Playing Catchup

Yes, it has officially been over a month since my last post. Oops!! Here's an attempt to catch the world up on the life and times of The District Darling:

John and I went to History and Hops at the historic Heurich House in the heart of Dupont Circle. The home once belonged to one of D.C.'s first brewmasters and is now a historic landmark. The event featured local brewers from Old Bust Head Brewery in Warrenton, VA. We got to meet the brewers, taste their brews, and get a tour of the historic home. Afterwards, we discovered one of my new D.C. favorites- St. Arnold's, Belgium fare and bar. As if I couldn't get any more excited about our upcoming Netherlands/Belgium trip, St. Arnold's mussels and frites made me even more so.

John and I went on a long afternoon bike ride and trekked around Teddy Roosevelt Island. It was hard to believe that we were only a hop, skip, and a jump away from the interstate and the hustle and the bustle of the city when looking at the picturesque naturescapes that the park offered.

John and I took another long bike ride adventure to grab famous mozzarella sticks and sandwiches from Tune Inn Cafe in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. The dive was featured on the Food Network's Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and definitely lived up to its reputation.

We made it to New Belgium's Tour de Fat festival for our second year in a row. The festival features New Belgium limited edition brews, carnival events and contests, and celebrates all things bicycle related.

I finally tried Ice Cream Jubilee in the Navy Yard neighborhood. It was recently ranked as one of the top ice cream locations in the U.S. by Thrillist, and reasonably so. Their flavors were unique (e.g. Thai Iced Tea, Snickers Snickerdoodle, Blueberry Pie) , fresh, and absolutely perfect on a hot summer's day.

We tried Dominican cuisine at Los Hermanos in Columbia Heights. The food was no fuss, flavorful and set up like a Dominican lunchroom style buffet. I'm all about trying new cultural cuisines and going to this place proved yet again that D.C. is the perfect place to do so.

I made a mid-week trip to one of my favorite cities, Charlottesville, VA to see one of my favorite bands, The Decemberists. The show was awesome and I was thrilled to check it off of my concert bucketlist.

We went on a double date to the Nats vs. Cubs game with my friend Ashley. Not only did the Nats win, but John and I scored free Chik-fil-a as a result,

Later that week, I celebrated my friend Ashley's birthday by going to the Nelly,TLC, New Kids on the Block Concert at the Verizon Center (thanks to our friend Skye for scoring us tickets). Hello, blast from the past!

Last week, I spent the week at my favorite place on Earth-Camp Sumatanga. It was my second year directing and I could not have asked for a better week. My co-deans, Andrew and Winston, were the best and the campers and counselors were just as great.

Before I left Alabama, I had dinner with friends and family at MELT. The grilled cheese hot spot was a food truck when I lived in the area, but has since opened a storefront in Avondale. I also made a pitstop by Pepper Place Saturday market and Saw's BBQ before boarding a plane for D.C.

John was off this past week and we have taken advantage of his time away from work by hitting up the Nats vs.Braves and hosting his parents this weekend. While the Lyles were in town, we showed them some of our favorite places like Jazz in the Gardens and 2Amy's, while also discovering some new ones like the  historic Fords Theatre.

It seems like yesterday that I was trekking through snow in a down filled parka and snow boots and now it's almost July! We have officially been in D.C. for over a year and it's finally starting to set in that this is home for us and not just a lengthy vacation. John made it through his first year of residency and I could not be more proud. We've made new friends, found new favorite places, and are still enjoying exploring and discovering this city together each day. Cheers to another fabulous week in the District!