Five on Friday

One of the most glorious days of the week has arrived! Is that maybe being a little dramatic - I certainly think not! Anyone who works for a living will agree; Friday is the greatest...and Friday at 5:00 is the most great, ha-ha!

*ONE*

Beauty & the Beast - In honor of the live action movie coming out on DVD this past Tuesday (yes - I went out and purchased it immediately)...this meme cracks me up. Looking past the fact that it completely eschews the entire theme of the movie; it's hilarious. 

*TWO*

Disney Countdown - The countdown for our Disney vacation is on! The official sign that the countdown is on arrived in the mail this week and it brought with it all the hype! The most magical booklet arrived mid-week and contained pictures, details of our visit to Disney and most importantly...the dates that are important for reserving dinner reservations and fast passes! There are 210 days to go!

This book is small - but it's magical.

*THREE*

Weekend Plans - Another weekend filled with wonderful things to do; I love it! Tonight I'm headed into the Shenandoah National Park to watch the sun set...and watch the moon rise; because the moon tonight is a strawberry moon! I'm not entirely sure what that means, but there will be picnic food and gorgeous views...so what's not to love?

Saturday I'll be doing my very favorite activity - sleeping in! I'm not sure what the day itself will hold, but relaxing on the brand new deck seems like a nice idea... I'll be reveling in more amazing mountain views and spending time with my sweet friend Katie, having delicious dinner and catching up.

Sunday morning we'll be heading into DC for the day to peruse a museum or two (always be a tourist - even if you've lived somewhere all your life...) before grabbing lunch and heading over to Nationals Park to watch the Nationals take on the Rangers for the afternoon. Sunday sounds like it will be a splendid day and the weekend as a whole sounds wonderful! I can't wait to get the weekend underway!

*FOUR*

Nationals Baseball - June is off to a wonderful start; the Nationals are 5-2 on the month, Ryan Zimmerman is still crushing baseballs right and left and if last night's game against the Orioles was any indication...Trea Turner is starting to perform a little more to form. He stole three bases in just two innings; talk about turning on the after burners! I can't wait to be at the park again on Sunday afternoon to take in a Nationals game! 

*FIVE*

Final Thought - Another meme I stumbled on and absolutely loved this week, so I'll end my post with it.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend - I certainly intend to! 

Watson Wednesday

Isn't this the sweetest face? 

It's Monday - So...A Photo Dump

What do you know - Monday has returned once again - as it always does. I was perusing my phone...which I never connect to my computer and do a photo dump of...and I realized that somewhere in the 7,000+ photos on my phone (yes - I know - that's too many) that I hadn't posted half of what's happened over the past week and a half.

So - that's how you come to find yourself looking at a whole bunch of photos with some exposition in the midst. And of course - the photo dump begins with a Nationals game!

I've met R2-D2...what a dream come true!

Storm Troopers...as it turns out...do not share their weapons.

Bounty hunters....abound...

Posing with the good guys - be careful where you swing those light sabers...

Trying to hide from the rain - and looking crazy in the process.

Who knew there would be an Ewok?

Saturday the 27th of May was the third annual Star Wars Day at Nationals Park; we've attended the two previously and the games are (of course) always wonderful. Granted; I'd find it hard to have anything but a good time when I'm at Nationals Park. There are cosplayers on hand in pretty elaborate costumes and a local DC group that build robots...and have built what looks like a pretty flawless R2-D2 (in my humble opinion).

The Nationals bested the Padres on Star Wars Day, behind a more than solid start from Stephen Strasburg - he recorded a career high 15 strikeouts and the enthusiasm from the crowd was contagious! We got to see a home run, courtesy of Michael A. Taylor and the final score was 3-0 Nationals; Stephen's stellar pitching earned the Nationals a shut-out!

Chess is very serious...

Until you can't keep from laughing because you're trying so hard to look serious....

Just a wee chair - that's all.

A bridge that's quite old - it has an air of history about it.

Ruins of Savage Mill and the railway...

The wee sister & I posing in front of the old trestle bridge in Savage Mill, MD

Over Memorial Day weekend, the family met up with my sister right outside Baltimore - we all wanted to spend some time with the youngest family member before she departed for her all expense paid vacation courtesy of the US military. Happily, she was leaving from Baltimore and that's not so far away, so we spent Saturday evening - Monday morning in Maryland and did a bit of exploring on Sunday morning.

Savage Mill (which sounds...well...savage..) was once a textile mill that has been converted into a shopping center that is filled with unique shops and restaurants. We had a late breakfast (brunch, I suppose...) at the Ram's Head Tavern at Savage Mill and then explored some of the shops and the grounds around the mill. Of course, Lindsey and I never pass up a chance to cheese for a few pictures and so we did just that.

Sunday afternoon was spent relaxing and doing last minute checks and re-checks to ensure that Lindsey had everything she needed. We spent most of Sunday evening at BWI airport sending Lindsey on her way to parts unknown (at least...parts unknown to YOU) and then grabbed a quick dinner at Chipotle to end the day!

Ellicott City, MD

Lots of old alleys and dark corners...

Alas - the telephone & power lines take away from the pictures a bit...

In Old Ellicott City, Maryland on Memorial Day!

Ellicott City flooded about a year ago - it was pretty catastrophic; so seeing the river so low was...interesting...

Monday morning we made our way home through Old Ellicott City, Maryland - which as I mentioned above, flooded in a pretty catastrophic way about a year ago. The city dates back to the 1700's and is filled with wonderful old buildings that slope toward the river; each one having been given new life as shops or perhaps a B&B here and there. The city is well on the way to being rebuilt but there weren't a lot of shops open at 9:45 on Memorial Day, so after purchasing some to die for popcorn at one shop, we were on our way once more.

We had lunch at Red Robin (yyyuuummm!) before making our way home - where I promptly proceeded to be a big ol' bum and take an afternoon nap - at 3:something on a Monday afternoon! I ended my three day weekend watching the Nationals take on the Giants...and moreso, watching Bryce Harper charge the mound after being intentionally hit with a 98 MPH fastball. To which I say - punch him again Bryce! ;)

Tuesday evening - summer storms firing across the sky...

Such a gorgeous cloud bank - filled with equally interesting flashes of lightning...

Video chatting with one of my favorite people!

The work week passed quickly (always nice) and my weekend started off with a visit to the movies to see Wonder Woman - and let me tell you, it was fantastic! If you are even considering seeing it, I'd tell you to go! Such a good movie! Bright and early Saturday morning (okay...not that early...) my Mom and I went over to Occuquan to meet up with lifelong friends Angie and Rachel and check out the semi-annual Occuquan Arts & Crafts Festival.

Rachel and I attended last year and really enjoyed it - this year was no exception - the variety of vendors is astounding and while it was hot, it was nowhere near so hot as last year! We grabbed a late lunch at Chuy's and then parted ways. After putting together a small table and chair for my "entryway" to my house, I changed clothes and met up with my friend Melissa for dinner. The weather was so nice, so we met up at a little Mom & Pop style place, sat outside in the fading sunshine, ate our food and chatted almost constantly for two hours straight! Always so good catching up with sweet friends!

Lemon-Vanilla swirl & 2 hours conversation with a friend? Excellent!

Sunday afternoon deck sitting - Watson approves!

A Sunday night summer sky - I love it.

Sunday was passed doing a whole lot of nothing...although I did manage to finish the fifth season of House of Cards, wash a load of towels, make a Wal-Mart run, watch (and help some) deck furniture get put together...and some other things. The day passed so quickly - as Sundays always tend to do. 

So - the past week and a half - they've been pretty good, wouldn't you say so? Another week is off to a pretty good start, the weekend is already filled with wonderful things to do and honestly, the month of June is filled with wonderful things to do. So there might be another photo dump at some point soon, ha-ha!

Five on Friday

....Another week has come and gone! The week seems like it has flown by in a blur and has altogether been a pretty good week. Of course, I'm never not looking forward to the weekend! The next few weekends look to be filled with lots of things to do, so I can't wait to get them underway!

*ONE*

Wonder Woman - That's right; I'm headed to the theater tonight to see Wonder Woman and I can't wait! I've always been a DC comics fan; mostly because I dearly love Superman...but the movies; for the most part, always seems to be lacking something... I can't wait to see Wonder Woman because her character was the highlight of Batman VS Superman and something tells me that this movie is going to excellent!

*TWO*

Occuquan Arts & Crafts Festival - Occuquan is a small town outside of DC that has a bi-annual arts and crafts festival...which I stumbled on last year and thought was amazing! There are tons of vendors nestled along the street(s) of this tiny town and it's the perfect place to spend a Saturday morning; especially if you are looking for a unique gift! It's also especially nice because the temperature is supposed to hover right around the upper 70's tomorrow...and Occuquan is on the river, so I feel like it's the perfect way to spend (part of) the day!

If you live in NoVa and think you'd be interested, check it out here!

*THREE*

House of Cards Season Five - I am reminded every time a new season premieres just how much I love this show! Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright are playing roles they were born to play and the twists and turns of the political thriller always keep me intrigued and surprised! I've already blazed through Season Five...and it only premiered on Tuesday! The long wait for Season Six begins...but I certainly enjoyed Season Five while I was watching it!

*FOUR*

Stitch Fix - I'll have to do a post soon...but I cannot say enough about how much I love Stitch Fix! I received a fix earlier this week and I am contemplating what to keep and what to return. That's always the hardest part for me because my stylist usually picks such wonderful pieces! If you have ever had any interest in trying out Stitch Fix, please feel free to use my link and give it a go. I'm pretty sure you won't be disappointed!

*FIVE*

Nationals Baseball - It was a good week to be a Nationals fan! Sure...sure, the week started with a loss to the Padres, but then the Nationals went out west and started their long California road trip with a sweep of the Giants! Certainly there was the whole incident with Bryce Harper getting in a brawl with a pitcher who shall not be named...but said pitcher shouldn't have thrown a 98 mph fastball at Bryce. I'd punch someone too! The weekend will be spent playing the Oakland Athletics before heading down the state to take on the Dodgers. A third of the season has been played and the Nationals end the month of May with a 33-19 record - not bad...not bad at all! 

That's all I've got for this week's edition of Five on Friday! Until next time - enjoy your weekend!

What I Was Into - May

How is May already over? Are you kidding me?

Books I Couldn't Put Down

Beauty & the Beast by Elizabeth Rudnick - This is exactly what you might think; the novelization of the movie! It was a very quick and easy read; I think I started it on the flight to Las Vegas and had finished it the next night. I enjoyed it, but then again...I think by now it's obvious that I enjoy pretty much anything and everything related to Beauty & the Beast!

Beauty & the Beast: Lost in a Book by Jennifer Donnelly - I ordered this book on a whim; it was only $8.99 for the hardback edition and I am so glad I purchased it! The synopsis from Amazon: Lost in a Book follows the lonely, bookish Belle as she finds an enchanted book in the Beast's library called Nevermore that carries her into a glittering new world. There, Belle is befriended by a mysterious countess who offers her the life she's always dreamed of...But Nevermore is not what it seems, and the more time Belle spends there, the harder it is to leave. Good stories take hold of us and never let us go, and once Belle becomes lost in this book, she may never find her way out again.

This book was so engrossing and I devoured it...or I suppose one could say; I got lost in it! It was a great read!

Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling - The first of the seven books in the Harry Potter series; this was a re-read...but still as enjoyable as ever!

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling - The second of the seven books in the Harry Potter series; another highly enjoyable re-read!

Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - The third of the seven books in the Harry Potter series; you guessed it, a re-read that I was engrossed in! 

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie - I didn't actually "read" this book; I downloaded via Audible and listened to the book as I was driving to and from work each day. The book is narrated by Dan Stevens (of course it is...) and was engaging from the start. The synopsis from Audible: Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. One of his fellow passengers must be the murderer. Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man's enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again.

Another incredibly engaging book that I really enjoyed! Audible may become a thing for me!

Books on the Shelf

I must admit...I haven't made a dent in the pile of books I purchased almost three months ago. I think it's pretty obvious based on the above that I've fallen into a Harry Potter hole...I'm not sure how long I'll be there. I just started reading Goblet of Fire, so I might actually end up re-reading the whole series. Who knows?

Must See TV

Fargo - The third season of Fargo; sadly, has not been quite as engaging as the first two...but it's kept me intrigued nonetheless. Bumbling brothers Emmett and Ray Stussy find themselves caught up in a decades old feud over a valuable stamp bequeathed to them by their Father and the cast of characters around them get drawn into the wider story as mishap leads to murder and so much more. Of course, all committed with those perfect Minnesota accents in place...

The White Princess - The follow up to Starz's The White Queen, The White Princess follows the union of the houses of York and Lancaster through the marriage of Elizabeth York to Henry Tudor. The couple's marriage was filled with tension at the start, but as the two must ally themselves against outside forces...including their own families. The constant fight to keep the throne and the fight to keep their marriage together in the face of the many foes that come against them make the story all the more compelling.

Plus - I love anything to do with the British royalty!

Movies of the Month

Guardians of the Galaxy: Volume II - That's right; I finally saw something besides Beauty & the Beast! I wasn't sure what to expect with the first installment of Guardians of the Galaxy but I loved it and couldn't wait for Volume II! This movie had the same quirky and irreverent sense of humor, the lovable misfit characters were back in action and of course...Baby Groot! What's not to love about Baby Groot? I spent most of this movie cracking up and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it!

Beauty & the Beast - Yep! I saw this movie again in May! I think it's safe for me to say this is my favorite movie and leave it at that. I'm not admitting how many times I saw it in theaters...but maybe someone can guess?

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales - I do love a good Pirates movie and while the third installment was more of a "miss" to me, all in all I am thoroughly delighted by these movies! The fifth installment was a hit for me; following Will and Elizabeth's Turner's son Henry as he plots to obtain the Trident of Poseidon to break the curse binding Will to the Flying Dutchman. Along the way he encounters Jack Sparrow, the deadly Salazzar, Captain Barbossa and of course...a love interest in Corinna. If you're a fan of any of the Pirates movies, I'd definitely recommend seeing this one - it was great!

Binge-Worthy

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - The third season follows the continuing adventures of Kimmy Schmidt as she navigates college life; her unusual strength (that time in the bunker paying off...) earns her an athletic scholarship to Columbia. Titus continues to be outrageous...well, honestly all the characters continue to be outrageous and outrageously funny! 

House of Cards - The fifth season of Netflix's first series; Frank and Claire's battle to win the White House on a joint ticket against Republican candidate Will Conway intensifies. The Underwood's unstoppable thirst for power is threatened by Washington Herald reporter Tom Hammerschmidt's quest to unravel the deeds that earned the Underwoods their status.. Frank asks Claire if people realize what they've done to get where they are - but of course they don't; if people knew, the Underwoods would be imprisoned for life!

Tasty Treats

Desserts from Jean Phillipe Patisserie - The delicious desserts from Jean Phillipe Patisserie were hands down one of the tastiest things I ate all month! The Lemon Tart was easily the most beautiful to look at and the most delicious...but the Raspberry Intense Cake and Blueberry Cupcake were also amazing! I'll be making a return trip to Jean Phillipe Patisserie the next time I'm in Vegas!

Mexican Street Corn @ Mesa Grill - The pastries were close to the best thing...but the very best thing I ate all month was the Mexican Street Corn at Mesa Grill. It was one of the most splendid things I've ever eaten in my life - and I don't really like corn! I've been scouring Pintrest to try to find something remotely similar so I can recreate it. Something tells me I won't come close! 

Earworms

I honestly haven't listened to a ton of music this month; I spent a large part of my drive to and from work listening to podcasts and Murder on the Orient Express via Audible...however, when I was listening to music (usually on the elliptical...) it was...

Celine Dion - This musical selection is definitely inspired by the fact that I saw Celine Dion in concert early in the month. She was absolutely incredible and so of course, I have been playing some of her tunes!

Beauty & the Beast Soundtrack - Laugh if you must but this is my go-to music choice when I am on the elliptical. I have a playlist set up that gets me to 30 minutes, 35 minutes, 40 minutes and more...and so I "rock out" to this soundtrack on an almost daily basis!

What I'm Looking Forward To

(More) Nationals Baseball - The first two months of the season have been good; Harper, Murphy and Zimmerman at three, four and five in the batting line-up have been nicknamed "Murderer's Row" because one of the three is likely to murder a baseball. Max Scherzer is on fire...but that's not really much of a surprise; you can almost bet you'll see something special every time he steps onto the mound and Stephen Strasburg recorded a record and career high 15 strike outs on his last outing. It's a great time to be a Nationals fan and I can't wait to get to more games at Nationals Park!

Spending time with Friends - This may be sort of a "duh" thing...but I've got plans to catch up with several different friends throughout the month of June and I'm looking forward to each and every moment!

So - that's what has kept me occupied throughout the month of May! I can't wait to see what June has in store; I'm sure it will be fantastic!

Watson Wednesday

Happy to be cuddling on the couch!

Same Old, Same Old...

Another week - another week with not much to report; the weekend was really where the action was and I've got pictures aplenty of that, but they are for another post on another day. So here's a quick recap of the past week in pictures...that are mostly of my sweet dog!

Mondays are exhausting...even the dog agrees!

A little Tuesday night baseball watching - Watson is a big Nationals fan too!

It rained...and rained...and rained...every single day last week. Every day dawned gray and dreary, the temperature hovered around the upper 50's to lower 60's and the sky dripped and dropped throughout the day. Friday morning dawned clear and blue but it was just a fake out - within an hour the rain had started again! Thankfully the sun finally came out on Friday afternoon and stayed out for longer than thirty minutes; I felt like I'd forgotten what it looked like...and so of course, I had to snap a picture of the blue skies for posterity. 

I think this thing is the sun??

The face he makes when he realizes my suitcase is out...

A high seas adventure on Friday night - seeing the newest installment of Pirates of the Caribbean.

Taking a ride to the kennel on Saturday morning...

As you can see - the past week wasn't exactly riveting. There was a small bit of diversion on Wednesday afternoon; I went and got my hair done! Otherwise, it was the same old week - coffee, work, more coffee, home to exercise and have dinner, watch some Nationals baseball, sleep...repeat!

Stay tuned for some more interesting (at least in my humble opinion...) posts later in the week!