June Things

Well - since I'm posting this at the end of June, somehow half of 2019 has already come and gone. I think I'll always remain bewildered at how quickly time passes...and it seems to pass more quickly with each passing year. June feels like it absolutely flew by and so - here are all the ways I've kept myself entertained and amused this past month! 

Anticipations

Lindsey Visits (Twice) - Y'all... my little sister is coming to visit not once but twice in July and I cannot wait to see her. I haven't seen her since Christmas and that's just unacceptable! I think that might be one of the things I really don't love about being an adult - only seeing my sister every few months or so. *sigh* Adulting is hard.

July Fourth - I'm not sure if it's a thrilling idea or a terrifying idea but we've decided to brave DC on July 4th. Eek! I do love seeing fireworks and I love all things related to our nation's capital, so here's hoping that the crowds of people will be offset by the dramatic fireworks, fanfare and revelry!

Staycation - I'm taking the final week of July off from work for my sister's second visit and so I'll be doing a little bit of a staycation, which ends up being amazingly wonderful simply because of the area where I live. Being so close to DC, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia just opens up so many options for places to go that are right outside the front door! Plus - who doesn't love a week off work?

Nationals Baseball - Of course there will be at least one baseball game this month! My Nationals have fought their way back to a .500 season (so far) and made their way into third place in the National League...it's becoming more and more fun to watch the boys play with each month! I'm hoping July will be even more thrilling!

Queen+Adam Lambert in Concert - I am seeing QUEEN IN CONCERT this month! Did you hear what I said? I will be seeing the legendary musicians that are Brian May and Roger Taylor, alongside Adam Lambert... in concert this month! The tickets were a Christmas gift and when I received them, the end of July seemed so far away... but here we are! I'll be seeing Queen in concert at the end of the month and I still can't quite believe it!

Books I Read

Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin - I've been perusing this book all month long but I still haven't quite finished it. I know.. I know, earlier in the year I was blazing through multiple books a month but I've been distracted by other things... even distracted by reading other things...

I've been re-reading portions of the A Song of Ice & Fire series throughout the month (this happens on a pretty routine basis) and I somehow stumbled upon a fan fiction website that allows me to read versions of the final season of Game of Thrones with ending(s) that I like a bit more than the actual ending, ha-ha!

Books on the Shelf

The list goes on and on... I have plenty of books waiting to be read and I'll get to them once I can tear myself away from re-reading old favorites and discovering other people's takes on favorites.

Can't Be Missed Movies

Rocketman - I wanted to see this movie from the first view of the trailer and while it took me a few weeks to get to the theater, I finally joined my friend Danielle and we both thoroughly enjoyed this movie. The music is; of course, fabulous... but the way Taron Egerton completely becomes Elton John is pretty mind-blowing. I knew very little about Elton John before this movie but he's certainly lived a unique and intriguing life - and if you love a good story and excellent music, this movie is definitely a must see!

Yesterday - I do think this was my favorite movie I saw this month! It was heartwarming, funny and the music that inspired the story was... again, fabulous! The premise is simple enough: after a world wide blackout, Jack is the only person who remembers the Beatles and has to come to grips with overnight fame when the world discovers "his" music. It's a rom-com and a lovely one at that.. honestly, everything about this movie is a delight!

Must See TV

Top of the Lake - Obsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl near a freezing lake in New Zealand, a brave detective will find herself up against small-town secrets and a side of herself that was meticulously kept at bay. This show was intense, interesting but also at times a little mind-boggling but I absolutely enjoyed it so much... that I moved right on to the second season...

Top of the Lake: China Girl - In the wake of the devastating events from five years past in New Zealand, troubled Detective Robin Griffin returns to Sydney for a fresh start. The wounds of the past are deep:  A daughter that she gave up for adoption at 16 is also in Sydney and an Asian girl in a suitcase found on the beach begin the first case in her new home. The second season seemed a little more... all over the place but was still intriguing and engrossing... even if it ended a little... abruptly.

Tasty Treats 

Oh my but there was good eating this month! I had the most delicious Pimento Cheese Bacon Burger and Brunswick Stew at Due South and followed that up with Whiskey Toasted Marshmallow and Lemon Muffin Top ice cream from Ice Cream Jubilee - so delicious! Earlier in the month I had Pimento Cheese Fritters and seriously divine Corn and Bacon Chowder... just typing that makes my mouth water.

I also discovered Doc's Tea - which is organic and so very tasty and also only has 10 calories per bottle, so I've been grabbing some of that every time I get a chance! We had brunch at West Oaks Farm Market about halfway through the month and last but not least... the delicious drinks! I had a Blue Hawaiian while I was singing along to the tunes of Elton John and I enjoyed a completely perfect Blackberry Lavender White Mocha - gah - y'all it was so good!

Tunes & Talks

I've branched out this month... I mean, I'm still listening to the Game of Thrones soundtrack(s) pretty regularly but I've also added into the mix the soundtrack from Rocketman, an Elton John playlist and the soundtrack from Yesterday... and a playlist I found on Apple Music entitled The History of Scotland.

I've been listening to some podcasts with interview with some of my favorite GoT actors and also my usual favorites.

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And just like that - the month of June has come and gone! The first half of the year is for the memory books now and the final half are awaiting new adventures!

Five on Friday

One. Yesterday - This movie was just so fun y'all! I was honestly surprised that it came to my neighborhood but not only did it come... it came to the Alamo Drafthouse and they had a special menu! My friend Danielle and I got off work early at 3:00 and made our way straight to the theater for the 3:20 showing - such a great way to start of the weekend!

Two. Peeking into the Past - Thursday night I gave myself such a giggle because I perused through a chest that I have in my room and it was a bit of a blast from the past. I save certain magazines about things I'm interested in... in hopes that one day I can share the things I was interested in growing up with my child(ren). I got so tickled because one thing that has remained constant is my love for Star Wars. I also have plenty of Outlander and Game of Thrones themed magazines and looking even farther into the past... Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco and Twilight! 

Three. Weekend Plans - You know what... I'm not really sure what my weekend holds! I can't believe it's the last weekend in June but here we are, with half of this year almost done. I'm doing my first open house as a Realtor on Sunday afternoon and I'm looking forward to that with both excitement and a little anxiety... Who knows what I'll get into tomorrow? Only time will tell....

Four. Wild Weather - When leaving the theater this afternoon, it was evident a storm was rolling in so I raced toward my car as the rain started to fall and made it into my car before the rain really began pouring. I'd only made it about a mile from the theater when the rain and wind became so strong that I had to pull over and then the hail started. The theater is only about five miles from my house but it took almost thirty minutes to get home.. at one point even having to navigate around a fallen tree across the road. 

Five. Just a Thought - I'm not one to get political but I saw this earlier this week and it struck a cord with me, so I just thought I'd share it here. 

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That's all I've got for this Friday - hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Watson Wednesday

Classic begging pose - he's 100% a master at begging.

Three Day Weekend Things

Monday always comes around again - doesn't it? My Mom would say that the alternative isn't a good thing so one might as well embrace the Mondays... and I suppose she's right. This Monday has been (so far) nothing too crazy - just life unfolding as it does. 

The past weekend was a good one that managed to be filled with plenty of things to do but also provided plenty of things to not do; time to just be a bum, as you do on the weekends. Friday morning I slept in (yahoo for days off) and after having coffee, I exercised and got ready for the afternoon activities: DC, Yards Park, a late lunch at Due South and Nationals baseball. 

 

After an uneventful Metro ride, my Mom and I made our way to Due South where I had a delicious Pimento Cheese Bacon Burger with a side of Brunswick Stew - it was so tasty...so very, very tasty! When we finished our late lunch we strolled next door for dessert at Ice Cream Jubilee, one of my very favorite places in DC for a tasty treat - I got a scoop of Whiskey Toasted Marshmallow and a scoop of Lemon Muffin Top - divine!

We took our ice cream to the Dock at Yards Park and sat alongside the Anacostia River, snacking on delicious ice cream, enjoying the breeze and taking in the gorgeous weather - it was the Summer Solstice after all! Shortly after 5:00 we walked over to Nationals Park, grabbed our Max Scherzer bobble heads and made our way to the top deck to relax for a bit and take in the activities unfolding around the park: batting practice, interviews on the big screen, people filing into the park and finding their way to their seats. I love baseball - I especially love baseball at Nationals Park on a Friday night. 

 

I thought I'd chosen seats in the shade but for a 7:05 game we ended up sitting directly in the sunshine for the first hour of the game - yikes! Thankfully it was cool and there was a near constant breeze blowing, so it wasn't too bad. It was hard to actually see what was happening without holding my hand up to my face... but hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! The game was a good one, we got to see a Yan Gomes home run and the Nationals came out on top 4-3, besting the Atlanta Braves - it was certainly a good game!

Saturday was a pretty chill day - I slept in, which was glorious. We got home from the Nationals game around 11:30 on Friday night and after reading for just a little bit, I wasn't asleep until after midnight - so sleeping in was pretty lovely. I had coffee, had breakfast, got in my exercise and then got ready for the rest of the day. I popped into Hobby Lobby with some Game of Thrones final season copies of Entertainment Weekly magazine to have framed; I'll be picking those up in a few weeks and I can't wait to see how they turn out! 

After a late lunch at Red Robin (yuuummm!) and a quick stop at Target, we headed back home for the afternoon and ended up having a sort of Game of Thrones marathon: my parents blazed through episodes two - five of the final season as the evening unfolded. This is my second time watching the final season of Thrones and I still don't dislike it as much as most people seem to... but it's hard not to find flaws. *sigh* 

Sunday morning..after sleeping in again (glorious y'all...glorious) I joined my parents for brunch at West Oaks Farmers Market where the food was tasty and the views were stunning. We stumbled on this place just a couple weeks ago and it's just the absolute best little spot - the land around the market is beautiful, the market itself is large and filled with amazing items to purchase and peruse and the venue itself is also outstanding. It's just a lovely spot to spend time!

After brunch I headed home and did some reading before meeting my friend Danielle to see Rocketman - which I've really been looking forward to seeing since it came to theaters at the end of May. The movie was great; the music was of course fabulous, but the story itself was also excellent and Taron Egerton looks so much like Elton John that it's a little bit scary. Once the movie was over, I headed home to wrap up the long weekend.

I had Cheerios for dinner (which is what the sweet pup is begging for...) and watched the finale of Game of Thrones with my parents. My Mom's assessment of the finale: "well poop"... and my Dad's assessment: "everyone just compromised and went on about their business..." So - there's that. After a quick shower, I watched Big Little Lies (I'm not loving this season as much as season one) with my Mom before reading and hitting the bed!

It was a good three day weekend - I'm looking forward to a four day weekend not this weekend but the next... that's a mouthful, isn't it? Any how - onward to the week ahead and the potential adventures that it will hold!

Five on Friday

One. Nationals Baseball - Well... for the first time since April, the Nationals aren't in fourth place in the NL East anymore. They moved into third place on Wednesday night after Max Scherzer (with a broken nose...no less...) led the team to a 2-0 victory over the Phillies. Scherzer took a bunt off the face during batting practice on Tuesday night but since nothing slows Mad Max down - he was more than happy to take the mound on Wednesday night and help the Nationals get the win!

My Mom and I are headed to the ballpark tonight - we'll be seeing Stephen Strasburg pitch against the Atlanta Braves; here's hoping he'll do a bit better than he did last Saturday. Eek! 

Two. Weekend Plans - What will the weekend hold? I don't know that I have that much on the calendar but of course I'm going to the Nationals game tonight so that's starting the weekend off on the right foot! No big plans for Saturday but I have a feeling that my parents will want to finish up Game of Thrones and on Sunday we are heading to Brunch at a local farmer's market and then I'm meeting my friend Danielle to see Rocketman!

Three. Memes & Laughs - As always, a couple things that made me giggle this week. The first one...well, my co-workers and I have been discussing that maybe deep down we are all a little more "mean" than we'd like to think and then that meme was on my timeline and it was like the universe saw my soul, ha-ha!

Of course that Game of Thrones meme had to be shared - it does have two of my favorite three characters and it made me smile. And lastly, as a person who was much more shy and reserved as a child, I've 100% discovered that I do like myself a little bit more when I'm feisty and shit. :)

Four. Watson - Y'all know I had to share another Watson picture because he's just too sweet. He crawled up in my lap on Thursday morning, settled in and proceeded to sleep for almost a full hour until I forced him out of my lap to get my lunch together and race for the car. 

He's basically the sweetest thing. I know - I'm a little partial but still, he's just the best. 

Five. Three Day Weekend - Oh, did I forget to mention that this weekend is a three day weekend for me? Well guess what, it is! My boss recently gave us all an additional day of paid vacation to use whenever we'd like and so I'm off work today! Rejoice!

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Y'all have a good weekend! I intend to!

Watson Wednesday

Watson has had a fairly eventful week - he's a mess and I just can't help but be tickled by him. The first two pictures above are of him having a near nervous breakdown in an attempt to have me give him some of my Panda Express on Saturday night. He proceeded to cry and whimper until he finally received some rice, carrots, peas and egg... I'm telling you - he's a mess.

He's also been very engrossed in my parent's watching of Game of Thrones and he's doing his best not to give away too many secrets from the final season...

Weekend Highlights - Mostly Baseball

Guess what guys? I did next to nothing on Friday night - is that shocking? I got off work early and the weather on Friday was so perfect that I just couldn't help it... instead of exercising when I got home, I made my way to the back deck and read in the sunshine for a good hour. It was glorious. 

My Dad and I had some Italian Delight for dinner (served with a side of free mini cupcakes - hello!) and then I spent my Friday night exercising, watching the first episode of Killing Eve (I'm not sold on it yet...) and doing some more reading. Like I said - it was a wild revelation. 

Saturday morning after coffee, my Dad and I headed into the big city for the day - as you do. Our first stop was the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles, VA for an airplane show. This was 100% my Dad's thing because he is all about the airplanes - so I trailed him around and snapped a couple pictures here and there. The most important thing is that I saw a 767 and so now I know just how big Daenerys Targaryen's dragon, Drogon is... obviously that's extremely important. 

 

After a quick lunch of McDonald's - honestly it was the first time I've eaten McDonald's food in YEARS. Years! Do you hear me - we made our way to the Metro and on our way to Nationals Park for Star Wars Day...and of course, a baseball game! We waited in line for about twenty minutes before the gates open, we snagged Obi Sean Kenobi bobble heads and then it was time for pictures with all the peoples dressed in costumes - so fun y'all!

 

 

 

 

Blessedly the temperature was not bad - it was really perfect baseball weather and our seats were great too, in the shade the whole game! The game itself *sigh* started rocky; Strasburg gave up a solo home run on the first pitch, yikes! At the middle of the first inning the Diamondbacks had already scored three runs... not great... However the Nationals fought back with a triple from Trea Turner and back to back home runs from Juan Soto and Matt Adams which tied the game back up!

Unfortunately - the first inning seemed to be the only time that the Nationals could get the bats going and they didn't score any more runs for the rest of the game. The Nationals ended up losing the game 10-3 (they won on Sunday 15-5... where was that on Saturday?!?) and we got home on Saturday night around 9:00, after stopping to grab Panda Express. Did y'all know that literally everyone goes to Panda Express on Saturday night at 9:00?? I didn't... but I do now!

Sunday morning after coffee and church, I took my Dad to Union Jack Pub for a Father's Day lunch - it was all delicious but my favorite part of MY meal was the Ale & Bacon Cheese Soup. It was divine! It was also really, really warm out on Sunday... but that didn't stop me from hanging out on the deck a bit and reading - and of course, so did Watson!

The rest of Sunday was spent taking a short nap in an effort to get rid of a headache... reading... getting myself together ahead of the new week... getting dinner from Firehouse Subs (my Dad got a free sub y'all - Father's Day)... taking a bubble bath... and watching the newest episode of Big Little Lies! The night closed out on a pretty brilliant note - the sunset was phenomenal and now here we are, it's Monday once again!