Hi everyone! I want to apologize for being so absent here since our move to Charlotte. We're still waiting on our things to arrive, and it's been kind of hard to work out of a hotel. Luckily we bought a new bed and a sofa, so we can at least stay at the new apartment until the movers get here.

Lavazza recently sent me a new Keurig and some Lavazza K-Cups, which I immediately set up in the new place, so while we may not have a bed, at least we can have coffee! They're giving the same gift, along with a $50 Visa gift card, to one lucky Freckled Italian reader. Enter below--and good luck!

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This post is sponsored by Lavazza.

When I was a junior in college, a boy broke up with me and my roommates piled me into a car with them and drove to Richmond together for the weekend. It was October or maybe November, and we all had scarves and big sunglasses. We ate Thai food and walked around Carytown and I bought a dress that I still wear sometimes today. 

For some reason, I thought about that trip a lot on my drive from Charlotte to Richmond for Tina's bachelorette party last week. I thought about the past, the present, and the road ahead. Where I've been; where I'm going. At the time I was so sad but I look back at that weekend as such a fun time with my friends that was much-needed in so many ways.

This week we went to Dewey Beach on Wednesday and drank for free and ate french fries every day and decked Tina out in a little veil and a bachelorette sash before going to see the best 90s cover band. On Sunday we rode home and slept in the backseat before getting back to Richmond where, as usual, we ate Thai food and walked around Carytown.

Some days it feels like everything is the same but most days I can't believe how far we've all come. It's so nice to know that through every season of life, there are friends here and there who feel like family.

Last week I visited my parents' house and had some friends over for a s'mores party! My brother built a campfire and I created a quick and fun menu of different s'mores for us to try. We made PB&J s'mores, bacon s'mores, salted caramel s'mores, and even a bananas foster s'more!

La Crema sent several bottles of their Pinot Noir and we had such a great time by the fire, drinking wine and eating way too much sugar. My friend Chad was even in town from Connecticut, so I got to see him for the first time since my wedding--and I hadn't seen my friends Matt or Tony since then, either. The whole thing felt like a big, awesome reunion (with roasted marshmallows). 

This post was sponsored by La Crema. Thank you so much for your support as I continue to work with brands. Visit the La Crema blog to get the recipes for all of our s'mores creations!

And for La Crema, the end of summer also means wine grape harvest! Now you can participate in this exciting time of year in Wine Country by signing up for La Crema's Virtual Vintner program. Join the virtual winemaking community and set the course for a totally new crowd-sourced creation from La Crema.

Photos by Photo + Love for Freckled Italian.