!!

Of the 3 of us, only M was an "Escape Room Veteran", so it was a new experience for both L and me. We had sooo much FUN!

We ended up "escaping" with less than a minute to spare!!

From there, we got settled in our room...

and were delighted to learn that our room looked out on the front of the hotel!

 After getting unpacked, we set out to grab some dinner and dessert at Draper's...

before catching "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" in the theatre on the big screen...

The next morning, we hit up the indoor pool first thing...

before catching the Interior History Walking Tour...

I could soak up the history (and floral interiors) all day, every day...

We found a new favorite sofa...

and I introduced the girls to one of my favorite rooms, the beautiful Victorian Writing Room...

We wandered around a bit more inside...

before grabbing lunch at one of our favorites, The Forum...

After lunch, we did some exploring outside...

before meeting up for our Bunker Tour!

{no photos ~ actually, no cell phones ~ allowed on the tour}

After our tour, we went back up to the room to freshen up...

and get ready to ice skate!

We retired to our room early to catch the Clemson game...

and enjoyed a room service dinner!

The next morning, we hit up the indoor pool first thing (again)...

before heading back to the room to get ready for The Nutcracker!

We headed over to Colonial Hall for the performance, danced by members of the nearby Beckley Dance Theatre...

After the show, we popped in to visit my favorite draperies...

I like these, too...

We took a little time to explore just a little more...

before bidding farewell...

What a wonderful getaway with my favorite girls!

Until next year..

{Weekend Adventure} Celebrating Hubby

Phew! What a special weekend!

After a long (in so many ways) two years, Hubby earned his Masters in Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College. 

The graduation ceremony was held at the historic Carlisle Barracks, the nation's second-oldest active military base, and we were so excited to head up and celebrate him and all of his hard work!

B, M and I (L is at camp) booked it up to Pennsylvania on Thursday night in preparation for the graduation ceremony Friday morning.

What a beautiful morning!

The graduation ceremony took place on the historic parade grounds...

with all graduates walking through the picturesque Wheelock Bandstand to receive their diplomas...

I am so thankful they were allowed to walk AND that guests were allowed to attend, as well...

We are ALL so proud of him!

After the graduation festivities, we grabbed lunch and popped in for a short visit with my Aunt B, Uncle P, and cousin R before continuing up to visit with Hubby's brother and his family in New York. We got to meet our dog niece, Z, too...

So thankful to have Hubby in the driver's seat as we crossed the George Washington Bridge this go 'round...

as driving into the city is not my favorite thing to do. I've only done it twice (driven out of it only once), and the last time was by complete accident!

The next morning, we had a great breakfast before catching the train into the city!

We headed straight to the Flatiron District for a special, celebratory lunch...

at Gramercy Tavern, a neighborhood restaurant that borders the beautiful Gramercy Park neighborhood...

It was both delicious and fun...

{*It's just grape juice, fancy style!}

After lunch, we did a little shopping before heading over to the recently redeveloped Hudson Yards area where we got our first look at The Vessel...

We were hoping to get up to The Edge, but didn't get our tickets in time... Oh well, next time...

Instead, we did a little more shopping. A favorite stop was a store called Camp that had many interactive areas for kids...

From there, we decided to head down to the Financial District and stop by the tomb of Alexander Hamilton (+ Eliza and Angelica, too ~ we've already visited Peggy)...

Unfortunately, the cemetery was closed due to an ongoing renovation. We did get a picture from outside the fence, though...

but it remains on our list for next time...

Lastly, we walked over to one of my favorites, El Vez, for dinner...

a nice ending to a fun afternoon, celebrating in the city...

We caught the train back to Hastings-on-Hudson for another quick visit with family before hitting the road and making it back down to Pennsylvania for the night.

Thankful to be home safely from another adventure, and looking forward to being a family of FIVE once again later this week!