One of Rob's college roommates got married in Williamsburg over the weekend, so we left a few days early to spend some time in Roanoke. Our flight from Charlotte got cancelled and we ended up renting a car and driving the quick three hours up 81 so we didn't have to wait any longer to be in Roanoke. Before leaving Charlotte, we stopped at Tenders, an awesome little chicken restaurant that my friend Shawna would take us all to when we visited her at Davidson for Spring Frolics every year. Then we were on the road, enjoying the gorgeous scenery that North Carolina and Virginia always has to offer in the spring and summer.

We finally made it to Roanoke and spent some time gathered around in my parents' kitchen, which is one of my favorite places to be. Our neighbor's dog (and Rocky's old best friend), Bentley, came over to say hi and it made me happy and sad at the same time. It's pretty hard to believe that Rocky's been gone almost half a year already. But it was lovely to spend time at home that didn't involve wedding planning. Rob and I each invited one friend over for dinner the next day and we all had such a great time catching up.

The next day I got my hair cut and hung out with my mom. We did some grocery shopping after lunch--it's not a Roanoke visit without at least one stop at Beamer's! My current favorite is the Reuben burger.

This weekend was one that was happy and fun and full of nostalgia--so many college friends, so many hilarious stories and memories shared over beers and glasses of wine on Saturday night and a hotel breakfast on Sunday morning. On our way to Williamsburg, we stopped for just a few minutes to see my friend Emma in Charlottesville.

It's always so nice to be home. 

If you're looking to do some good with your mother's day gift shopping this year, I have an idea for you. As though gorgeous stationary, notebooks, invitations, and wedding items weren't enough, Minted recently launched a line of beautiful art prints. This year for Mother's Day, they're donating 20% of all art proceeds to Every Mother Counts, an organization that works to end preventable deaths caused by pregnancy and childbirth around the world.

Want to get involved? Order a print for your mom (or any woman you celebrate on Mother's Day), and use the code FRECKLEDEMC at checkout so Minted can track the 20% donation to Every Mother Counts. When you use the code, you'll also receive a downloadable card explaining that a donation to EMC was made in their name--and Minted will be able to follow up and let us know how much Freckled Italian readers raised to increase education and support for reducing maternal mortality around the world.

Click through the gallery below to check out some of the beautiful art that's available! Which one are you going to get?

Order your prints by April 28th to receive them in time for Mother's Day!

This post is sponsored by Minted. You can learn more about their partnership with Every Mother Counts here.

There's this thing we do when we're at my parents' house--somewhere between the hours of 11:30 and 3:00, people gather around the island in the kitchen and take food out of the fridge. It's not always planned and sometimes you have to get a little creative, but there's always enough food to go around and it's always delicious.

There are leftovers from dinner. Some Paleo version of chicken Marsala or meatballs or a breakfast casserole from the day before. Huge salads topped with sliced turkey, tomatoes, avocado, and homemade vinaigrette we shake up right there in a mason jar. There are often salami or proscuitto sandwiches on toasty gluten-free bread that go under the broiler before being loaded with mayo, mustard, peperoncini, and lettuce. And there's always a pot of tea.

My mom flies around toasting and cutting and plating, while my dad comes over from the computer and my brother comes up from his room downstairs and whichever friends are over wash tomatoes and help themselves to Diet Cokes from the fridge--everyone is always so welcome at our house and it's the best. Sometimes we don't even sit--just all stand around eating and talking until we're full. There are always little moments that strike me as precious whenever I'm home, and this is one of them.

Lately, Rob and I have been talking about the possibility of moving back to the East coast. Nothing is definite and details haven't even begun to be ironed out, but to be able to get in the car and drive to have lunch with my family and friends is such a wonderful thought after almost a year of being so far away.

This post is in response to the following prompt: "Write about a lunch you loved." (From Old Friend from Far Away, page 209). If you've written a response of your own, please share it below in the comments!

P.S. Visit this post for future prompts.