One of the best things about a three-day weekend is a four-day workweek—don’t you agree?

Thanks for your support and patience last week as I took a much-needed blog vacation. It’s always nice to take a step back from your creative projects and look at everything with a fresh set of eyes. It was equally as nice to return from Florida late Sunday night and not have to worry about staying up to blog.

One of the highlights of my week last week was hitting up the Liaison Hotel x Washingtonian Pool Party. The hotel just redid their rooftop, and you can purchase day pool passes for $35. Between the bar and the cabanas, it’s pretty much a no-brainer for a fun summer day with friends. We asked the Washingtonian photographer to shoot the picture above, and I love how it turned out!

I’d thought we’d ease back into new posts on A Touch of Teal with a quick catch up session—what’s been going on in your life lately?

MY DAY JOB / Exciting news! About a month ago, I was promoted. I’ll be doing more of the same work, but with more responsibility and room for growth. My three year work anniversary was this past weekend, and it’s crazy to believe I’ve been working for that long! I know in the grand scheme of life, three years isn’t a long time, but in a mere year’s time, I will have been working for as long as I was in college. As they say—the days are long, but the years are short.

MODERN LOVE PODCAST / Over the weekend, my friend A introduced me to a new-to-me Podcast, Modern Love. Each week, a person of note, such as Connie Britton or Katie Couric, reads an essay that appeared in The New York Times Modern Love column. I listened to one, and I am hooked. Only about twenty minute episodes, I am looking forward to listening to more as I get ready for work this week.

FORT LAUDERDALE / The weekend before last, I went down to Fort Lauderdale to visit my cousin Christina and her fiancé, Levi. My cousin Ali was also in town, and the four of us had an absolute blast. We spent one day on the beach drinking Bud Light Limes, and another enjoying bottomless brunch and the river walk.

A highlight of the trip was our waterfront dinner we enjoyed at Shooters on the Intercoastal Waterway. I had the best scallops and shrimps ever and wore this maxi dress for the occasion—my new favorite vacation look! Comfortable and colorful, I received so many compliments on it and cannot wait to wear it all summer long. It’s backordered now, but definitely sign up for the notifications to grab it when it’s back. I’ll be doing a full post on it soon!

ROANOKE / I spent Memorial Day weekend in Roanoke attending a college friend’s wedding with my good friend, A. I had never been to the Star City of the South, but it was a quick 3.5 hour drive from DC and perfect for a weekend escape. Everyone is so nice there. I loved walking around the cute downtown area where we discovered Appalachia Press. I stoked up on some amazing letterpress cards, and chatted with the owner for a while about how he learned the craft. I can’t wait to find a work or personal project to commission him!

Burgers at Jack Brown’s were also a highlight, as was the beautiful ceremony and reception. Only appropriate for a Roanoke wedding, Wagon Wheel was the last song of the night. A and I stayed at the Hotel Roanoke, where the reception was held, and I couldn’t get enough of the rocking chairs on the front porch. Definitely stay there if you’re visiting town!

SUMMER PLANS / What are y’all up to this summer? I’ve got some fun things on the calendar for June, including a UVA alumni booze cruise, a trip to Annapolis, and a Luke Bryan concert. I’ll be finishing the month out with a weekend in New York City visiting my dear friend Emma, and can’t wait to get back to our favorite country music dive bar, Doc Hollidays.

In July, my roommate and I are moving to a larger, more updated apartment and I couldn’t be more excited! I’ll also be heading to my cousin Ali’s wedding in Chicago and gearing up for my trip to the Blog Societies Conference in Charleston the first week of August.

I’m hoping to get a nice weekend at the beach in on the calendar sometime, too!