Happy Monday, Penny Darlings!

I am writing to you during the midst of my BIRTHDAY week giveaway tornado! It’s been wildly all over the place and absolutely fabulously fun! If you have no idea what I’m talking about – check out my most recent post about my weeklong giveaway marathon!

There’s still time to enter all of the giveaways – so be sure to check them out!

And my 26th birthday is on Wednesday!

Let me just start with the boring stuff so we can get to the goods! Ha! Check me out on Instagram here! I also started a Twitter account! Find that here! Follow Preston’s brand new fashion Instagram here! I also have a selling Instagram page where I sell some of my old clothes/styles so that I don’t drown in my own wardrobe. I just listed a few new things – so check that out!

So let me tell you something absolutely ADORABLE that Preston and I did this past weekend!

We wanted to do something special during the birthday week activities and I also wanted to have a chance to visit my family! So, we had a date ‘day’ in my hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania!

Yes, Reading, like the Reading Railroad on the Monopoly board. And it’s pronounced Red-ding, not Reed-ing. So if all of your life you were convinced that it was the ‘Reeding Railroad’ – I am happy to blow your mind! Ha!

Preston and I got to team up with Visit PA Americana  to take a trip up to one of Berks County’s most famous stops at The Pagoda, went to ride the carousel, had an AMAZING dinner at Judy’s on Cherry, and finished off with a sweet treat on Penn Avenue in West Reading!

 

First Stop: The Pagoda

I am 100% serious about this. My hometown has a SEVEN STORY Japanese pagoda built on top of a mountain overlooking the city.

From the Berks County Historical Society, “Completed in 1908 at a cost of $50,000, this pagoda was intended to be the hotel/restaurant centerpiece of a luxury resort. When plans for the rest of the resort were abandoned, the 7-story wooden building on 10 acres of land was donated to Reading in 1911.”

It’s such a cool spot! It was a little foggy the day we were there – but we’ve gone up to see the skyline at twilight, on the weekends to check out their little cafe and climb to the top to see the amazing view, and there’s some AMAZING photo ops.

This was our first stop on the tour! We had such a fun time walking around the intricate building and grounds, sipping on some tea, and climbing to the tippy top!

 

The Carousel at Pottstown

This gorgeous, retro, amazingly picturesque carousel is located very close by to Reading, up near Pottstown! It was the CUTEST little place. The carousel is indoor (so it’s a great day trip for a rainy day or a PRIME photo location!).

The Carousel is totally Mary Poppins, so obviously I rocked a tutu and Preston is wearing the heck out of that bowtie. This place also has some arcade games, a small cafe, and it’s so freaking delightful.

 

Dinner at Judy’s on Cherry

We went for an early dinner at Judy’s on Cherry in the heart of downtown Reading! It’s painted in cool blues, decorated with twinkly lights, interesting and local art, and has bread and oil on the table when you get there!

Also, special shout out to our server, Steve, who was an absolute delight and we had a great time chatting and joking around with! Thanks, Steve!

We started with some amazing soup. I went for the Butternut Squash Curry & Crab soup which is rich and creamy and delightful. Preston started with their Tomato Gorgonzola Soup, which tasted like someone made a lasagna into a soup and it was MOUTHWATERING.

This was unbelievably amazing and I didn’t think I could actually MISS a meal…but I had a medium rare filet mignon topped with gorgonzola butter, whipped potatoes, & asparagus! It was so tender and amazing that it felt like the steak was melting in my mouth!

Preston ordered Poached Caribbean Lobster Vodka Rosa which was a four cheese ravioli topped with fresh and juicy lobster, a vodka sauce, and filled out by shrimp and lump crab. We traded a bite and were equally jealous, but also equally unwilling to share any more! It was just too tasty!

Thank you, Judy’s on Cherry!

I

 

Satisfying my Sweet Tooth

While we were too stuffed for the dessert at Judy’s (and the creme brulee there is AMAZING!) I was just too stuffed for anymore! So we took to the streets of West Reading to hit some of the shops, check out some of the art and murals, and enjoy the late spring evening!

At some point in this walk, I decided I NEEDED something sweet when I saw the sign for French Macarons – I knew we needed to stop! I got a whole dozen for my birthday! I got pistachio (my fave!), birthday cake (featured), pink champagne, Nutella, and more! YUM!

 

And then we were EXHAUSTED!

We had a really fun and exciting day!

Thank you to Visit PA Americana for hosting us for our date night!

Check out their site for more about local events!

 

*And extra special thanks to my bff and best man, Joe Swaggerty, who tailed around with us all day to take some pictures for us!*

 

*This post was sponsored by Visit PA Americana, however all thoughts and opinions are my own!*

SO HERE’S THE “END OF BLOG” SPIEL!

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Thank you for all that you do. You are truly extraordinary.

Love all you wonderful ladies (and gents!) out there!

How Very,

Abby