What Galentine's Weekend Dreams are Made of: Pt. 2

Happy Monday! I hope you all enjoyed the weekend of warm weather and rested up for the brand new week! My blog post today is Part TWO of last week’s post so if you haven’t checked that out click here.

After our night’s sleep in the Hilton Raleigh, we had the most relaxing morning, mostly because we did not have to rush or get out of bed to get ready for the day. Perks of getting a blowout, they wash your hair for you. You literally show up looking a hot mess and they make some magic happen.

We ordered coffee & pastries through room service and had a lovely breakfast in bed. Once our stomachs were full and caffeine started to kick in, we packed our things and headed to our first visit with Drybar of Waverly Place!!!

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I’m pretty picky about other people doing my hair because they don’t know my normal so I always get a little nervous that I won’t like how I look at the end, but Drybar BLEW ME AWAY. I’m getting ahead of myself, let me tell you the process… We entered bright and early around 9 am and were greeted by bright yellow and white walls and the friendliest of faces. From the moment we entered, the space just sparked joy for me. It’s perfectly on brand with The Coffee Table. Yellow is everything. First, we chose styles of blowouts we wanted. I loved Drybar because of the set styles and you know exactly what you are going to get. I went with the classic Cosmo and Maddy chose the Mai Tai.

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They took us to the back room where we sat in the most glamorous, fluffy white chairs and had our hair get a good wash. The staff was super gentle and made sure I was comfortable the entire time! Sometimes during blowouts, I’ve experienced neck discomfort or scalding hot water, but at Drybar the entire process was fantastic.

Once we got back in our chairs, the stylists started working their magic while I just sipped my mimosas and watched the cheesy romantic movie they had playing. Had to explain the entire plot of Definitely, Maybe to Sam while he was there photographing us lol. Also, let me tell you about how wonderful the Drybar products smell. I wanted everything. The names of all their products and tools are named after cocktails which is also so darn cute.

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Aside from how good they made us look, the whole experience was just a blast! I’m not always the most talkative in the mornings, but everyone else’s cheerfulness brought me out of my shell. Thank you so much to Sarah and her Drybar staff for making us look our best and for being the nicest peeps ever!! Ever since I left, I have been itching for another excuse to go have my hair done. Enjoy these photos of me and my friend thoroughly feelin ourselves post blowouts.

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Next, of course, was brunch. Can’t have a girls day without brunch am I right? We traveled from Waverly to Plate’s Kitchen on Glenwood Ave. I had never eaten there before, but had seen so many posts about it on Instagram. One cool thing about Plates is how they use so many locally sourced products and ingredients. We enjoyed local products from Tin Roof Teas and Benelux coffee to start us off. I know, it was my second cup, don’t judge. Our absolute favorite menu item was the Pimento Goat Cheese Plate that was served with toasted bread and jam. It was one of the most amazing goat cheeses I had ever had and I hear there is also a version during dinner time. If anyone wants to go with me, LETS DO IT!

I also enjoyed the Big Country Breakfast Plate (for those of you who just love high quality basic breakfast items, this is for you). The breakfast potatoes were ON POINT. So were the grits. So was pretty much everything else I ate at Plate’s. 10/10 recommend. Always get the cheese plate no matter what. Chef Jake Wood, you really know what you’re doing.

Post brunch, we did just the usual girly thing, attended a wedding venue open house…when neither of us are engaged….just girly things. The Meadows Raleigh is my dream wedding venue and any chance to go hang out there again is a yes from me, so we went to their annual open house! While I was there, I ended up doing an Instagram takeover for them since their staff was busy with all the other logistics, so good thing we went even without wedding dates set.

After the Meadows, we had some free time so I went home and took a nap. Doing fun things can be exhausting too. Once I regained my strength, we ended our Galentine’s Weekend at Driftwood Kitchen in Lafayette Village. They have modern Southern Cuisine and use a lot of locally sourced ingredients! They bring every table pork rinds to start which I think is a cute southern touch. I enjoyed the salmon for dinner, but the best part of the evening for me was dessert! I ordered coffee with came on an adorable wood board with all the dressings in cute little containers. Mini things are the key to my heart apparently. Then came the peanut butter pie, YUM! If you’re in the Lafayette Village area, stop in for a southern vibe and that PB pie!

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If you remember anything from this blog post, I want it to be the fact that it is SO important to give yourself a little treat once in a while, whether it’s an entire weekend of fun, or just doing simply one of the many things I showed today. Treating yourself is as small as your next cup of coffee. Those little somethings are what keep up sane! Enjoy those small moments. And enjoy pie when you have it.

-from Anna with love