A Rainy 21st Anniversary Weekend Escape

Finally! A minute to tell you about my awesome weekend.

Last week The Husband and I celebrated our 21st Wedding Anniversary.

In honor of this insanity, and since our marriage can now officially drink, we decided our trip should be inspired by wine and whiskey.

Our weekend started Friday afternoon after a day of meetings for me. We headed out around 2 pm in a torrential downpour. I’m not kidding; the rain was relentless! And we had about a two and half hour drive to Luray, Virginia.

I researched a few places for us to stay and discovered this gem in the mountains, Shadow Mountain Escape.

There are only four cabins on the property, and we rented the Butterfly. It is their most secluded one.

When we arrived, our names were on the door, and Karen, one of the owners, enthusiastically welcomed us.

The cabin was beautiful inside and out, and we had a wine and cheese platter waiting for us, along with some freshly baked goodies that Karen makes herself.

I was blown away by this place, and honestly, I want to be Karen when I grow up. I often dream of owning a small bed and breakfast and cooking for my guest. It sounds like a dream!

Anyway, we decided to stay in that first night, enjoy our wine, and watch old movies. They had a collection of DVDs that were right up our alley. We could not resist The Hunt for Red October!

The following day we headed out early, grabbed some breakfast at The Gathering Grounds, and hit the Luray Caverns.

The caverns were terrific, albeit pricey.

We enjoyed the entire self-guided tour and the car museum. I desperately wanted to try their hedge maze, but it was way too cold and rainy.

After the Caverns, we did tastings at River Hill Distillery and Castle Vineyards, took naps, and headed to Griffin Tavern for dinner.

We jam-packed our Saturday since it was our only full day, but it didn’t feel rushed or busy. We just enjoyed hanging out and experiencing new things together.

The next morning the rain FINALLY stopped. We took a stroll down the short nature trail near the cabins.

I hoped to explore at least one trail and run, but it was too much with all the rain.

Sunday morning, we decided to take Skyline Drive on our way home, even though the weather still wasn’t that great.

Some parts were extremely foggy! Especially once we were over about 2800 feet.

But it was still worth it! We got out a few times and just took in the views.

Overall, it was a great weekend! Too short, of course, but we do (wait for it…) What We Can When We Can, amiright?

Coming home after a weekend away can sometimes feel stressful. We didn’t have time to plan the week or grocery shop. When we got back, we needed to catch up with the kids, do laundry (which is still not done), and wrap our heads around work again.

Yesterday I ran to the grocery store real quick after work to pick up some fresh veggies, and I grabbed a couple of bagged salads I could turn into my lunches for the rest of the week.

Tonight, I made this for dinner and recorded a quick video for YouTube.

Sometimes, I swear, I am happier and more content flying by the seat of my pants.