Road Trippin', Day Three: Blogger Meet & Greet





Wow - is it really already Thursday? Hope you're having a great week and are planning a nice weekend. School started at home this week (and is starting next week in Charlotte) so it seems like everyone is taking advantage of the last days of their freedom summer. 


Yesterday was day three of my visit to the Queen City, and I was lucky enough to meet several bloggers that live in the Charlotte area. We had a marvelous lunch at Cafe Monte, which is located in Phillips Place near Southpark Mall. Please see the photo above and "meet" my new blog friends, from Left to Right:
Annie from "Classic Annie" (link to Annie's blog HERE), Lauren from "Adventures of a Southern Newlywed" (link to Lauren's blog HERE), Amanda from "Pink Cashmere Cardigan" (link to Amanda's blog HERE) and of course, yours truly on the far right. All the girls were so warm and friendly, and we had plenty to discuss. You can imagine I'm sure, but no topic was safe. Husbands, jobs, shopping, the Charlotte area and lifestyle, Annie's recent engagement and wedding planning, our dilemmas regarding closet space, the preppy lifestyle and our favorite brands. 


When I lived in Charlotte, we used to always joke that you very rarely met anyone who was actually "from Charlotte". True to form, not one person in our group was from Charlotte. Annie hails from Maryland, Lauren from a smaller town in North Carolina, Amanda from Indiana, and of course you guys know I was born in Alabama. I always believed it was because of the phenomenal growth of the area in the last 15-20 years, jobs bring people to town and then you have an interesting mix of residents. 


If you visit Charlotte (or live here), be sure to put Cafe Monte on your list of restaurants to visit. I had the Quiche Lorraine and side Caesar Salad, and they were absolutely delicious. There was so much cheese in that quiche, it was yummy! 


After lunch, I went over to Southpark Mall where I managed to spend the next five hours of my day. All I can say is this: thank goodness I don't use (or have!) credit cards anymore. I hit all the stores: Belk to shop for Lilly Pulitzer, Nordstrom and Neiman's to shop for everything, Tory Burch, Vineyard Vines, Louis Vuitton, Kate Spade, Burberry, Tommy Bahama. There were a few of my favorite stores that I didn't quite make it to, such as Sur La Table and Sephora. (Yeah, I probably have to go back, isn't that a shame?). 


Side note: my obsession with Burberry bags has been largely shelved over the past few years. Why? I remembered today how much I love my Burberrys - that might not be a good thing...


A special thank you to Annie, Lauren and Amanda for taking the time out of their busy day to meet up for lunch. It was such a pleasure to meet you all and I hope we can make this a new tradition! Double thanks to Amanda for planning the location and getting us all together. You girls are wonderful and I'm thrilled to call you friends. :-) 


My lovely readers, you should all go over and check out their blogs. I know you will love these girls as much as I do! 


Enjoy your Thursday! 


Comments

  1. wendy30076August 18, 2011 at 6:23 AM

    Great photo! That's a fabulous dress on you Lori! I will have to check out their blogs too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. how i met your father blogAugust 18, 2011 at 8:09 AM

    glad to hear your trip is going well! i've never met blog friends in real life but have always wanted to!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Living Life in the LowcountryAugust 18, 2011 at 8:15 AM

    I LOVE South Park mall! My sister lives just outside of Charlotte on Lake Norman and I try to make a trip to the mall whenever I go for a visit. Man, I can do some damage in there!

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 18, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    It so soooo nice meeting you! Lunch was fabulous (there WAS a lot of cheese in the quiche, yum!!). I am sure we could have stayed and chatted for hours. Make sure to let us know when you are back in town!

    ReplyDelete
  5. SallyAugust 18, 2011 at 2:42 PM

    Sounds like a lot of fun. Will have to check out the new blogs! What a sweet birthday present from the DH.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sweet Southern PrepAugust 18, 2011 at 7:35 PM

    I would have been the one actually FROM Charlotte! Still hate i missed hanging out with y'all. :( But so glad y'all had such a fun time! Love Cafe Monte!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. #unmatchedAugust 19, 2011 at 1:19 PM

    oh I used to live near southpark mall, I did some serious damage to my wallet there as well.

    ReplyDelete

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