Summer Kick-Off

            Memorial Day is here and summer has officially begun.  With temperatures hovering in the mid-90's and the first externship placement of summer wrapping up, I have been itching to get out of town and this holiday weekend was the perfect opportunity.  My weekend vacation was nothing exotic but I was perfectly happy to head to my favorite place in the world for some sunshine and pool time.  It's my favorite place for many reasons but especially because bathing suits are mandatory, curly hair is strongly encouraged, and smores are considered their own food group.  Heaven.

The sign of a good day at Fox Point.

Cooper's new best friend, Oakley.  Pretty sure he didn't leave this guy alone for the entire weekend.

He's a boat puppy!  Okay, so he didn't love it and stayed curled up at my feet for most of the ride but I've been told that the girls of the Hotel and I severely compromised this little guy's manhood so I'm trying to toughen him up a little bit.

Never gets old.

Seriously.  Can you think of a prettier place to drink your coffee in the morning?

P.S.  I also really loved spending the first part of my weekend with this girl who I missed somuch when I was living way down South.  And after a night out in the city and a Saturday of daiquiri sipping and poolside lounging, I remembered exactly why.

How Rude

            Apparently, the DC landlords have conspired with the mean, two Golden Retriever owning woman and they are now not only trying to run us out of the faux dog park but out of the entire nation's capital too.  Okay, a little too dramatic?  Sorry, I'll tone it down.  But seriously, when you walk the streets of Washington, DC you literally bump into a dog on every corner.  But where the eff do these animals live?  Because it certainly isn't in any of the buildings that I have inquired about over the past few weeks.
            As you might have guessed, the house hunting process has been a little disappointing thus far.  Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that the perfect place is out there and I am not yet on the verge of being homeless or anything but it is kind of a bummer when you're sure you've found the perfect place, only to be told that there are NO DOGS ALLOWED.  Yes, this has happened.  Many times (thus the need for the caps lock).  So, sweet stalkers...this is where you come in.  If you know of a three-bedroom apartment in the DC area - on the red line if we're getting picky - that loves little furry friends then pretty please holler atcha girl.

Can someone help us find our next home sweet home?!

Hope you're heading somewhere with sun, sand, bbq, and beer on this Memorial Day weekend!

Not In Kansas Anymore

            I always knew that I loved the South.  From the early days of family vacations on the shores of the Carolina beaches to afternoons of fratastic Southern tailgating at Wake, there is a certain something special about the South that I crave when I am surrounded by yankees.  People in the South are just nice.  Okay, I know this is not always true but there is a friendlier spirit about those people living below the Mason-Dixon line.  I don't always feel the difference in my everyday life but it was all too apparent this afternoon when the Cooper man and I made our first trip to the dog park after taking the big road trip north.  We arrived at this so-called "dog friendly park" only to discover that in this town, dog park simply means big grassy field...complete with two angry Golden Retrievers and their less than pleasant owner.  Needless to say, after a little altercation and some increased blood pressure on the part of this girl who hates conflict, we headed home...and probably won't be going back.  Ever.

But seriously...how could you not love this little face?

But the North, and the City of Brotherly Love in particular, definitely still has its perks...

Like a Thursday night Phillies game with friends.  

And a little brother I have been waiting months to hug!

Transitions

            We all know that I'm not a huge fan of them but I am trying my best to take this one in stride.  Because although it is a little bit of a bummer that I am no longer a resident of Nashvegas and the legendary Hotel, I have officially landed my first big girl job (secret's out...I'll be working at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in D.C.) and will be joining the ranks of the happy-houring, free-weekending grownups very soon!  And though moving back home and leaving a city that is bursting with new things to see and do has left me in a bit of a drought as far as blog material goes, I am okay with the fact that life has slowed down a little bit.  It won't be long until things pick back up again and in the meantime, I am enjoying life on the Mainline and looking forward to apartment hunting this weekend with my BFF, introducing the Cooper man to the waters of the Chesapeake over Memorial Day, and visiting some favorite people in Boston in just a few weeks!  And thanks to some generous graduation gifts I am treating myself to a fancy new camera so (prettier) pictures of the summer's adventures are on the way!

Why?  Because I like it.  Just go with it.

Cue the Vitamin C Music

            Graduation weekend did not disappoint.  In fact, it was pretty much perfect with the exception of the sudden downpour that erupted during the ceremony and almost ruined our gorgeous garden party-esque  celebration dinner.  But the rain clouds disappeared just in time for a fabulous dinner under the backyard tent at Rumours East.  With new letters after our names and best friends and family by our sides, the girls who got me through grad school and I celebrated the end and toasted to some very exciting new beginnings.  Doesn't get much better than that.

The official mug shot

Great wine choice, Dad!

Feels Like Home?

            Hey sweet blog-stalkers!  First of all, let me start by apologizing for my brief disappearance.  Won't happen again, swear.  Things have been a little crazy with the move and the new summer job starting...not to mention that I somehow packed my camera cord away in a box that is now tightly sealed and stashed in my moving pod that is still back in Nashville.  I'm planning to have this problem remedied by this afternoon but in the meantime I hope you'll forgive me for the lack of pictures in this post.  We're still friends, right?
            As for life in this moment, the long road trip is over, the bags are (mostly) unpacked, and the pup is settling in to his new home.  And though it is definitely nice to be back in town and in much closer proximity to my family, it's strange how some place that was once the only one that could ever feel like home now feels much different.  Instead of fitting in like a local in this town, I feel much more like a tourist who is just passing through on the way to something new.  Which, no offense to the Friendly Village, is just fine with me!  More details are to come on what exactly that something new will be but for those of you who don't know...I am officially moving to Washington, D.C. this summer and I could not be more excited!

And like I said, the camera cord is MIA so I guess you'll just have to suffer through some more gratuitous Cooper cellphone pics.  Sorry I'm not sorry. 

Oh hello, handsome.

Not so sure about life in the big city yet...we'll get used to it.

The Last Weekend

            This whole picking-up-my-life-and-moving thing is the pits.  As you all know, I'm not all that big on change, especially when that change means leaving best friends and a life that has been filled with a whole lot of joy.  And so in order to combat some of the anxiety that the end of this era is creating, our weekend was spent making sure that we went out with a bang.  From lunch in the sunshine at The Food Co., to a final Saturday night at Tin Roof, to one last Sunday morning at Midtown where there may or may not have been tears...it has been quite the weekend!

This picture makes me laugh

Love.

            As for the move itself, the pod has arrived and the packing is in full swing.  The Cooper man and I head North to Philadelphia on Tuesday (with a brief stop to see the sister in DC) and on Thursday, real life begins.  Eek!

Hope you've had a great weekend!