Marisa Porter

There’s a little town in Virginia called Reston, and whenever we go we feel like we’re in a home away from home. We like the charming shops, the same shops you can find other places, but in a Reston sort of way. It one of the best 7 places to live in the United States, according to CNN Money. We like the bike trails and the countryside right around it, too.

Anthropologie:

I can’t remember the name of this shop but there were a lot of clever things there.

These could also be used by a busy Mom.

And Nate left his heart at Vapiano’s. He loves business and good food, and good restaurants are a hobby and passion of his.

Really yummy not overly-filling pizza.

Quite possibly the best salad I’ve ever had. Greek. Lots of dill. It reminded me of Grandma and Mom’s dill spinach soup.

The system for paying was really interesting. You could see the chefs cook your food fresh, and you swiped your cards at the different kitchen booths (for lack of a better term), and then at the end you gave the host your card to get the total and pay for your meal. This precluded the need a waiter or waitress, but the food was fine restaurant quality. It was also very family friendly. They had two full time cleaners at all times, so it was even cleaner then a nice chain restaurant, like Ruby Tuesdays or Carrabba’s.

The drive home is so peaceful. Like someone took all the hills and roads of Pennsylvania and shook them out like blankets.