Weekly Recap: Friday Date Night, Oktoberfest, and Wrightsville Beach R&R
So… I’ve encountered many strange situations in the wild (aka the grocery store), but last week, some guy approached me to tell me I looked like his ex-girlfriend... Said he caught me out of the corner of his eye and followed me around the store trying to figure out if I was her. I just stared at him like a deer in headlights because what does one say to that? He didn’t linger, just said his words and moved on, but still.
What I’ve been up to:
Overall, it was a pretty quiet week. Aside from opening a couple bottles of wine on Wednesday and a post-work shopping trip to Barnes & Noble and Ulta on Thursday, we kept things pretty low key. Friday night, Alex and I grabbed dinner at one of our favorite hole-in-the-wall local restaurants, then went to Dirtbag Ales for drinks. I brought a deck of cards to the brewery, so we sat inside and played a round of Golf and sipped delicious fall cocktails, just the two of us (and yes I won the card game). After a cool, rainy work from home day, it felt good to get out of the house for a few hours. Love Friday date nights!
Saturday morning we packed our bags for an overnight trip, then drove down to Wilmington. Alex and I stopped by the Wrightsville Beach Brewery for lunch and beer flights before meeting up with our friends. Wrightsville Beach Brewery has many great options for beer — we love swinging by when we’re in the area.
Saturday night was our annual Oktoberfest party! We’ve celebrated Oktoberfest with our local friends since 2019 when a bunch of us went up to Raleigh for Triangle Oktoberfest. We quietly gathered in Fayetteville 2020 and 2021 (thanks to Covid) and missed last year due to scheduling and other circumstances, but the whole squad was back together for this year’s celebration at our friends’ house in Wilmington. We had a blast! Lots of laughs coupled with beers, two regrettably terrible tequila shots, drinking games, late night races and Papa John’s pizza, an Aztec death whistle, Polaroid pictures, and many other shenanigans. Definitely a late night but worth it!
Sunday morning we woke up and had coffee, mimosas, and Blood Mary’s. Alex and I spent the day with our friend Danielle roaming Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach. First, we grabbed a much needed brunch at Famous Toastery because you know how it goes after a late night of party drinking… After brunch we went to Wrightsville Beach for some R&R on the oceanfront.
Talk about the impromptu beach day we didn’t know we needed. We laid out a couple blankets in the sand and fell asleep in the sunny and 75 degree weather. Listening to the waves crash the shore was the best therapy after many stressful weeks. We stayed out on the beach for 2 hours — napping, people watching, meandering, taking pictures, reading, and enjoying the peace and beauty of the moment.
Before heading home, we got boba at Tap Tea Bar and made a quick stop at Trader Joe’s for a few fall items. Alex streamed the Packer game on our drive back, which kept us mostly occupied, but (sigh) we lost to the Broncos (!!) in the end. Total buzzkill, but we knew this season would be different, so I’ve not let my expectations soar too high. It was about 8pm when we got back to our boys — and they were super excited to see us. When we knocked out, we knocked out. There’s something heavenly about that first night sleeping in your own bed after a night away.
What I’ve been reading:
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna — This book went a totally different direction than I anticipated, but I really enjoyed it in the end. Love when a book surprises you.
My Roommate is a Vampire by Jenna Levine — Still chipping away. I didn’t read many pages because I was prioritizing other books.
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix — Only a few chapters in, but I’m finding it easy and addicting to read. Let’s see what happens because this isn’t my normal genre and I’m slightly scared lol.
The Dead Romantics by Ashley Poston — Listening on audio and the narration is good so far! Glad I’m giving it another try after setting it aside earlier this year.
What I’ve been listening to:
Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton’s cover duet of Wrecking Ball — I’ve wanted this duet since since they performed it together on NYE. Bless them both for finally giving it to us. Dolly Parton may be pushing 80 but she’s got pipes!
Cruel Summer - Live from TS | The Eras Tour — From listening on TikTok to hearing in theaters to getting the live version released on streaming, Taylor Swift is truly the gift that keep on giving! Love the “Oh hi!” in the beginning.
TWENTY SOMETHING by Alana Springsteen — Another Spotify recommendation that I really liked.
blink-182’s new album ONE MORE TIME… — blink-182 is Alex’s favorite band so of course the new album was on repeat all weekend. The title song ONE MORE TIME hits deep I tell you.
TEA TIME by Ryan Oakes and Hoodie Allen — Such a fun song. Hoodie’s been killing on features lately.
The One Woman Book Club podcast — I mentioned last week, but Grace’s book club pick for October is The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, so I’m listening along since I also read this book!
What I’ve been watching:
Lessons in Chemistry — Watched the first episode and I have to say, the tv show seems to be adapting the book quite well. If you’ve started watching, what do you think?
A few other (random) things:
At Barnes & Noble last week, I grabbed a few new books: Fourth Wing (ready to see what the hype’s all about), Murder in the Family (love the way the book is formatted like a mystery with clues to solve), and The Saturday Night Ghost Club (thematically appropriate for the season).
I don’t know these people or their relationship, but dang I was shocked to hear Maren Morris filed for divorce from Ryan Hurd.
Are you going to read the Britney Spears memoir? I’m on the fence…
Blog posts you might have missed:
Enjoy!
JBW