Let's try this again....

It's been over three months since my last blog post which is definitely a record absence for me. May, June, and July brought lots of long work days and travel. To maintain a balance in my life, the blog had to take a back seat. I have missed my little piece of the internet and felt compelled to return after several family and friends asked why I had not posted in a while. I have to admit that I often think about just shutting down the blog but I know it is a good way to keep family and friends updated on our lives.

Based on my previous track record, I can guarantee that I won't blog every day or maybe even every week but I will try my best not to let so much time lapse between posts. I thought the best way to get things back on track was to share some LOTS of iPhone photos from our summer. I hope you enjoy and I promise to check back in soon!

May

On our way to a family hike in Rockcreek Park

Our favorite New Yorker (and former Washingtonian) spent Memorial Day weekend with us.

Our friends helped surprise P on his birthday for a night of baseball 

The best part was seeing his name on the screen!

June

I started June off with a conference in Colorado which meant I got to spend time with my cousin Carrie. I'm so thankful she could share this beautiful hike with me.

I checked out a Rockies game with one of my favorite people!

The day after coming home from Colorado, I joined P for the Lawyers Have Heart 10K in Georgetown. It was the furthest race I ran since having knee surgery in 2012 and it felt great to be back out there.

I got to spend lots of quality time with my goddaughter at Barnes & Noble while her mom and little brother went to a doctor's appointment. We read books and picked out a fairy princess toy since she was so well behaved.

Her little brother is getting so big! We can't wait to see him at his baptism next month.

P and I enjoyed another game at Nationals Park. Thanks to our friend John who gifted us a package of tickets as a wedding gift, we got to cheer the Nationals on several more times this summer.

At the end of June, I traveled to Charleston, South Carolina for my sweet friend Erin's bachelorette weekend. Erin and I became close friends during our MBA program at GWU and were roommates during our trip to Paris. She is one of the sweetest people I know and I can't wait to celebrate her and Ed's big day in October!

July

These first four pictures are all from the same weekend.....

At the beginning of the month we saw The Lion King at the Kennedy Center. This was by far one of the best shows I have ever seen. I was so impressed with the opening scene that I got a little teary eyed as the "animals" walked in.

We spent lots of the summer cheering on the USA and Germany in the World Cup. After the USA were eliminated, we only cheered for Germany and were so excited when they won!

We celebrated the 4th of July with our friends Amanda and Jeff for the second year in a row. Thankfully Patrick works for a firm with an amazing rooftop that allows us to see the fireworks show without fighting the crowds.

At another Nationals game!

At the end of the month, we road tripped down to Corolla, North Carolina for a week at the beach with my family to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. These smiles quickly disappeared on the drive down - what was supposed to be a 6 hour drive ended up taking 10 hours.

Our view for the week. The house we stayed in was less than a block walk to the beach, It was amazing!

We discovered the coolest secret beer garden less than a mile from our house. I wish we could've gone back more than once. Thanks to my step-mom for capturing this great picture!

My sisters and I decided to test my dad's taste buds and give him a blind beer taste test. He did pretty good although we definitely threw him off with some of our choices.

August (so far)

We reunited with Calvin in August after he spent two weeks at my mom's house while we were at the beach. 

At the beginning of the month we saw the Patriots play the Redskins at FedEx Field during preseason football. Unfortunately the Patriots loss (and Tom Brady didn't play) but we had such a fun night!

Another Nationals game! Taking selfies at the game became a bit of a tradition.

This past weekend was Erin's bridal shower. It was a beautiful afternoon!

Our last regular season Nationals game on Saturday night - it was rainy and chilly. We are hoping to get playoff tickets in October!

Now you're all caught up!