Breweries and Demolition Derby

Last weekend my aunt and uncle were in town for a couple days on their way home from a trip overseas. Friday after work Eric and I headed out to Leesburg to spend some time with them. They wanted to explore a few breweries in town that night. Each of them were so different - it was cool to see how they were set up.





I kind of hope my backyard looks like this one day.

This one had the friendliest dogs to greet you.




Learning from Uncle Mike, the brew master. The next one we went to (below) had a beach setup outside.

Finally we ended the night where I used to work back in high school. It has since become 2 different breweries but the setup was pretty much the exact same when we walked inside. It was a trip down memory lane - one of the most fun places I've worked!

The next morning we took a walk at Morven Park since my aunt and uncle had never been. This is where Eric and I had been a few weeks ago for our engagement pictures. Such a beautiful place.

Saturday afternoon we went over to my brother Eric's new apartment to help him move. His job just transferred him down here from PA. He's living in the same town I work in! I'm excited to get to see him more often :)

Someone had the great idea that I could go take a nap at his place on my lunch break. Yes.



He had some friends helping as well so the process didn't take long at all. By the time we left his whole place was practically put together.



After the move, we headed to Maryland to meet up with Eric's parents at the Montgomery County Fair. It was the biggest fair I'd ever seen! We specifically wanted to make it in time for the demolition derby but next time I would definitely try to come earlier so we could spend more time at the actual fair.



They had all kinds of barn animals - Eric got to pet some goats. There were also some of the biggest cows and strangest chickens I'd ever seen.





And a gigantic turkey.



Time for the demolition derby! I had never been but everyone had told me it was very fun and worth seeing.



It was really fun to go with Eric's parents because they had been before. So glad they invited us.



It didn't disappoint. It was a lot of fun! I was a little nervous for the drivers at first - a lot of the cars don't even have any windows/protection other than a seat belt. But I was reassured they've done this many many times and they make it a point not to hit the driver side of the car. Still crazy to see!



I was amazed at how resilient some of these cars were, despite being completely smashed in and unrecognizable.





It was definitely worth seeing and such a fun night. I know a lot of people are getting excited for Fall, but I'm never wishing summer away. It may be hot but I'll be soaking up as much of this season as I can before it ends!

Dress shopping and 1812 Overture

Last weekend my mom and Eric's mom came dress shopping with me in Alexandria! It was so much fun and so helpful having them there. I had been dress shopping in Leesburg with my sister and mom not long after we got engaged and had a couple options in mind but still hadn't made a decision yet on the dress.




























The first place we went to had a lot of options but we weren't able to look around so I would just try on what they picked out. The lady was very nice but I didn't see anything I liked more than what I had already seen. We ran into a second place that was a bit over my price range and it was by appointment only so we didn't spend much time there.

We were about ready to head home when I remembered one last place that Eric and I happened to drive by one day. We decided at the last minute to go check it out and I'm so glad we did! They had a pretty big selection and we were able to peruse around on our own. We found an open fitting room to try on a couple things and I found my dress! I love the dress - it was a hard decision and I'm so glad it's one that's off my shoulders :)







































Then we headed back to our place to meet the guys and have some lunch together. Eric's dad had come over to spend time with Eric while we were out shopping. It was really fun to have them all over, and especially to have both our moms help me try on dresses!





























Later that afternoon Eric and I went into D.C. to meet up with my sister and her family for the 1812 Overture. My sister had just had a birthday earlier in the week so it was great to get to spend some time with them.







































We tried to find a little reprieve (it was a hot and sticky afternoon) by having a picnic in the shade before the concert started.










The sunset was beautiful.








































Love these ladies.





Both the girls seemed to have a great time dancing along.































































Neither Eric or I had been to the 1812 Overture before so we were really glad we got to check it out. Any weekend we're able to get together with family is a great weekend.

Engagement Pictures

I really wanted to get some good pictures of Eric and I after we got engaged just to have for us, but to also potentially use for save the dates. My mom graciously agreed to take some pictures of us at one of my favorite places when living in Leesburg - Morven Park.

Eric brought his nice camera and tripod. It was a very hot day and none of us were very skilled in using the camera so I didn't want to get my hopes up, but figured it couldn't hurt to try! It was a beautiful morning and I had always wanted to show Eric Morven Park.

After being there about twenty minutes, we already had to change into something cooler. Once we got the hang of the camera it went really well. There are so many beautiful places to take pictures at this park. We ended up getting a lot of great photos!



A big thank you to my mom and Dave for all their help!