The Color of Tea

I just finished reading The Color of Tea on the train ride home from work today. The author writes of heroine Grace's struggles with past and current relationships. Grace opens a lovely cafe specializing in French macarons to escape the worry and pain of her life. As the chapters progress (each named after a creative and tasty-sounding macaron), Grace slowly creates a more fulfilling and happy life.

I loved the author's depiction of friendships and marriage in the novel. And I definitely have a serious craving for macarons! If you are looking for one last summer read, this book will do the trick.

Happy Friday!

Weekend Getaway: D.C.

Tonight, I'll be packing up my weekend bag for a trip to D.C. Dave and I go down to the capital every summer to visit friends and explore the city. Normally, we try out different hotels, but this year we are returning to The Normandy. Check out the gorgeous rooms:

 

Our plans are still a bit up in the air, but we are going to try to check out the Newseum. Have you ever been? I've had my eye on this museum for a while, but we never managed to fit in a visit.

I'll be back next week (I have off all week!) to share photos. Have a great weekend!

Thirty

So, I turned 30 last week. That's a big deal, right? It felt really good to enter my thirties - I was starting to get bored of my twenties. :)

Dave planned an awesome birthday week for me. In our family, we welcome birthdays with a week-long celebration that includes small gifts, dinners out, and fun activities all in addition to cake and gifts on your actual birthday. For my thirtieth birthday week, I received some really sweet gifts like a bottle of my favorite perfume and gift certificate for a manicure. Dave also surprised me with flowers, dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant, a night at the movies, and he made me homemade pizza.

Our families joined us for dinner at Heirloom, a fabulous restaurant in Chestnut Hill. We dined at a long family-style table in the middle of the restaurant. I tried foie gras and had short ribs with grilled peaches. So good! We all went back to our house for cake, coffee, and gifts. It was a super fun night and I felt like one fortunate girl.



P.S. My parents gave me a new camera and I'm so excited to share some much-improved photos with you soon!

I'm Back!

After an unplanned 3-month hiatus, I'm back to blogging! I guess I just needed a bit of a break. :) Just for fun, let's take a look at what I was up to during the spring and early summer...

After years and years (and years!) of hard work, my mom earned her bachelor's degree in English. She graduated on a sunny morning in May. I'm so proud of her!

Uncle Gary came up for graduation day!

Michelle's sister held a polo bachelorette party for her. We chatted, ate yummy finger sandwiches, and drank Champagne while watching the ponies race back and forth.

The bride-to-be looked gorgeous, of course!

Later in May, Dave and I spent a long weekend in Charlottesville, Virginia with our wine and food club. We stayed in a charming house surrounded by rolling fields and horses. During the day we visited wineries and historic sights and then spent our evenings enjoying delicious meals and relaxing in the house's hot tub.

Our lovely farmhouse.

Mama horse and her colt.

We toured the University of Virginia campus.

Vines and roses!

James Madison's house - our last stop before heading home.

June was super busy for me - I traveled to Miami and Las Vegas for work. I also attended Michelle's Alice in Wonderland-themed wedding shower and Dave and I hosted a Rose tasting.

After much pre-wedding celebrating, Michelle and Chris were married on a hot and sunny July evening. Their wedding was so much fun and full of Michelle's creative, artistic touches. We had a blast catching up with our friends and dancing into the evening.

And now we are all caught up on the big stuff! I'll share some more stories soon including my 30th birthday celebration and our plans for the rest of the summer.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

May Resolution: Visiting the Farmers' Market

It's time to roll out another monthly resolution! This month I'm going to be focusing on visiting my local farmers' market on Saturday mornings. The market just opened three weekends ago and I did a bit of shopping last weekend and this morning. There are gorgeous veggies to buy (asparagus, lettuce, and radishes) and lovely potted herbs that really get me in a springtime mood. I can't wait for the fruit to start appearing!

Speaking of spring...here are some photos of the azalea that grows near my front door. I love seeing those gorgeous hot pink blooms when I come home from work.

Dave and I are meeting up with friends for sushi tonight. I can't wait! I hope you enjoy the rest of your weekend.

A New Coffee Routine

After 3+ years of starting my work day with a cup of free office coffee I finally reached a point where I just couldn't take it any longer. Our office coffee isn't brewed in a traditional coffee pot, but dispensed through a large machine that takes the contents of small packets of "coffee" and combines them with hot water for a truly awful coffee beverage.

I treated myself to a small French press this past weekend and it makes delicious, hot coffee in just a few minutes. Now, I find myself wondering why I waited so long to make the switch.



I love small rituals that make the day a bit brighter. Now, I count my 10:00 cup of coffee as a small pleasure that I look forward to each morning.

Happy May Day!

Sunday at the Lake

Dave and I like to go for hikes in the parks and lakes that are near our home. We squeezed in a hike around Lake Galena on Easter Sunday.

I love to watch the woods slowly becoming greener...

I hope you enjoyed today's beautiful weather. Happy spring!