Happy Monday! I spent the past five days hanging out in Charlotte with Rob and some old friends that live in town. It's been so fun checking out coffee shops, farmers markets, parks, and lunch spots. I have a huge list of restaurants to visit once we've moved officially, and I can't wait to get started.

Now I'm spending a few days in Roanoke before heading back to Minneapolis for the weekend, so I'll be home until Wednesday afternoon. For now, here are a few shots from my time spent so far in North Carolina.

How was your weekend? Keep those Charlotte recommendations coming!

Every summer, my family gathers 'round for a big seafood dinner at my parents' house on Smith Mountain Lake. We sit on the deck and drink wine and eat with our hands and watch the sun set. It's really good. I am so excited to be moving closer to home and making things like this just a quick three hour drive away.

The last time I was in Roanoke, I gathered my family and invited a couple of friends to come over for our annual seafood boil. It was a lovely evening and we all had a great time. I served La Crema Chardonnay--everyone's favorite--and we drank and ate and just enjoyed each other's company.

I was kind of surprised at how beautiful a table set with paper and covered with seafood ended up being, so I thought I'd share a few tips for throwing a great, shabby-chic seafood boil party:

• Use brown paper or newspaper as a table cloth--it looks festive and is super functional, since you'll be throwing it away after dinner. I cut up some brown grocery bags and topped it with a few sheets of newspaper. I think the combination looks really nice!
• White plates, crab claw crackers, and a couple rolls of paper towels are really all you need--unless you're serving a vegetable as well (we had steamed broccoli), you don't even need forks!
• Use a citronella candle to ward off mosquitos, and use some matching tea lights to fancy up the table a bit more if you wish.
• Finally, a simple vase of flowers (I cut some roses from our neighbor's yard...it's kind of an inside joke we have going) adds an extra pop of color to really make the table look put together.

One of my favorite things I've come to realize from working with La Crema over the past four months is this: details can often be really special, and nothing is so small that it isn't worth celebrating. Summer, friends, family, wine, and really huge shrimp all make life a little brighter. So get together with people you love and, for any or no reason at all, enjoy a fantastic meal together. Cheers!

This post is sponsored by La Crema. Thank you for your support as I continue to work with brands. Make sure to visit the La Crema Blog for the seafood boil recipe!

Photos by the lovely Sarah of Photo + Love.

Hello from Charlotte! Today, I'm working out of a coffee shop in Uptown while Rob is at the office. I have a few things to get done and then I think I'll do some walking around!

I got in yesterday afternoon, had dinner with Rob and his mom, then headed back to our hotel before deciding to take a little ride through our soon-to-be new neighborhood. It was a nice way to start getting to know our new city.

I have lunch plans with an old friend and tonight after work, Rob and I are going to visit the building where we just signed a lease and hopefully see our new apartment! We fell in love with it online, but only Rob has had a chance to see it in person so far. Then we're off to dinner with a colleague of Rob's and his wife. 

Just wanted to pop in and say hi. What's everyone else up to this Thursday? And Charlotte friends, please give me any recommendations you might have! I'm compiling a list and can't wait to get to it!