This week has been a little stressful, so a Thursday off did me a world of good before I even knew it. 

I slept in a bit, spent extra morning time in the kitchen (my favorite) with my mom, puttered around outside with bare feet, washed my hair in what must have been the longest shower ever, met a friend for coffee, ran to Target, took my dog for two walks, and had cocktails and ribs at home.

Rob lands in Roanoke later on tonight, and tomorrow morning we're hitting the road with my family to spend the week at the beach. My dad's brothers and sisters all meet up every other year, and usually it's on the West Coast, but this year everyone is heading this way. I'm so excited to catch up with everyone, and can hardly believe that Rob and I will be spending eight whole days together for the first time in a year.

Hoping this weekend gives you exactly what you need.

Wishing my American friends a very happy 4th of July today.

I hope it's warm and sunny where you are.

Rob and I had a weekend full of good food, cocktails, apartment decorating, IKEA, lots of episodes of House of Cards and a few skits from Portlandia, farmers' market wanderings, and an amazing Saturday evening spent on our patio with Thai takeout.

Now that there's a definitive date set for me to move in, this visit to the Twin Cities felt even more special than the other two. I packed a suitcase full of things and left almost all of them hanging in the closet or nestled in a newly-claimed drawer. I felt less like a tourist and more like I belonged, with a list of favorite places already. (Hint: one of them is the patio.)

This place is pretty amazing in the summer.