The weekend that was good for my soul

This tree in front of our house blossoms beautifully in the spring.

I intended to post this quite some time ago but Izabella ended up getting hospitalized (thank God she is getting better everyday!) and then the ever ending disregard for Black bodies just took over and it was all I could think about. I just wasn't in the mood to talk about that one good weekend. Although my mind seems to be thinking of one thing (justice for Black people) these days, I still want this post to be here as a reminder of good days. That although life can sometimes be so ugly that there is still beauty and we can always find good if we choose to.

I think that weekend was the best one since quarantine began. As time drags on because people refuse to do their part (I know this because I can compare where other countries are compared to where we are) we’re having to find ways to do the things we enjoy while still being safe. Friday evening, we took the dogs for a drive (they love car rides!) and it just made me so happy to see how thrilled the dogs were to have their heads out the window. They truly savor fresh air.

Saturday morning we woke up to perfect weather so I started meal prep early that way I could enjoy the rest of the day in the sunshine. I made this dish and I found it to be an easy recipe and so delicious. Burrata cheese is my new favorite.

In the afternoon, the pool company came out and set measurements in our backyard that way we could see exactly where the pool is going. It’s kinda crazy but it’s happening. We were actually suppose to have the pool done Memorial Day weekend but with all the restrictions that were put in place that had to be placed on hold. Construction begins on Friday!

(That's how long ago I wrote this post because the pool is done, lol!)

We took the dogs out for another ride and then to the lake since it’s their favorite place to be. OK, maybe Izy’s favorite place to be. When we dropped our dogs off, Sean and I went for a walk with my camera in tow and I snapped the three images below.

When we got home I made guacamole for the first time. I know, what?! I've just always ordered at restaurants and didn’t bother to make at home. It was sooo good and probably one of the easiest things I’ve ever made. I’m going to make some again this weekend because now I’m obsessed. It’s definitely going to be a regular thing now.

The tomatoes were for the dish I mention above with burrata cheese.



We also made strawberry mojitos and they were so good! Sean said, "I'd pay $12 for this drink". It’s actually incredible to me all the things we are figuring out to do by ourselves now.

In the evening, Sean grilled burgers and hot dogs for dinner which we enjoyed out on our deck. At the end of the evening, our kitchen definitely showed the evidence of a rather great day. It looked like we threw a party for just the two us.

Sunday morning, we had BEC on a bagel and then worked on our front lawn. Watering plants and trimming our overgrown Japanese maple tree were the highlights. I won’t say we did an amazing job but it definitely looks better than it did.

After the yard work, I completed meal prep and then sat in my hammock (even fell asleep) for the rest of the day. My sister recommended that I read “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” even though I’ve watched the movie on Netflix way more than I can count. I started on Sunday afternoon and was done Monday evening. It was actually the fastest I’ve read a book in the longest time and I was pretty surprised. Now I’m going to get the second and third book because I can’t leave myself hanging.

I hope you all are finding ways to keep yourself sane and happy and that you all are having wonderful weeks! ♥ xoxo

** And while on that note, I'm going to try my hardest to get back to updating this blog on the regular.
I can't let something I enjoy doing slip away the way I have. **

A drive to nowhere

A little over two weeks ago, Sean suggested that we go for a ride to nowhere and put on clothes as if we were going somewhere. I was a bit hesitant because I thought the suggestion was a little silly as I’m perfectly OK with wearing only lounge wear during this time. But also because being outside at any given time was making me incredibly anxious.

The thing is that I am fully aware that getting fresh air while practicing social distancing is perfectly fine but try convincing my worrisome self. It was difficult getting me to relax while I was outside even while I was doing all I could to be safe.

I told myself that I did not want this time in life to create a problem where I was afraid to go outside because I was finding myself making all sorts of excuses not to take our dogs for walks, etc. I reluctantly agreed.

And I’m glad I did because that day changed a bit of how I behave now. Just being in the car, listening to our favorite songs was enough to transport me to anxious free days. When we ended up by a river we got out of our car and took in the fresh air, feeling grateful for the moment. That day I found out that that fresh air is good for mind, body and soul; it's not just a cliché saying.

And well, dressing up to go nowhere … well that isn’t so bad either.
Funny thing is that I didn’t even notice that Sean didn’t exactly dress up until I reviewed these images, ha.











I've been saying this phrase a lot lately but really, what a time to be alive!

Some of my favorite moments this spring & summer

There are times when I just don’t want to be bothered with carrying my big camera and decide that my phone will have to do. But then when I look them over I always end up thinking that the images aren't good enough for a blog post. This may be true but I'm changing the way I think my blog should appear and how and what I choose to blog. So today, I'm documenting some of my favorite moments/memories from this spring and summer captured by the good ole iPhone. This is bound to be a long post so I hope you have a bottle of wine! Let's get to pouring! ;)

There is also bound to be a lot of food pictures in this post, my favorite, ha.

Lunch date with Cinthia at one of our favorite restaurants, Tapas, early this spring. I remember being so excited that the weather was warming up and that I had more days like this to look forward to.







My darling niece showing me all her prized possessions when I went to visit her early this (or should I say last?) spring.





One of my things to do this year was to watch our local baseball team (Iron Pigs) play. It was a blast, albeit windy but definitely something I'd love to do again soon.









I look forward to our (Sean and I) lunch dates on the weekends we are home.
It's not necessarily the food but the conversations that we have over said meal that I look forward to.





I guess you can say we like our pizza over here!



We drove to upstate NY for the weekend to watch our nephew (Jayden) play flag football. His team won and he was so, so proud. There was a fair happening so I made sure to try a s'mores waffle ... way too sugary even for me.











The picture below was from a fun night with Sean at Revel Social.
Not pictured is all the dancing we did that night :)



Enjoyed this view during long walks with our dogs.



We visited my girlfriend, Nawal, in DC. She was the most amazing host and we had a great time. We enjoyed using her pool in her building, watching new episodes of Stranger Things together
and had an amazing dinner at Kogiya Korean BBQ.







I couldn't help but take some pictures of her place because I love her decor so much.
So chic and classic.









Dinner with Cinthia at Urbano. I can't even tell you how many times I've gone here this year. Sean and I decided that this just might be our number one favorite restaurant. It has been hard to choose but we decided this year that Urbano is it. I'm not surprised that it is owned by the same people that own Tapas, our other favorite restaurant.







I didn't take pictures like I usually do when we go to Musikfest but we still
had a blast listening to music, dancing and eating all the things!







And I think after this post I might only be two months behind in blogging, woo-hoo!
Happy Thursday y'all! I hope you all have wonderful weekends! ♥