At the beginning of July I went on vacation to see my friend Stephanie. She and I have been friends for over 20 years and sometimes you just need girl time. We lived in the same town growing up and then moved to different places when we both went to college. Stephanie now lives near Washington DC and I’m so happy that we were able to spend some time together. I went to visit her last summer and we went all over the National Mall and went to a Monet exhibit at the Smithsonian. This year we went to the Arlington National Cemetery, kayaked National Harbor, watched fireworks on the 4th of July, cooked, ate, painted canvases, and just spent some great quality time together. Here are some pictures that I snapped while we were out sightseeing.

My friend and her husband are also professional chefs. Did I mention that? Between both of their creative brains, we ate some pretty yummy things. One afternoon we drove to their favorite coffee shop, Northside Social Coffee & Wine in Clarendon, VA, and yummmmm. If you are ever in the area, definitely go there and get a latte or a macchiato.

My trip to DC was so good for the soul and I can’t wait to make it back there soon. The saying “home is where the heart is” is definitely one I believe to be true because going to DC kind of felt like going home. Thank you Steph and Andy for making me feel so at home! Stay tuned for some more travel guides!

Love from, Amy.