Thoughts for Thursday

After having last week off {our company closes all of our offices in the US for a week twice a year}, I thought this week was going to creep by very slowly. To my surprise, it has actually been the complete opposite and I am not complaining one bit because we are off to The Greenbrier Resort with TC's family this weekend!

I am still not ready to admit that 4th of July has already passed and we are half way through the summer. Is anyone else struggling to admit this too? We have hosted a 4th of July party for the past 3 years at our home and it has quickly become an event that TC and I look forward to each summer. This year we had a packed house of friends and 2 new additions - my adorable Goddaughter and another friend of ours also has a 2 month old, little girl. They are precious!

You know that adorable Goddaughter that I just mentioned? I seriously can't handle how cute she is in her red, white and blue to match her sweet mom. I feel like I am the luckiest lady to be able to be such a special part of E's life.  

Even though it poured in the afternoon, the skies cleared as everyone started to arrive {thank goodness} so we could enjoy being outside. The guys spent a lot of time seeing what they could find in the pond - some actually caught a few fish but others only caught sticks and weeds. :)

What's a 4th of July celebration without red, white, and blue, a few festive cocktails and a lot of traditional American food?! I made the Sangria that I mentioned in this post and it was delicious! I had never made Sangria before so I was worried that it wouldn't turn out well but it did and was the perfect cocktail for the afternoon - light and refreshing. 

 

A few weekends ago, we traveled to DC to meet my sister and her husband. We had such a great time catching up and enjoying all the sites of the city together. A few of my favorite stops during the trip...

The Observatory is a rooftop bar located on top of the Graham hotel in Georgetown, it has the most spectacular panoramic views of DC and Virginia. Their hand-crafted cocktails and wine selection were amazing!

We ate dinner at Restaurant Nora which was by far one of the greatest meals that I've had recently. Nora is focused on providing organic, seasonal, local food that is full of flavor so the menu changes daily. I thought it was neat to hear that Restaurant Nora became the nation's first certified organic restaurant, which means that at least 95% of all ingredients must be produced by certified organic farmers, growers and suppliers.  

After we walked up and down the cobble streets in Georgetown, we stopped for a cocktail and a cheese & charcuterie plate at Martin's Tavern in Georgetown. Martin's Tavern is one of the few restaurants that has been around since the Great Depression and the tradition of hospitality has brought every President from Harry S. Truman to George W. Bush to their tavern. By the way, I hope you are enjoying all the fun {and random} facts that I'm sharing from our travels.

I hope everyone is having an awesome week! I'm linking up with Annie and Natalie for Thoughts on Thursday and I hope you join us.