U.S. National Arboretum

After my trip to the French embassy, I had a few hours to kill before rush hour started, so at the suggestion of my friend and her fiance, I decided to spend some time at the U.S. National Arboretum. (FYI, all of the "tourist attractions" in D.C. are free, so it's worth it to check at least one place out if you're in the area!) The arboretum is huge and most of the gardens were not in bloom, so I just visited the Bonsai garden, the herb garden, and the Asian forest. Deep in the Asian forest there is a little trail that takes you down to the river, so of course I checked that out too! It was 90 degrees that day, but the tree coverage kept everything pleasant. I'd love to go back in the spring when more gardens are in bloom!

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Project 365, 244-250

244/365: I had to take a trip down to D.C. to renew my (French) passport. Originally, I had rented a nice place in Maryland through Airbnb for Shawn and I to stay at. Sunday night, Shawn decided he wasn't feeling up for another trip so soon after all the traveling we did for my friend's wedding over the weekend, so instead I linked up with an old friend of mine from high school and spent the night at her place right in the city. We hadn't seen each other since high school, so there was so much to catch up about! (Specifically, the fact that she and her boyfriend got engaged a mere 24 hours before my visit!!) Her second bedroom was absolutely lovely and a welcome place to spend the night on such short notice. So much natural light! Not that you can tell one bit from this photo...

245/365: I made friends with her very chatty cat, Colette. I'm always taken aback by how much smaller female cats are compared to male cats. Lloyd and Sylvester seem HUGE in comparison to all of my friends' cats! On a non-cat note, since I've made prior-mention of feeling stressed out about my trip to the French Embassy, it's worth saying that I had absolutely nothing to worry about as the whole experience of renewing my passport was positive overall. I was very confused the entire time about what to do and where to go, but in my short span thus far as a real adult, it seems to me that feeling confused 85% of the time is just part of being an adult. ... Were those last two sentences confusing? See what I mean?

246/365: Just the Bear being a bear.

247/365: I made olive oil lemon bars with some meyer lemon olive oil I have.... they're incredibly rich and lemony! I would post the recipe, but I just followed this one to a T. Adding a little lemon zest to the crust is brilliant!

248/365: Mike Lorenz plays jazz covers of classic rock songs every Thursday night where I work. He came out with a record! It's cat-approved. Uh, and in case you were wondering... that's a drawing of a vag-eye-na.

249/365: These guys have been all over us since we've been back. I can't say I mind it one bit though! Oh, actually, this photo was to show the first time they've both used the new cat tower at once! Mission accomplished.

250/365: Recipe for stuffed peppers coming this week! It's a staple meal here at Casa de Hill.

Whew! That was a lot packed into just a few days. Between Amy's wedding and my D.C. excursion, I drove over 500 miles in just four days. It was worth it though! I got to catch up with a few old friends, fell in love with rural New Jersey again, and dipped my toes into the greatness that is Washington D.C.... definitely need to go back! Preferably not when I'm on official foreigner business though.

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Psst... I'm on Poshmark!

I hate having stuff in my sidebar, and this didn't seem like the sort of thing to just add at the bottom of another post... so here's a quick post to say that I'm selling some of my clothes and jewelry on Poshmark. I don't necessarily like the whole social media and sharing aspect of it, but it seems to be the place to go if you're looking to sell gently used clothing online. So if you're the same size as me, yay for you! There's some Anthropologie and GAP stuff there, amongst other things - check it out!

Shop more of my closet on Poshmark

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Fun Finds Friday #104

Shawn and I walk to the grocery store, and I'm starting to think a cooler bag isn't a bad idea during the summer....



I'm not a fan of Teva sandals, but I can get down with these boots.



I can't remember whether or not I've already shared this pretty dress....

+ If Futurama quotes were motivational posters...
+ This list is very phallic. Dill with it.
+ Stop and smell the roses.
+ Man's got style.
+ Sadly, this is pretty accurate.
+ Married role play made me laugh.
+ Some tips for coziness. That couch though!

Happy Friday!!!!

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Project 365, 236-243

236/365: I spent the better part of the afternoon at the Philadelphia Outlets to buy myself some chinos. Somehow, the outlets always suck people in like that... you think you'll be there for an hour or two and next thing you know, five hours have gone by! But in those five hours, I managed to walk away with only two chinos (one was $4.88!!), a pair of shoes (that I've had my eyes on for months and definitely splurged on but as you can see, my favorite pair is well-worn and needed replacing...), and the most comfortable yoga pants ever. (Can I get a huzzah for self control?)

237/365: Gearing up for a wedding weekend bonanza. (#happilyeveremersons2015) And yes, Shawn and I have a nifty weekly calendar on our fridge where we jot down our schedules.


238/365: I sent this photo to my hairdresser to show her how much the pink has faded in a week and a half. She offered to redo it, but I actually kind of like how it has faded into a rose color. I may go back before the end of the month though.


239/365: An amazing customer at work brought us a big box of Federal Donuts. Cue: happiness.


240/365: Our trip to New Jersey began with an obligatory stop at 25 Burgers. If you've never had 25 Burgers, you simply do not understand the amazingness. NO. Five Guys does not even begin to compare, so don't even say it. Get your ass to 25 Burgers and shut the hell up.


241/365: Weddings always seem to go by so quickly when you're part of the bridal party. I think it's because you're so involved in the days leading up to them that the wedding itself seems like just a blip in the time frame as a whole. I did not take any photos during the actual wedding. I did, however, help paint the table numbers, get mayonnaise on my dress before the ceremony and photos, give the bride emotional support, laughter, and sandwiches prior to the moment she had been building up to for over a year, cry during the vows, and dance somewhat-freely due to the number of alcoholic beverages I consumed. It was, for lack of a better word at the moment, an awesome day.



242/365: And I brought home my bridesmaid bouquet, which actually stayed alive almost a whole week! I tossed it this morning because the roses were beginning to look a little lackluster.


Overall, a fairly exciting week with not-so-exciting photos. I don't have much else to report, other than the month of September being pretty smooth sailing until I leave for Madrid at the end of the month. I'm looking forward to a little lack of excitement until then.... a few weeks of relaxation before a few weeks of relaxation elsewhere is always appreciated.

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