My Summer Bucket List

Living in Georgia as a teenager, I used to dread summer. Summer meant 100+ degree weather, humidity so high and thick you felt like you were breathing underwater, an endless cavalcade of gnats, and my lily-pale skin taking on a boiled lobster hue. The only times fit for outdoor activities were early morning or early evening. And you best be armed with a glass of sweet tea because even then the heat could linger, rippling over the driveway asphalt. A visible, almost tangible, heavy heat.

Over time, however, I've grown to love summer. Perhaps it took experiencing a real winter to really appreciate the scorching summer sun. This year, after slipping on ice and shoveling away feet of snow for the upteenth time, I told myself This summer I am not going to complain about the heat. Not once. And I meant it. Even as hot as it has gotten this year, I have truly enjoyed the tingle of the sun on my arms, the heavy warm air, and the pulse and glow of fireflies at night.

To truly take advantage of this season, I put together a fun summer bucket list of things I feel truly encapsulate the freedom of these long summer days. I may not get around to all of them--after all, it wouldn't this list would lose the fun aspect if I forced myself to check off each item like a mandatory to-do list. Instead, its just a bucket list of things I both love to do and want to do this summer 2015.

1. Read, read, read.
As I mentioned earlier, one of my favorite things to do in the summertime is catch up on my reading. So far, I've read about four books. My goal is six by the end of the season!

2. Finish renovating our kitchen.

3. Camp at Chincoteague Island and kayak to see the wild ponies.

4. Indulge in something sweet at Rita's Italian Ice.
Hello, Georgia Peach Gelati, I'm looking at you. 

5. Eat clean and green.

6. Visit the downtown farmer's market.

7. Have a cookout on the patio.
Preferably one complete with a little table cloth and a jar of wildflowers.

8. Bike around historic Frederick.

9. Eat a juicy tomato-mayo sandwich, with a fresh banana pepper on the side.
These things are sacrosanct in our family.

10. Experiment with fresh salsa recipes.
I already burned our pants off with a recipe chock full of fresno chiles. 

11. Write several book chapters.

12. Go for evening strolls around Baker Park.

13. Locate a Maryland lake perfect for swimming and fishing.

14. Build an old-door headboard for our master bedroom.

15. Catch a jarful of fireflies.
The one bug that doesn't make me squirm or squeal. Well, butterflies don't either. 

16. Play a pick-up game of Ultimate Frisbee.

17. Watch fireworks in the park.

18. Go to a baseball game.
If you live in Frederick and haven't yet been to a Keys game, you need to go. So much fun!

19. Plant more flowers that any reasonable person needs.

20. Try my hand at plein-air painting.

We'll certainly be checking some of these off this weekend!

What's on your summer to-do list?  Got any special plans?

Comment below, I always love to know who has stopped by!

Around Town // Frederick City Guide

This past week, Mark and I have been working relentlessly on renovating our tiny galley kitchen. While the project has been exciting, the work has unfortunately kept us indoors and away from the beautiful summer sunshine. These perfect summer days of hot blue skies and evening thunderstorms will pass all too quickly; so get out there and enjoy them while they last.

If you're in the Delmarva area, a fun way to pass your next free Saturday would be a day-cation to our little city of Frederick, Maryland. It's a hip little town packed with art, style, and Civil War history at every corner. To give you an idea of what Frederick has to offer, Mark and I put together a list of our favorite downtown Frederick attractions.

Eat

Brewer's Alley
124 N Main Street
This restaurant-and-brewery is hands down our favorite restaurant in downtown Frederick. Located in the heart of downtown in an imposing brick building that once served as Frederick's opera house, Brewer's Alley is the ultimate date-night destination. Periodically, their beer menu changes to reflect the season. Favorite eats: Aloha pizza and Mahi Fish Tacos. Favorite drink: Nut Brown Ale

Pretzel Pizza Creations
210 N Market Street

Mark and I love popping down to this restaurant for a yummy lunch. The bread and pizza dough are made from pretzel dough. Can you say yum?? I highly recommend the turkey-avocado sandwich.

Bushwaller's Pub
209 N Market Street

If you're in the mood for a cozy Irish pub, Bushwaller's is your destination. The food is hearty and, of course, Guinness is on tap. And if you're just looking to hang out, there's always a game of darts available at the back.

JoJo's
16 E Patrick Street

On my first night in Frederick, Mark took me to JoJo's. We were both exhausted from moving my furniture into the apartment and had no food in the fridge yet. So, at nine, we set out to find some supper and found JoJo's. I highly recommend their hot wings.

Rex's Downtown Grill
57 E Patrick Street
A few months ago, I mentioned to Mark that Frederick just needed a basic hamburger grill. A few weeks later, Rex's Grill opened its doors on Patrick Street. We've only been here a few times but were very impressed with the fun atmosphere and yummy burgers.

Cafe Nola
4 E Patrick Street

Famous for its brunch, Cafe Nola is a great place for a girls-date. Their menu boasts several yummy vegetarian options as well as a great coffee bar. I always order the California Turkey sandwich.

Shop

Repurposed and Refined
217 W Patrick Street
Of course, I can't create a downtown Frederick shopping list without including a shout-out to the shop. We're stock full of beautiful vintage furniture and carry a large inventory of Annie Sloan chalkpaint products. So whether you're looking for a vintage treasure or starting your own DIY, we've got you covered.

Silk & Burlap
28 E. Patrick Street
An ultimate ladies' shopping destination, Silk & Burlap carries everything from Vietri stoneware to designer clothing to Alex and Ani jewelry to vintage furnishings. They carry a little bit of everything. Although somewhat pricey for a newlywed girl like me, their store is always a beautiful place to peruse. 

Citizen Frederick
112 E Patrick Street
Mark's favorite Frederick store (along with every other man in the Baltimore-DC area), Citizen Frederick hands-down is the best-smelling store in all of Frederick. The perfect blend of leather, aftershave, and wool envelops you as soon as you step over the threshold. Somehow, the store manages to perfectly combine rustic manliness with urban style. Most of their inventory is American-made with much of it being Maryland-made and all of it being well-made. In addition to the shop, a barber shop resides on the second floor. In short, if you send your man to Citizen Frederick, he's going to walk out looking sharp.
Confession: I personally own one of their hoodies. No joke, it's the cuddliest sweatshirt ever. 

Curious Iguana Bookstore
12 N. Market Street
Frederick's independent bookstore has become my go-to for any book purchases not made on my Kindle. If they don't have the title you're looking for, you can always order it for no additional charge. 

The Trail House
17 S. Market Street
If you're into outdoor sports or camping, you need to stop by the Trail House to stock up on gear. Not only will you get great products, but you'll get friendly advice on the best places to trail run, bike, and hike in Maryland. 

Muse
19 N Market Street
If you need some creative inspiration, stop by the Muse downtown. Its owner Whitney takes care in promoting and beautifully displaying artisan products in her store. The baby section in the back is especially adorable.

Do

Frederick Coffee Co.
Hands down, Frederick Coffee Company is my favorite local spot for a latte. Curl up in one of their booths with a book or for a chat with a good friend over a mug of something hot and sweet. They also regularly host poetry readings, live music, and other fun events. 

Historic Frederick Bike Tour
This bike loop leads you through 10 miles of Frederick's 50 block historic district. You'll pass historic buildings that span from the town's inception in the 1700s to the early 1900s. 

Museum of Civil War Medicine
With so many battlefields just a few miles away, Frederick became a hospital town during the Civil War. In fact, five major battlefields-- Monocacy, Gettysburg, Harpers Ferry, Antietam (Sharpsburg), and South Mountain--all lie within an easy 30 minute drive of the city. This museum highlights the difficult plight of Civil War camplife and the medical innovations that paved away for modern military medicine. 

Baker Park
A short walk from downtown's center, Baker Park has 40 acres for you to run, play, and sunbathe. On pretty summer days, you'll find people reading in the shade of the trees or playing a pick-up game of ultimate frisbee. My favorite part of the park is the bell tower which occasionally peals out beautiful hymns. Hit up the park this weekend for the Celebrate Frederick July Fourth fireworks show. 

Carroll Creek Canal

Originally designed as a floodwater preventive,  Carroll Creek now runs through downtown Frederick as a beautiful canal speckled with lily pads and teeming with wildlife. Since many shops and eateries line its banks, strolling along the canal is always a pleasant way to spend a summer evening.

Alive @ Five 
Every Thursday night, the amphitheater by the canal transforms into a stage where local bands serenade passerby. Sitting with our legs dangling over the edge of the canal bridge, listening to cover songs, has been one of our favorite middle-of-the-week getaways since moving to Frederick. 

These are just a few of our favorite Frederick attractions. I'm sure I've left many other awesome places out-- but to be honest, Frederick has so many great aspects, its hard to pick just a few places to highlight.

Are you a Frederick local? What are some of your favorite places?

Summer's Ending, vol. 2

Summer's ending brings its own unique color palette. It's no longer the dainty pinks and tender greens of spring, nor yet the crimsons and violets of fall. Instead, summer's ending adopts duskier hues, as if life's pigments too are growing weary and scorched by an over-zealous sun.

Like the powdery blues and washed-out yellows of a summer sunset.

The juicy reds and verdant greens of a summer's harvest. 

The chipped white and peeling red of an old farmhouse.

Or the yellow ochre and faded black of a flower hedge and its bumblebee denizens.

This post is the second installment of the series Summer's Ending.

For volume one, check out this post. 

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks

A few weekends ago, Mark and I went to our first Major League Baseball game together. The Washington Nationals vs the Atlanta Braves. Mark's turf vs. my turf.
To be honest, though, I cheered for the Nationals. Now wait....before you drag me from my home, carry me around the city, and shout me a traitor...Let me state my reasons:

1. I come from a avid football family. We bleed George red and black. From August to February, we live and breathe in the name of Herschel Walker, alternately cuss and praise Mark Richt, fly our colors proudly, and rally like no other. We say dawg not dog. And a car without some Georgia love--whether it be flag, sticker, or tire cover--belongs to no Bulldawg. So...in the face of all that foamy-mouthed ferocity... no other sport really mattered. So, no, although I grew up red-clay stained, I was not raised a Braves fan.
2. My husband lived and worked in Washington, D.C. And we still reside in Nats territory, so when in Rome...
3. That Bryce Harper is a lovely looking fellow and, man, can he clobber a baseball.
4. Papa Johns gives 50% off pizza every time the Nats win by 7. If nothing else will convince you to buy peanuts and cracker jacks in the name of Natitude, cheap pizza will.

Convinced? Yes, no, maybe so?
Convinced enough to grudgingly stow away your torches and ropes? Thanks.

Here's the thing about Mark and baseball: he stays until the last possible second. It doesn't matter the score, it doesn't matter if more than half of the stadium has given up and left. You stay until the ump has given the signal, and you cheer your bloody lungs out. If the board says charge, you yell charge. If it says make noise, you make noise. If it says stand on your head, you stand on your head.


Because you never know when the seemingly impossible comeback will happen. And that's another thing I love about my husband: he cheers loud, stays loyal, waves his fists like a maniac, and never gives up.

Our Weekend in Photos: Call It Home

Today's tune: Feist's Mushaboom, a cute song about "making home from a rented house."

Good morning! Here's a little glimpse of our weekend in Frederick, MD--our new stomping grounds.
Yes, this blog post is being fueled by Caribou black coffee and blackberry-jam toast.

The sign read: Welcome to Frederick, founded 1745 (meaning our new town is older than our country). Yet, my first impression of downtown Frederick was dark. Not bleak, just literally dark. After leaving Georgia at 8:45, we rolled into Maryland  around 9:00. That's twelve hours, not fifteen minutes. We're the Blacks, not the Jetsons. Needless to say, my butt was flat, and my legs were permanently contorted at a ninety-degree angle. It took a few minutes of stiff limping and hobbling, but we finally managed to regain our land-legs and head downtown for a yummy supper at JoJo's Restaurant & Tap House, incidentally the business which sponsors Mark's kickball team.

Saturday found us up to our noses in crates, boxes, and styrofoam peanuts. Thank goodness for big, strong men! It took Dad and Mark a little less than 2 hours to unload the trailer. A task which was epic in and of itself-- I could make an entire blog post about the maneuverings of unloading the trailer-loading the elevator-unloading into the hallway-moving into condo. Thank you, sweet neighbors, for being so understanding of the constant elevator-binging.

But Sunday--Sunday was the fun day. Following my mom's advice, we didn't bother unpacking anything else. "Ya'll have fun today; you've got all week to move stuff around and unpack." So, our mission was simple: find your way around town.

We found:

• two ways downtown
• the best hotwings in town
• a park with an abundance of willows--for me to sit under
• the nearest grocery 
• the nearest Aldi's--because we are refuse to pay the price the above grocery store demands for its lettuce and chicken and avocados
• a consignment shop with a purple velvet Burberry coat
• a hiking gear shop 
• a biking trail
• Walmart --because you gotta buy your toilet paper and soap somewhere

So that's us so far-- a pair of love-struck goofs bumbling around our big town/little city. I wonder how long it'll take to call this place home? 

park at sunset

beautiful bell chimes come from this tower

water

water

3 little duckies

old footbridge

tiny peek of our condo