We're in Farmville this weekend for the Hampden-Sydney vs. Randolph-Macon game on Saturday. Going to two different schools in the same town was such a perfect situation for the early years of my relationship with Rob--we both had our own space and our own groups of friends, but it was so easy to see each other, and it's so fun now to go back and visit Longwood whenever we're in town for a Hampden-Sydney event. I like sharing a college town with my husband.

Last year we missed lots of fun weekends like this one, but all throughout our college years and right after graduation, we were always tailgating with friends for HSC football games. My twenty-first birthday party was actually a tailgate at Hampden-Sydney!

To prepare for The Game (and because I can't resist any excuse for wine and food), I put together an early tailgate for La Crema--because whether you're at the game or just in your backyard, you can throw a quick, easy, and beautiful party. Even the neighbor's dog, Bentley, couldn't resist showing up and begging for a chicken wing or two.

This post is sponsored by La Crema. For tips on throwing a great tailgate of your own, check out my post on their blog today!

Photos by Sarah Gatrell of Photo + Love.

Last week, I went to the mall with my mother-in-law and was totally surprised to see holiday decorations everywhere and Christmas music playing in every store. In Uptown Charlotte, wreaths are adorning all the street lights and people are taking horse-drawn carriage rides everywhere. Ready or not, the holidays are on their way, and even in my own home, I have a stack of gorgeous cards from Minted to prove it.

I was super excited about our holiday cards this year for several reasons: wedding photos, a new last name, and last but certainly not least, dreamy rose gold foil. Once I had designed our cards, I decided to take advantage of The Minted Envelope, which prints your recipients' addresses in one of many gorgeous designs. It took a fraction of the time it would for me to hand-write them, and now my envelopes are ready and totally professional-looking. I think Regina Spektor is going to be really impressed when she gets hers.

I am such a fan of Minted and I love using them for everything--our wedding invitations, personalized stationary, art prints as gifts--but my favorite thing has to be their holiday cards. I look forward to seeing, choosing, and sending them every year.

This post is brought to you in partnership with Minted. This year, we're sending out the New Adventures Foil-Pressed Holiday Cards in Rose Gold. Save 10% on your order and get free shipping until November 17th with the code FRECKLED10FS.

On the morning of my wedding day, some of my best friends and I got up early and met our old cross country coach for the Market Run. It's a little three mile loop around downtown Roanoke that we always ran the last practice before a race, and it's the run that my friends and I do whenever we meet up at home to run during the holidays, so I couldn't imagine starting the day I got married any other way.

I'm so excited to be working with Mizuno again this year for their launch of the Wave Rider 18. Like I said last year, the Wave Rider was always a popular shoe among my high school cross country team. We were best friends (still are) and we did everything together--with matching shirts and hair ribbons and shoes for everything. I'm pretty good at turning everything into an overly-sentimental memory, but there's just nothing like a new pair of running shoes.

The Mizuno Wave Rider 18 is sleek and light with just enough support. It's a neutral shoe that's perfectly balanced, which makes it a great for daily running. And the black and turquoise color combination that I got is just super cool-looking.

November is going to be a big running month for me, so I'm really excited about starting it off on the right foot (and with the right shoes)!

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC. As always, I thank you for your support as I continue to work with brands like Mizuno.