Margaritas in Shenandoah National Park

Rob and I were super lucky to escape to Shenandoah National Park for the weekend and got to enjoy some wintry landscapes and blue mountains. It was fairly empty, so we had the trails to ourselves, and our house was on the Shenandoah River. Everything was beautiful in that pretty winter way - and at night it rained, which led to a lot of cozy channel-surfing time (enjoying a bottle of wine called 'Love Story' that reader Rebecca gave to us!).

Here's the three of us at the National Park sign. Fun fact: we've been to a lot of national parks but have zero pictures in front of the signs, usually because it's too crowded and we're anxious to get a-hikin'. But I pulled over to take a pic on the spur of the moment and the sweetest family snapped it for us (a family that happened to be from South Philly just like us!)

There are two things that feel like absolute luxuries to me while on vacation. One is channel-surfing (why is it so fun??) and the other is GIANT MARGARITAS after a long-ass hike. Rob, Walter and I spent most of the day on Saturday driving through Shenandoah, hopping out to hike parts of the Appalachian Trail and enjoying those mountain views. It did start raining on us, so by the time we left we were hiked-out, shivering and starving (we'd planned this entire trip on a whim and completely forgot to pack *any food* on Saturday and the entire park had *no food*).

Lo and behold...we rock up in Front Royal to the bright lights of a Mexican restaurant with mango margaritas and carnitas tacos. I've never been so happy in my entire life.