Weekend Things

Happy Monday! This weekend, we had Mike's dad and grandma in town, which was a perfect opportunity to do all of our favorite touristy things. While Mike's dad has been here for a couple weekend trips to see us, his grandma hadn't been down since we move and hasn't seen Charleston since probably the 1990s. Picking me up from work on Friday at lunchtime, we headed over to Sullivan's Island for lunch at Home Team and a look at Fort Moultrie. Since they got up at 4am to get down here, they stayed back to relax while we went to watch the season kickball finals at the minor league ballpark. How cool is it that the teams get to play on the baseball field? Unlimited beer (for players and spectators) is an awesome bonus, too!

Saturday we headed to Johns Island to tour the Charleston Tea Plantation with stops at the Angel Oak and Baker & The Farmer, the cutest little new dairy and bake shop on Johns. This spot seriously deserves its own post soon - the chocolate ice cream and homemade waffle cone were perfection! Of course, we brought a few cookies home for that night, too. Dinner was our favorite Southern staple, Hominy Grill, followed by a few rounds of Sequence.

Sunday morning, Mike made sausage gravy and we spent time at Magnolia Gardens. After (my favorite part) the petting zoo, we did the nature train for the first time and saw tons of gators. After brunch at Mex 1 (another post I need to write soon!), we took a drive around Kiawah to show Grandma the beautiful beaches and homes.

We had the best time with them here, and the weather was equally as fantastic!

30 Before 30

I can't even count the number of people who said, "oooh, next one is the big one!" this year when I told them I was turning 29.  Well, if this year's birthday (and birthday weekend) were any indication, I guess this year is going to be big... I thought it'd be fun to round up a few of the things I want to do before this "milestone" to feel like I'm getting the most out of my last year of my 20s.  I tried to pull ideas for every aspect of my life: some of these are work-related, others travel-related, a few are to make the world a better place, and the rest are to try and be my best self.

1. Invest in an original piece of art

2. Get back to my ideal strength and weight

3. Volunteer

4. Get 8 hours of sleep each night

5. Purge and donate my closet

6. Start an herb garden

7. Have a girls night once per month

8. Visit more baseball stadiums

9. Network more

10. Run another race

11. Take a cooking class

12. Try yoga

13. Start a family tree

14. Do something nice for a stranger everyday

15. Visit the rest of the breweries in Charleston

16. Try something just for the adrenaline rush

17. Learn about wine

18. Make a plan to get to Cuba

19. Be a positive encouragement to those around me

20. Make an effort to break out of my introverted shell

21. Go on a hike

22. Advance my career

23. Buy a new camera

24. Travel internationally

25. Invest for the future

26. Cut my hair to donate again

27. Grow this blog

28. Stay more connected with family

29. Learn all the words to Rapper's Delight

30. Write to my congressmen about causes about which I'm passionate

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)