July Things

Unfortunately - my July did not involve any beaches - but boy wouldn't that have been nice? I do love just sitting on the warm sand and listening to the waves roll in, but honestly I'm just being drawn in by the picture below... so let's get down to what I actually did in July!

Books I Read

Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn - I absolutely blazed through this book; it was a quick read and was engrossing almost from the first chapter. I found so many similarities between the small town depicted in the book and the small MS town I grew up in - I could visually see so many of the characterizations and perhaps that is why this book drew me in so quickly? It's very much Southern Gothic, even though it's set in Missouri...which is technically the Midwest but regardless, the book was smart, intriguing and had a twist at the end that I did not see coming - it was an excellent read!

Patrick Melrose by Edward St. Aubyn - I will admit I paused halfway through this one to pick up and devour Sharp Objects, but then I jumped right back in. While I will have to admit that I found the TV miniseries far more engrossing, the book is also entertaining and St. Aubyn's way with words and his ability to turn a phrase make the book an engrossing read, even if the story does seem to ebb and flow at times.

Books on the Shelf

I don't really have anything on the shelf... I'm not sure what I'll be reading next! I'm looking for inspiration, so if you have any recommendations - I'm all ears!

Must See TV

This is another category where I don't have anything that is "must see" for me. I am watching the HBO series Sharp Objects, based on the above book but otherwise, there isn't really anything that I'm watching obsessively. I found myself re-watching The Night Manager and I discovered my TV has Netflix capabilities (insert mind blown emoji) so who knows where that will lead...

Movies of the Month

Ant-Man & the Wasp - Oh, this movie was so enjoyable! I'd watch Paul Rudd in pretty much anything and this movie injected a much needed laugh to the Marvel universe after Infinity War's dramatic finale! This movie was fast-paced, funny and endearing...even if the post credits scene made me want to scream a little bit! I didn't understand the science one bit but perhaps it will all make sense when the final Avengers movie comes out? Who knows? This movie is excellent though - check it out!

Mamma Mia: Here I Go Again - Who doesn't love singing and dancing to Abba music while on a Greek island that essentially looks like paradise (spoiler - it's actually Croatia!) I must admit the first movie had to grow on me, but I was so looking forward to this movie and enjoyed it immensely. I will say, if you are not a fan of musicals and it bothers you when people randomly burst into song - maybe let this one be - but otherwise, check it out! The performances are great, the songs are fantastic and it's just a fun movie watch!

Mission Impossible: Fallout - I'll confess the only other MI movie I've seen is MI2 and I really wanted to see this because I'm ride or die for Henry Cavill (even with that mustache) - but I enjoyed this so much more than I thought I would! The action was non-stop and there were so many twists and turns, it was wildly entertaining and it made me sort of want to go back and watch the other FOUR that I've missed along the way. If you're looking for a classic action movie that's a good time at the movie - this is it!

Tasty Treats

Y'all know I never skimp on the eating and July was no exception, ha-ha! We made amazing dipped oreos and pretzels for July 4th; we went to a cook-out at friend's for July 4th and everything we ate was delicious! I had a to die for pimento and cheese grilled cheese sandwich from Hunter's Head (I'm drooling thinking about it) and I made some amazing peanut butter magic squares!

Ice cream was a staple this month - rolled in sprinkles, flavor swirled and blackberry - it was all divine! We had amazing meals at Regions 117 and Skyland Lodge, some amazing pretzels from Macado's and the blackberry ice cream pie from Skyland Lodge is a must have every time I visit! And don't even get me started on the Blackberry Pulled Pork  from the Blackberry Delight Festival - Yum!

Music Playing

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again - Oh man, I've been listening to a lot of these songs on repeat, alongside the soundtrack from the first film. Abba really is just very jolly and can put you in the best mood, I love listening to all these songs!

I've also managed to work my way through all 90+ back logged episodes of Lore and my sister turned me on to another excellent podcast called Stuff You Missed in History Class, so I've been binging through that one as well!

What I'm Looking Forward To

Nationals Baseball - I feel like; at this point, it's time to go ahead and admit that the Nationals are most likely not going to the post season, so I'm trying to take the positives from the season and enjoy those! Max Scherzer continues to still be an absolute beast on the pitcher's mound...and yet I still haven't gotten to see him pitch at a game! Juan Soto's addition to the line-up has been nothing short of fantastic and watching him play is an absolute delight! And while Harper may not be doing so great in game (*sigh*), it was really fun to watch him win the Home Run Derby!

I'm going to two games (at least) in August, so maybe I'll get to see Max Scherzer throw some fire... who knows? I'll be attending the Anthony Rendon bobble head game on the 3rd and Game of Thrones Night at Nationals Park with my friend Danielle mid-month. It should be fun!

I honestly don't have anything else planned for the month of August - I have some Bible study meetings, ladies group meetings and a dinner with a friend here and there, but nothing major on the calendar. So August is wide open you guys! I feel like it's a little too soon to say I'm looking forward to Autumn? Ha-ha!

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That's all she wrote for the month of July - I cannot believe tomorrow is August 1st!

It's All Great

Well - there are two days left in July - just TWO! Where in the world has this month gone? I feel like I talk too frequently about how quickly time passes but I always remain astounded by how time seems to fly...and here we are, staring down the barrel of August and the final five months of 2018! What in the world?!?

I can at least say I passed the last weekend of July living well - and I suppose if you just try to live each day to it's fullest and best, then what else can you do? Right? Friday night after work (which ended early - hallelujah!) I watched some Shark Week programming (naturally) and then we headed to Regions 117 for dinner - a spot that never disappoints with the delicious food!

The weather was pretty temperate this weekend and so we were able to dine on the huge deck on the back of Regions 117 with a view of the lake and the awesome summer breeze, so once dinner was over we sat on one of the giant pallet swings for a bit and then walked down by the lake for just a minute... before driving home, seeing no less than 4-5 deer on the way (we only live like... 2 miles from Regions 117).

I passed the rest of the evening watching the Nationals game, some Shark Week programming and made several trips out on to the deck to peruse the night sky and check out Mars - which is currently as bright as it will be for the next 50+ years. Watson watched the baseball game with me...at least, that's what I like to tell myself, and after a little couch surfing, I got into bed much earlier than usual on Friday night - but hey, I do love the sleep.

Saturday morning was a bit earlier than normal - we wanted to go see Great Falls National Park and everything we'd read said to arrive early because the 600 spot parking lot fills up quickly, so we took that to heart and after some coffee, we headed out around 8:30 for Great Falls. Great Falls is located just about twenty minutes from the nation's capital but it feels like a world away; an area in nature heaped in history, where the Potomac River builds speed and crashes over rock formations to create what is now known as Great Falls.

I will admit - before moving to the Northern Virginia area, I'd visited DC several times and I honestly never knew this place existed. I happened to catch an Instagram post shortly after I moved to Virginia and it's been on my list of places to see ever since. I'm not sure why it took 4+ years, but I suppose that would be because...well, life. We arrived around 10:00 and waited just a few minutes before entering the parking lot and making our way to the Visitor's Center.

We shortly perused the Visitor's Center and then headed along the pathway where three overlooks are - the pictures above were all taken at the first overlook, which is almost right on top of the falls and provides a very up close look. The other two overlooks were spaced farther down the falls and of course, the farther from the falls you got - the wider the view of the falls. Due to the rainfall that has been near constant over the past few weeks, the water was absolutely raging!

There were people everywhere - granted the weather on Saturday was gorgeous and was one of the first sunny days we've had in a while, so all the people out and about taking in the falls made perfect sense. The currents around the falls are pretty intense, so there is no wading into the water - they have approximately seven drownings a year due to people who don't heed the warning and try to wade into the river. Yikes!

The river has flooded on numerous occasions and I made sure to take the time to pose by the high water mark pole, ha-ha! The area where Great Falls is located was originally owned by Lord Fairfax and on the recommendation of George Washington, the river was seen as a perfect way to move trades up and down the Eastern portion of the country, but the rocky outcroppings in the river proved to be a bit of an obstacle - but the pioneering men found a way...

The Patowmack Canal Company was created in 1785 and charged with creating a series of locks to move boats up and down the 80 feet that the river drops in the mile that constitutes the Great Falls area. A town called Matildaville even popped up near the canal and was home to numerous homes, a grist mill, a saw mill, a Superintendent's house, a market, a foundry, an inn, an icehouse and boarding houses - so, a proper town. Thousands of boats locked through the Patowmack Canal but unfortunately, the cost of running such an operation became it's downfall and in 1828, the Patowmack Canal finished it's work and was transferred to the newly created Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Company.

After we viewed the falls from each of the outlooks, we followed a path that led through the woods and along the remains of the locks built as part of the Patowmack Canal and even passed by some of the ruins of Matildaville - the town was tied to the fate of the canal and only lasted a couple years after the canal ended it's business. There were numerous trails and I feel like there was still so much more to see at Great Falls - so I hope to return at some point and see more.

If you plan to go to visit Great Falls - I cannot stress enough how important it is to arrive early! When we left around 12:05, the line to enter the park was backed up all the way to the road - at least a mile, if not longer. The 600 parking spots fill up fast and once they're full, you're left to wait in line and wait your turn. There is so much to see and do here - and there is even a Maryland side to the falls, so it's well worth a visit!

We made our way to Dulles Town Center and had a late lunch at the Cheesecake Factory - always delicious and of course, we got cheesecake! I mean - I feel that if you're eating at the Cheesecake Factory you have to get cheesecake - it's just a part of the dining experience. We also perused World Market a bit before heading home, where everyone just kind of lazed around a bit before we headed to the Alamo Drafthouse to see Mission Impossible: Fallout - which was really good! Our final stop of the evening was at Newtown Creamery where I got the most amazing Mint Chocolate Chip and Oreo swirl cone - so many sweets, but hey - maybe calories don't count on the weekend? Ha!

Sunday dawned less bright and early than Saturday - which is always nice! I had my coffee and Fruity Pebbles, headed to church and met up with my friend Jennie for the service. I watched a little Shark Week before meeting a former coworker and friend, Joshua for lunch - we caught up over the course of two hours and had a wonderful time. The rest of the evening was passed just doing a lot of random things - as Sundays usually are - cleaning up, planning for the week ahead, watching an episode of A Series of Unfortunate Events, reading a bit, watching HGTV and taking that all important bubble bath.

Another weekend in the books! Memories made, new places visited and fun had - I can't wait to see what these August weekends ahead have in store!