This past weekend, I went "home" to Richmond, Virginia to celebrate my best friend's big 35th birthday! Sunny and I have been "BFFs" since we were in 8th grade! Sunny recently moved back to Richmond and I live in Northern Virginia which is about 80 minutes away. We are lucky to live close enough for a drive in the car, but I wish we lived closer!
Here is a picture from 1991 of Sunny and I with our good friend Angie! We were in 11th grade and 16 years old! Sunny and I decided to go to a school dance together! We had no dates but we wanted to go anyway! Basically, we just wanted an excuse to dress up! I am a wearing a black crepe J. Crew dress that I borrowed from my sister. Sunny is wearing a black velvet, 1950s vintage cocktail dress! I was so jealous!
Nevertheless, Sunny's birthday was actually Thursday. Due to work, we postponed our girls' night out to Saturday evening. After shopping with my sister and nephew, I drove down to Richmond and stayed at my parents' empty house (Mom and Dad were in Europe for two months until this past Monday). When I arrived at the house, Sunny was there waiting for me and after going inside the house to turn on the heat (the thermostat was still on"Cool!"), we went to our favorite Chinese restaurant, Yen Ching. Yen Ching has been a Richmond institution since the 80s! Their food has always been consistently amazing!
We started our dinner out with two Mai Tais (Sorry for the flash! The drink umbrella is actually a bright pink):
Our drinks were so good! We could have had more but we just had one! I had to drive!
Then our food order arrived! We had kung pao scallops, Hunan shrimp, and shrimp fried rice:
After stuffing ourselves, we went back to my parents' house and got cozy. We kicked off our shoes, opened a bottle of champagne, and talked about the old days! My parents did not have an ice bucket so I used my mom's copper-bottom pot!
Here is me 'trying' to look cool with my champagne flute! Dork Alert!
Here is Sunny and I after our toast (Sorry for the blur!):
After hanging out all night drinking champagne and eating red velvet cake, Sunny and I went to bed around 1 a.m. We woke up the next morning and had bagels and hot tea. I cleaned up my parents' house and Sunny turned my parents' natural gas hot water heater back on. I was too chicken to turn it back on! Machinery scares me!
Sunny left around noon and before I went back to Northern Virginia, I drove into the city and went to Carytown to shop at an amazing vintage store, Bygones. After buying a black 60s nylon sweater, a 50s black pencil skirt, and some stockings, I drove down Monument Avenue. Monument Avenue is a Richmond landmark that was built to honor the city's Civil War Confederacy. Statues of J.E.B. Stuart and Stonewall Jackson tower majestically over the wide, brick-lined road:
When I realized the sun was going down (darn that daylight savings time ending!), I got on Interstate 95 North and drove home.
Overall, it was a great weekend! I am so glad that I got to visit with my best friend and celebrate her 35th! I hope we can do it again soon!
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