June has come to a close and that can mean only one thing, it’s almost Christmas! Just kidding on that but June is always a month for celebration. The official start to summer brings thoughts of beach days and mountain getaways and for me it’s a month full of birthdays. I clocked in at 41 this year and I’m feeling pretty darn comfortable in my skin. My brother also shares my birthday (he was born five years later to the day) and a few days later we celebrate Steve’s birthday as well.
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In lieu of gifts Steve and I usually celebrate by doing something fun. Scuba lessons one year, Iceland another. This year we had a weekend away a little closer to home at Walden Hall, a gorgeous bed and breakfast outside the tiny town of Culpeper, Virginia(I’ll have more on Walden Hall in the coming weeks). Walden Hall is close to amazing hiking in Shenandoah National Park as well as some of the best wineries and breweries in the state of Virginia. In short, Walden Hall has everything I need for a great weekend getaway.
I also had an all too quick work trip up to Boston, one of my favorite cities, and had a chance meet up with a couple of fabulous female travel bloggers. Brianne of A Traveling Life and I were destined to be friends. Though we met though the blogging community we actually grew up near each other going to rival high schools and graduating the same year. We had an absolutely perfect day exploring South Boston and need to plan a trip together soon.
My conference was actually based in Worcester (pronounced “Wooster”), located an hour away from Boston. This former mill city is seeing a bit of a renaissance; with biotech, street art and farm-to-table restaurants taking the place of abandoned paper mills. My friend Kelly of A Lovely Life Indeed met up with me at Armsby Abbey to discuss life and travels over craft beer and some of the best mac and cheese north of the Mason-Dixon line.
Things I’m Loving
I need a swimsuit that is cute and holds everything in while I swim and paddle. The Waimea Plunge Bikini Top and Not-so String Bottoms by Athleta do just that.
Spiralized veggie noodles with shrimp and pistachio pesto is a quick healthy and delicious addition to your summertime dinner rotation.
My friend Jessica of The Dining Traveler offers up some great tips for traveling internationally with a baby.
People flock to Florida for theme parks and beaches but on my next trip I’m making a bee line for this amazing underground swimming hole.
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