Happy Monday, friends! How was everyone’s weekend? I thought we would just jump right into it on today’s life lately since the first thing I want to talk about is what I did this weekend:

UVA REUNIONS /

I took the day off work on Friday—which turned out to be a great idea after the Caps Stanley Cup celebrations!—and headed down to Charlottesville to attend my five-year college reunion. Lauren and I rolled into town around 1pm, checked in at Alumni Hall, and went with Molly over to Boylan Heights for lunch. It’s one of our favorite burger places—you can check out my full guide to Cville here—and it was as good as I remembered it to be! We then headed over to King Family Vineyards for a class of 2013 get together, before checking into the hotel and heading to our class party in the amphitheater. We rounded out the night signing God Bless the USA on the tables at Virg, as is tradition, and eating our favorite late-night sandwiches.

Saturday was packed full with a Bodo’s breakfast, a College of Arts & Sciences luncheon, an impromptu happy hour on the Lawn, and our class of 2013 dinner. A highlight of the day for me was going back to the Sigma Kappa house. Since I am lucky enough to get back to Charlottesville often for both my day job and to visit friends, I still get to see the Lawn and eat my favorite Charlottesville foods regularly. However, I hadn’t been back to the sorority house since we graduated! It was so surreal to see my former room—it really felt like I had the opportunity to revisit a former life, and was especially fun to do it with two of my former housemates.

On Sunday morning, the Alumni Association organized a brunch that Politics professor Larry Sabato spoke at, and then we stopped by the bookstore before heading home.

I am so glad me and my friends made the effort and had the time + resources to get to Charlottesville for the weekend. I definitely want to try to get to as many of my college reunions as possible in the future because it was so great to connect with classmates I haven’t seen in a while and make new memories with some of my fellow Wahoos that I see often. In some ways, it felt like no time had passed at all when we walked into our favorite bars and saw familiar faces, and in other ways, college seems like it was a lifetime ago. It will be fun to see where the next five years takes us!

UPCOMING TRAVELS /

I really wanted to be in DC a lot this summer to take advantage of the warm weather here with my friends! Of course, I’ve still found a way to sneak a few trips onto my calendar.

This coming Sunday, I am leaving for my solo trip to Charleston! I don’t have too many plans and am really just excited to wander around and see where my two-and-a-half days there take me. I’m bringing my camera, and of course, will share details of my trip—and my thoughts about traveling alone—here on the blog. It’s been a year since I was last in town, so I’m excited to see how it’s changed while also visiting some of my favorite tried-and-true places. If you have any recommendations for things to see/do/eat, I’m all ears!

Later this summer, my family is going to Newport, Rhode Island for four days. We’ve been once before—back in 2005 during the height of my awkward stage, so I will not be showing any old photos ;]—and are excited to get back. It’s such a charming New England town, and I’m looking forward to touring some of the Newport mansions again, walking on the Cliff Walk, and walking around downtown. Monica went last summer and shared a recap of her trip here—re-reading it now has me anxious to start planning the details of our trip!

In August, I’m heading up to NYC for a night to hitch a ride to Cape Cod for the weekend with my New York friends. I’ve never been to the Cape, and am excited for a fun, low key weekend of hanging out and (hopefully) drinking some Bud Light Limes!

MY FAVORITE JOURNALS /

I thought about writing a whole post about these journals, but decided that might be overkill, so I wanted to mention them in today’s post. I randomly stumbled on these Mara Mi Coptic Stitch Journals at anthropologie years ago—and they are the best journals. Because of their coptic stitch binding, they lay flat when you open them, making it super easy to write on both sides of the page. They are also hardcover, which makes them pretty indestructible when you throw them in a bag to schlep around with you. I’m obsessed! Periodically, I can find them on Amazon and take advantage of Prime shipping, but there’s a wider selection on the Mara Mi website itself. I use these for both work and personal reasons, so wanted to share in case you’re also obsessed with paper.

ANNUAL SKIN CHECK /

First thing this morning, I went to my dermatologist for my annual skin check. Because of my fair skin and some bad sunburns in my younger years, they’ve had to take off a few pre-cancerous spots in the past, so now I am religious about getting my skin checked at least once a year. If you’ve never had yours checked or haven’t scheduled yours for this year yet, consider this your reminder! These checks are covered by insurance—I only had a to pay my co-pay—and so, so important. Your skin is your largest organ, after all!

If I’m ever unsure about anything on my skin, I make an appointment with my doctor to have her take a look. Better safe than sorry!

A MOVE TO DC? /

I moved to Arlington five years ago this Labor Day, and over the past few months, I’ve decided I’m ready for a new adventure—so, I think I am going to move to DC proper when my lease is up. I’ve found over the last couple of years that my friends have either migrated further away to the suburbs or moved into their favorite neighborhood in the city, and not as many of my friends live in Arlington anymore. While I absolutely love my apartment in Ballston, I do miss living in a different neighborhood from where I work—I didn’t realize how much I valued the separation! Of course, I’ll still be in Arlington often as I work there and have no plans to stop spinning at my favorite spin studio.

I am dreading the process of moving—this will be my third move in as many years!—but I know it will be worth it in the long run, and I’m excited for a new place to decorate. I’ve got my eyes on a few buildings in the Navy Yard. My lease isn’t up until early September, so I’ve got some time to consider my options!

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That’s what’s new with me these days—I’d love to hear what’s been going on in your life lately!