The Fourth Weekend of March

Can we even believe that the fourth weekend of March has already come and gone? I think I say this every year, but January and February last for years... and then from March on, time simply flies! I'm looking at my calendar and marveling that by this time next week, we will be closing out the month of March - it's absolutely wild!

I wanted to include a little pre-weekend, because on Friday we had our Administrative Luncheon at work and it was a great time! We have these each quarter and they are generally themed on the season, so this one was a Spring luncheon! We had Pupusas for lunch, which were new to me and absolutely delicious - and we all submitted compliments for one another, anonymously, and then passed around a basket of eggs with the compliments inside - and each read them out! I love the spirit of my team at work and I love that everyone has a little handful of eggs with compliments, especially for when they are having a less than great day!

Friday evening was really chill - I had some pizza for dinner and Ryan ended up home earlier than expected, so we started watching the show The Residence on Netflix - and we are hooked! While we were watching The Residence, Maverick and Spook had what can only be described as fight night in the corner of the living room. They crack me up!

One of the Connect Groups that Ryan and I have joined with our church is a Co-Ed Hiking Group, and Saturday morning we had our first hike of the season at Weverton Cliffs in Maryland! We were only about twenty minutes from the trailhead and the drive was easy as well, so that was really nice. The hike itself is 1.9 out and back (my Apple watch said it was a little bit more) and while it's mostly uphill going in, it's all downhill going down! We had a nice group of about 12-13 (not all pictured below) and a great hike! 

The hike was not too strenuous and the pay off at the end was incredible! The views from the cliffs look down on the Potomac River, with Harper's Ferry up the river to the right and far, far down the river to the left is Great Falls and Washington DC! You can see Harper's Ferry from the summit, but obviously - you can't see DC from the summit, ha-ha! The sun was out all morning and the weather was just perfect for the hike and I'm so glad we got the opportunity to participate in this hike! 

We were level with the hawks and vultures circling around the cliffs and the sunshine was perfectly warming. It was nice to sit on the cliffs, munch on a fig bar and just have some time to breathe, take in nature and just enjoy the first glimpses of Spring that are slowly but surely popping up everywhere!

After our hike, Ryan and I headed home by way of Chick Fil A to try their new menu items - the BBQ Bacon Chicken Sandwich and the Pineapple Dragonfruit Lemonade - and they were both delicious! Once we were home, Ryan took a quick nap before heading to softball practice and after a quick chill session to try and get rid of a bit of headache, I headed to grab groceries. The cats - who had been at home all morning - also took long Saturday afternoon naps, even though I don't think they had majorly busy mornings! 

I really enjoy getting groceries most days - I find it very calming to meander through the store, marking things off my list and just having some chill time. I know I'm probably in the minority with that thought, but oh well! :) I popped into Home Goods before heading home (the danger of the Home Goods being right next door to the Weis is real) and putting away the groceries - with help, of course! We had a lazy Saturday evening with some Jambalaya and a couple more episodes of The Residence and cat antics!

Sunday morning we started slow and after some breakfast and coffee, we headed to church and then grabbed dinner at Wing Stop before running a few errands. We picked up and organized some things at our house and then my parents arrived to visit and have dinner - Ryan made some excellent ribs and I put together mashed potatoes and Brussel sprouts to go along with them. After we wrapped up, we went to see the Watoto Children's Choir from Uganda and South Sudan, and were blessed by their joy and their love for the Lord!

It was a lovely way to cap off the weekend and after the performance, we headed home to eat some dessert and crash into the bed to get ready for another work week! The last full work week of March - where is the time going?

Whisker Wednesday

Today's edition is Spook-filled, because Spook is my little counter sitter. He absolutely cracks me up because most of the time, he chooses a stool and sits at the counter like a little kid, waiting to eat his breakfast or dinner... or maybe to get a snack. 

While Maverick just sits on the literal counter all the time - Spook is more than likely to be found sitting in one of the actual seats, like a little gentleman! I mean, he is a tuxedo cat after all, ha-ha! He's a very fancy little gentleman. 

The Third Weekend of March

Oh my goodness - what a good weekend! It was full to the brim and absolutely wonderful! The longer days and (sometimes) warmer temperatures truly make such a difference! Ryan and I headed to our church on Friday night for a Serve Team Rally - there was delicious food from Gypsy Soul, door prizes (luck was not on our side) and then worship, with a message from our pastor. It was a great way to kick off the weekend!

As you can see - Spook decided on Friday night that he needed to sleep in between the comforter and the duvet that is folded at the end of the bed. Once he was in there, he was cozy and had no plans to crawl out! Granted, when Maverick tempted him with some shenanigans, he scooted his way out and into the floor to battle it out with his little bro! 

I slept until almost NINE on Saturday and y'all - that was special, ha-ha! I don't think I've slept that late in ages, so I enjoyed it! Once I finally got up, I had some delicious waffles with coconut syrup that my sister brought me from Hawaii and got myself together to go get some groceries with the hubby! Once we came home & put everything away, I scooted outside to read in my hammock - & thankfully Ryan was kind enough to bring me a blanket since it was a little breezy when the clouds covered the sun!

Saturday night was date night and Ryan surprised me by taking me to Toasted - a grilled cheese place that is literally less than five miles from our house! Toasted started as a food truck and has only recently opened it's brick & mortar location - but the hype is totally worth it! I had the Big Dill, made with mozzarella, dill pickles and bacon on sweet Hawaiian bread, while Ryan had the Liberty Bell, which was essentially a Philly Cheese Steak - but made grilled cheese style! We also tried their Dirty Tots and Pasta Salad - both were divine! Seriously, everything we ate was delicious! 

After our dinner of grilled cheese(s) with yummy sides, we hopped into downtown Martinsburg to check out A Lot'o Gelato - and oh my goodness, new favorite spot! This local spot has 24 flavors of gelato and is so freaking amazing! I had Cookie Butter and Torte de Limon, while Ryan had Peanut Butter and Coffee Chocolate Chip - all were spectacular! It was a really delightful end to the evening - and then we headed home and watched an episode of House! 

Sunday morning started bright and early - Ryan and I volunteered at our church for the first time and we had to be at church by 7:30 AM! Whoosh! We had a great time volunteering and church service was excellent as usual! After church, we checked out a place called Spring Mills Diner for lunch - they have an all you can eat buffet for $12.99 and it was divine! After we ate our breakfast for lunch, we headed home and since we'd woken up early - we decided to take a little Sunday afternoon nap! 

Spook is always excited to cuddle when anyone is in the bed, he's a silly mess in that way! I don't know what the connection is, but he loves to be snuggly as long as we are in the bed and he can be right in the middle of us. Granted, he was more interested in dragging his snake toy around the room than sleeping, so he ended up leaving us shortly after Ryan crashed! 

We spent the rest of the afternoon putting clothes away, getting ready for the work week ahead, I read some of my book and I put together some taco soup to take to couples group. The weather was supposed to get bad on Sunday but we waited and waited for the weather to get nuts... and it seemed like it was going to pass. We made it to couples group and mid-lesson, the storms arrived! Thankfully it didn't get too bad but we definitely drove through the rain as we headed home and crashed for the night!