First Week of Summer Recap 2018

Hey everyone! Happy Monday :) This past week has been such a whirlwind with being out of town for a wedding, doctor's appointments, the digital summit, and then to see friends in DC. Holy moly!

First up was Emily and Jordan's wedding. It was at a beautiful manor in North Carolina and we had a blast!

The next day we headed home for a quick nap before having to continue the drive up to D.C. Ugh that traffic is never fun! We went to my doctor's appointment the next day and then stayed with Carly and Joey for the night. We had a great time checking out a German beer garden, meeting Doc and Beth, and then having dinner together.

Later on in the week I had the Digital Summit for my school district. It was nice to get some ideas for next year but it was so hard to focus when I feel like we JUST finally started summer. Hopefully after things calm down next month I'll be able to dive in a little deeper.

On Friday we went over to the Labonte's house and had a great time eating pizza and just talking. It's always so relaxing over there and I always feel like I can be myself :) We never get any pictures though!

Saturday morning we headed out again for D.C. but this time we brought the pups to meet Carly and Joey's girls. The dogs were so funny together and they got along pretty well. It was basically madness with 4 little dogs but I think we did okay :) Carly is the best dog mom and they had lots of yummy treats! That night we went to Bar Charley (sooooo good!!) and to a couple bars. What a blast!

Mark and Joey had their own special date night lol

On Sunday we headed home pretty early. Then we had a date night at Il Giardino and went to see Ocean's 8. I loved the other Oceans movies so I was excited to see this one too. It was pretty good but I kept waiting for the conflict in the story. There just didn't seem to be one because everything worked out for them.... oh well!

all tuckered out from playing with their girlfriends and the drive

It was a great first week of summer and today we are hitting the ground running with last minute things before Mark leaves. Never a dull moment! :)

Weekend Recap: Monterey Wedding

I’m really behind on my updates but a couple weeks ago we returned from a quick trip to Monterey, CA to see some of our closest friends get hitched. The trip was a whirlwind but so much fun!

I flew out on Thursday night and met Mark in San Jose. We made the drive to Monterey and then immediately passed out. Traveling really took it out of us!

The next morning we got an early start and headed to Fisherman's Wharf for breakfast. We didn't want to waste a minute of our trip! Breakfast was delicious and the views were gorgeous. Afterwards, we met up with Carly and Joey in Pebble Beach to have lunch at Stillwater. Carly raved about this place and it did not disappoint. It was so yummy and holy moly those views!

Later on, we headed back to get ready for the wedding and then met up with some friends to make our way there. The ceremony and reception were so beautiful and the bride and groom looked so happy! Plus their pup Atlas was up there with them looking like a stud! We danced the night away (as much as I could on crutches) and ate delicious food! Such a good wedding!

The next morning we met up with a bunch of people to explore the downtown area. We stopped at several restaurants/ bars and had the best time. It was so fun catching up with my sorority sisters and it was the perfect end to the weekend. We headed back to the hotel around 8 because we had to be up at 3:30 am to drive back to San Jose and catch our flight. It was a pretty rough day of travel because the airports were nuts but we made it home safe and sound. I'm still wishing the weekend wasn't over because we had such a great time. Thanks for hosting such an amazing wedding weekend TJ and Ashley!

My Summer Reading List 2018

It's almost that time of year... the time of year where I actually have down time and can really dive into some books. I do try to consistently read all year long because it's just good for my sanity but there is something about summer that just makes me want to pull out all this beach reads and dive into something lighter. I have quite a few books on my reading list this summer but I will try and narrow them down to a better list for you all.

Currently Reading:

Get it here

I just started the 4th book in the Red Rising series, Iron Gold. I have been waiting for awhile to get this one from the library so I'm excited that it's finally in my hands. The first 50 pages or so have been hard to get into but I am hoping it gets better. Mark says that it starts to pick up :) If you haven't started the series yet, do it now! So good!

The High Tide Club

Get it here

I love Mary Kay Andrews books because they are usually really light, have lots of drama, and are based in the south. Great combo right?? If you are looking for complexity and depth, this isn't the read for you lol but if you want a light read, grab this one! I am excited to dive in.

The Husband Hour

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This has been on a ton of other must read lists for the summer so I had to add it to mine too. I usually don't read very many books about people who have been widowed by a husband in the military because it just hits too close to home. This sounds pretty light, despite the death, so I'll add it to my list.
Update: Downloaded this audiobook for my LOOOONG car ride this week and it's really good! Not a thriller but keeps you wondering what happened. Also, it's based more on the husband's hockey career than military. 

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

Get it here

My friend Kayla recommended this and said she LOVED it. I am so excited about this one! I've liked pretty much everything I've read by Taylor Jenkins Reid so I hope this one is the same. Buzzfeed says "...it's one of the most captivating reads of 2017," so that has me sold. 

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

Get it here

This book is more on the suspenseful side but I can't read light books all summer right?? I have really liked Ruth Ware's other books so I'm excited to see if this one lives up to the hype. The description on Amazon doesn't provide much info which is a good thing. I hate when they give too much away!

The Perfect Couple

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It wouldn't be a summer reading list without an Elin Hilderbrand book. As most of you know by now, I have a big obsession with Nantucket. It's on the top of my bucket list and I can't wait to visit one day. This book isn't out yet but I preordered a copy for the end of June. 

Legendary

Get it here

I read the first book in this series, Caraval, last year and LOVED it. The book is technically categorized as YA, which isn't normally my jam, but I was sucked into the storyline from the very beginning. It's also in the fantasy genre which isn't usually up my alley either but the writer does a great job of keeping you wanting more. Check out the first book if you haven't read it yet. 

I also have quite a few teacher reads on my list. Any teachers out there interested to hear what I am reading??