I promised more details about our visit with Katie Bower on Wednesday when we awkwardly revealed that Katie and I had been together in a string of photos that were, honestly, a little cringe-worthy. We love doing a good “Bower visit breakdown” — sharing what we did, what we ate, and all the little moments that made the trip fun. Before diving into everything we did while together, we put together a short video to answer the questions we get asked most often:
- How did you two meet?
- Are you real friends or just blog friends?
- How long have you been friends?
- What were your first impressions of each other?
- What surprised you about each other?
- What do you like to do together?
- How are your styles similar or different?
- Do your husbands really get along?
We decided to answer all of those on camera. Fair warning: it’s about 12 minutes of two giggly girls who say “like” a lot and laugh through their own terrible impersonations of one another.
Here’s what we did while Katie visited:
- Indulged in a lot of local favorites — Bottom’s Up, Q BBQ, and Carytown Burger & Fries — and enjoyed several home-cooked meals in our in-progress kitchen, prepared by our resident chef, John.
- Spent quality time with the kids: walked along the river (where Katie took some family photos), visited the playground for sandbox sessions, and brought Will along to Clara’s weekly music class, where he fit right in.
- Explored neighborhood Saturday yard sales and discovered a Goodwill Outlet that sells items by the pound from giant bins — an experience neither Katie nor I had seen before.
- Strolled through Carytown, browsing thrift shops and consignment stores, and made a stop at Stony Point Mall where, hilariously, Jeremy ended up with the same jeans as John — our husbands really do have the same sense of humor.
- Took advantage of quiet nap times. Clara typically napped from about 1:00 to 2:30 and Will from roughly 2:00 to 5:00, which meant we were home for a good stretch each afternoon. We synchronized blogging, talked about future projects, debated paint colors, and even managed a few short sofa naps.
- Rented movies after bedtime — X‑Men: First Class for the guys and Bridesmaids for us — and watched a surprising amount of Bang For Your Buck on HGTV, which turned into a goofy game of guessing which rooms would deliver the most impact.
In short: it was a wonderful visit full of laughter, good food, and meaningful little moments. Katie used her photography skills to capture several sweet shots while she was here, and we’re so grateful for those memories.
We left feeling thankful for good friends, warm weather, and sweet little toddlers — hard to believe they’re already in that stage. Did any of you spend time with friends this weekend? Or did anyone get a sneaking suspicion that Katie and I were together? One reader guessed we were visiting while it was happening — maybe they’re psychic, or maybe they spotted us around town.
Also: Katie shared a lovely post about our visit and even dug up our first email exchange — such a sweet reminder of how our friendship began.