Good morning!
In honor of my brother’s last day at home yesterday (he flew out yesterday afternoon), my mom made us pancakes!
My brother is a die-hard Bisquick pancakes kind of guy, but I decided to make my own using Bob’s Red Mill mix. Bisquick is trans-fat-tastic — boo — and I think healthy pancakes taste just as good. 🙂
My mom in action:
My first pancake was a fail when flipped:
But the second one was a win:
Am I the only one incapable of making normal sized pancakes? Mine always turn out ENORMOUS. I mean, this is a large dinner plate. Wtf, Anne? I only made it through a little more than half of the pancakes. Oof!
I topped them with a little butter, maple syrup, and some plain Greek yogurt for a little extra protein. Plus berries!
After breakfast and a workout (stationary bike + abs, free weights, etc.), my mom and I headed out to Old Town Alexandria for the big wedding dress shopping adventure! We met Jenny, my high school BFF and MOH (matron of honor) for lunch beforehand. Le Pain Quotidien, take 2!
This time, I ordered the Grilled Chicken & Organic Cheddar Tartine. It was really good, but I felt like it should have been toasted? Loved the cranberry-dijon mustard though.
This sandwich hit the spot yesterday — but I think next time I’d get my beloved vegan Quinoa Tabouleh again. That was SO good.
Plus a huge shared salad for all of us:
And a hot tea for me!
And then we headed to the dress shop! My grandmother met us there, too.
We went to Global Bridal Gallery in Old Town. Someone recommended this place to my mom awhile ago and it also had great reviews online, so we decided to give it a try; a bunch of the bigger shops in the area had reviews that the staff were pushy, etc.
Photo from their website — it was raining when we arrived and I didn’t think to get a picture!
Global Bridal Gallery is a small, cute local shop owned by an Ethiopian woman named Serki. My mom, grandmother, Jenny, and I were the only ones in the shop, and Serki was really helpful, sweet, and not pushy. She seriously treated us like family; it was awesome.
Serki also knows her stuff — I showed her my magazine cut out dress ideas and then she completely nailed it — we ended up going for the VERY first dress that she had me try on!! Don’t worry — I proceeded to try on about 8 or 9 other dresses, too — in all different styles and fabrics. I tried on a mermaid dress (actually really liked this style), strapless, sweetheart neckline, super Princess-y with a huge skirt (As Serki said: “This is not you — it’s too fussy!”), glittery dresses, A-line, and more.
Photo also from their website
Jenny was a pro and I was so happy to have her with me — she helped me in and out of all the huge dresses in the dressing room (I felt like we were back in high school at the mall, but in way heavier dresses!), then had Serki come in to clamp the dresses (in the back, since they were all very large), and then I came out to show my mom and grandmother!
In the end, it was between two dresses, but the first one won out for being more unique and more “me.” I love it — it’s lace, very classic but with a unique neckline and back; I’ve never seen anyone wear anything like it. It’s also super lightweight and easy to maneuver in — perfect for dancing. 🙂 I hope you will all love it when you see pictures come October! My mom, grandmother, and Jenny all really loved it, too. It was such a fun, special day and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. If you’re looking for a wedding dress in the D.C. area, I highly, highly recommend Global Bridal Gallery. The prices are great, too — the dress we got was WAY less than we were prepared to pay, which was awesome. They use their own designer at the store for most (if not all?) of the dresses, so since there’s not a brand name attached to the dresses, they are just as pretty but for a fraction of the cost. Plus, they are one-of-a-kind! Total win. We also ended up purchasing the veil that Serki had me try on with the dresses — it’s very simple, which is good since the lace dress is so detailed that we don’t want to overshadow it.
What a fun day. Time to head outside for a run — the sun is shining! Happy Wednesday, friends!
