Surprise Weekend in DC

4:30 Friday afternoon, I walk into the bedroom and ask Mike what he's doing. "We have to get moving! Are you packed yet? You need to start packing!" "Uhhh, what are you talking about???" "We leave at 6. The high of the weekend will be 86 degrees and low is 67. You have to fit everything in one backpack." I panicked for about 30 seconds then threw everything I could think of on the bed. I didn't know how we were traveling, where we were going, or what we were doing there. Mike had mentioned doing something fun for my birthday earlier in the week but after a drunk friend slipped something at the bar the night before about seeing him out that weekend, I figured something a little more local was in the works. Apparently my drunk friend even knew the plan, and that was the beginning of the deception - haha.

Friday afternoon, Mike asked me over and over if I could guess where we were going, and with each guess I made, he'd add something else to his packed bag that I reminded him to get...more deception. When I guessed the NASCAR race in Charlotte, he got his binoculars, we packed all our toiletries in bags for a flight, and before we got in the Jeep, he made coffee for the road. Needless to say, I was confused. Well, we drove onto the highway, and at the last second, Mike got into the lane for the airport. At this point, I honestly expected him to drive all the way around the airport just to get back onto the highway. But he confirmed it, we did have plane tickets.

He said we were taking 2 flights and even the TSA agent was cool and handed Mike back my boarding pass folded when he told the agent I didn't know my surprise location yet. I made it until about 5 minutes before boarding when our layover in DC was spoiled by an announcement.

The flight was great, and we got off the plane to look for our connector. We started walking and talking, and before I knew it, we were headed for the Metro. Apparently we were there! Mike asked if I knew why we were there, and it took me a while but realized my Cubs were in town for the NLDS. Omg playoff baseball! I guess my summer of baseball wasn't destined to be over yet!

We got in at 9:30 or so Friday night, and after checking into our hotel, a Club Quarters around the corner from the White House, we took a night walk all around the monuments and memorials around the reflecting pool. Saturday was museum day (Air & Space and American History) before heading to the game. Sunday we visited the zoo and old town Alexandria. In between, we ate awesome food (which I'll link to below!) and walked basically every street we could! Thank you so much, Mike, for an awesome birthday surprise!

Friday night walk around the monuments...

Saturday morning doughnuts and coffee at Sugar Shack

Jumps at the Watermelon House

Smithsonians

Nationals Park for the NLDS

Sunday morning with doughnuts and fried chicken at Astros

National Zoo

Old Town Alexandria (and the best cupcake)

10 Easy Ways to De-Stress

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser, MARS Incorporated. All opinions are mine alone. #WhatMakesDove #CollectiveBias 

Today's post goes out to all my fellow hard-working ladies out there.  We made it halfway through the week - hooray!  Who else feels pulled in about a million different directions on a daily basis?  And now, with the holidays coming up soon, it's only going to get crazier... but we can do it!  Today, I am excited to share 10 ways that we can relax, calm, and all-around de-stress after a long day with a little "me" time:

1. Write in a journal: Get your feelings and thoughts out on paper.  For me, this blog is like my internet journal, and when I need time for myself, I write out my thoughts or share the good things I've been enjoying lately.

2. Exercise: Anything from a walk to an all-out sprint will release endorphines and help you feel positive.

3. Spend time outside: Even if you don't want to work up a sweat, bring a chair outside, and take deep breaths out in the fresh air.

4. Enjoy a favorite snack: Treat yourself a little.  DOVE Chocolate PROMISES have been my go-to recently, and with three flavors (Dark Chocolate, White & Dark Chocolate Swirl, and Sea Salt Caramel & Dark Chocolate), there's a perfect snack no matter how I'm feeling.  You can purchase the 31 ounce canister at Sam's Club. The best part about DOVE is the little inspirational message hiding in each wrapper.

5. Reach out to a friend: Make a call, send a text, or visit a neighbor who you haven't seen in a while.  Taking your mind off stress and laughing with a friend can help you feel more relaxed immediately.

6. Buy a plant: Having houseplants not only livens up your home but also helps you breathe more easily with the release of oxygen and can improve your health by lowering blood pressure and heart rate.

7. Pamper yourself: Take a bath, give yourself a facial, or paint your nails.  Feel better on the inside by indulging yourself on the outside.

8. Craft: The repetitive motion of crafting can help those who suffer from anxiety or chronic pain with effects similar to meditation.  While I enjoy making string bracelets, beading, knitting, and crocheting can also ease stress and increase happiness.

9. Unplug: Stop checking your phone every 5 seconds.  I know when mine is on, I look over every other minute to see if I have any new emails or alerts.  With it completely off, hopefully you will have more time and mind power to focus on other things.

10. Go to bed early: If you can't wake up later on a weekday, give yourself more sleep and make it feel like you're sleeping in later by going to bed before you usually do.  Limiting screen time late at night can help you fall asleep more quickly, too.

As you can see, I love the concept of women supporting women, and DOVE Chocolate is doing just that.  While I am working to support the women around me, DOVE has partnered with CARE to help female farmers succeed in West Africa.  With the CARE program, women are obtaining funds to be invested in their farms and enabling themselves to make decisions for not only their households, but also their farming communities.

Join the conversation and see what DOVE is doing to help women around the world by clicking here.  When you purchase DOVE Chocolate, you can even sign up to earn $1.50 back on Ibotta with the purchase of the 31 oz DOVE Chocolate PROMISES canister.

What is your favorite way to unwind?

Weekending + My Birthday!

Happy Tuesday, friends! And yes, it's October 3rd, in case you were wondering...

It's also my birthday!  I wanted to pop in today for a quick (and late) weekend recap of our trip up to New England.  My first boss is retiring this month, and my old staff threw a going away golf tournament for him and honored him with a dinner afterwards.  I was so happy to be able to go up, see all of my old co-workers, and thank him for starting me on this career path.  We just caught the tail end of the fall New England heatwave, and it was in the mid-70s playing on Thursday.

The rest of the weekend dropped into the 40s at night, and even in the sun, it was only low 60s. We visited family, played games, ate doughnuts, drank beer, and picked pumpkins.

I assume I'm the last person to finally find these seltzer jrs in ridiculous flavors, but if you haven't yet, you need to!  For those who don't know, Polar beverages are a staple in New England.  I actually went to college right up the hill from one of their factories, and I loved looking out my window to see their giant inflatable Polar bear on their roof!

Speaking of my alma mater, we stopped by Holy Cross on Saturday morning on the way to visit family in Massachusetts to buy a bumper sticker for our golf cart, and apparently it was homecoming!  (I guess I don't read my emails well...)  It was so fun to walk around and see everyone in their purple and white.  Holy Cross also holds an extra special place in my heart, because that's where we got married!

Since our trip a few weekends ago to Chicago, I've been on the lookout for the best doughnuts everywhere.  I found Tastease online in Hartford, and they're mini donuts - yes, please!!

And last, I am praying so hard for everyone affected by the senseless violence in Las Vegas over the weekend.  It hurts me to say that I am feeling so desensitized by all of this terror, and our country needs to finally take a stand on gun violence.  Acts like this cannot and should not be the norm.  We need stricter regulations for gun holders now.