It’s officially autumn and the weather here in Virginia is acting accordingly. As soon as the calendar marked September 22, the first day of fall, the temperatures dropped to the 60s. I love this time of year. To me, the crisp, cool air evokes feelings of fresh beginnings.
While I’m excited about this new season, I relish the practice of pausing and reflecting on the prior months as I put together these photo diaries. After taking a hiatus in the fall and winter, I’m happy to bring back this quarterly series. This particular photo diary covers spring and summer 2022 but going forward, I’ll return to a dedicated post for each season.
In March, I spent a week on the west coast of Florida. There, I saw several spectacular sunsets over the ocean and went on a boat tour of Naples. We didn’t get to cruise in the Gulf of Mexico because of the rough seas that day, but I loved taking in the views of the mansions from Port Royal.
I stayed in Richmond for Easter. My friend Abby’s family was kind to include me in their celebration! Of course, I took the opportunity to take my new Nap Dress out for a spin.
Richmond is home to the Flying Squirrels, a Minor League Baseball team. The team name tickles me for some reason, and I have joked for a while that I was going to become a diehard Squirrels fan. In May, I finally got to go to a game. Funny enough, my friends are I were seated right by the Governor of Virginia (and I never would’ve noticed had my one friend not pointed him out to me).
It was a treat to have my friend Jaya visit me in mid-May and get to play tour guide. I took her to the Quirk rooftop to take in the skyline view.
In late May, I had what I called “Mama’s Last Outing” before getting a puppy. My plan was to spend a long weekend in DC, then fly to South Carolina for a week before driving back to Virginia with Sunny. The first leg of the trip went according to plan. During my weekend in DC, I got to tour the LDS Temple in Kensington, Maryland, with my friends while it was open to the public for the first time since the 1970s.
The second leg of the trip is where things went awry. For starters, my flight got delayed by 14+ hours. The only thing that made the experience bearable was that my friend Will happened to be on the same flight, and we caught up at the airport bar while we waited. Then, the day after I landed in South Carolina, I started feeling terrible. A PCR test confirmed that I caught COVID. I was bummed that I didn’t get to visit with my people in SC and ultimately was delayed in picking up my puppy.
May 31 was a big day! After the wild prior two weeks, I finally picked up my puppy in Goose Creek, SC. My mom kindly drove with us back to Richmond so that I could sit in the back seat with Sunny and have an extra set of hands during the road trip. In hindsight, I can’t believe how tiny Sunny was at the time (I had to include the picture of her next to my mom for scale)!
In June, I visited my favorite spot in Richmond, Virginia House, with my friend Kate. This view (and the live jazz they have on Member Mondays) never gets old!
In July, my mom visited me and Sunny. I took her to Barrio, one of my favorite spots for margaritas, and we realized it just so happened to be National Tequila Day. Our drinks pictured look like froyo but were actually frozen margaritas. 😍
After living in a studio apartment with no outdoor space, I have a deep appreciation for my porch. Sunny and I spent as much time as possible relaxing there during the summer months.
August brought what felt like a Richmond rite of passage: my first After 5 Friday at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. It was a great atmosphere all night, but the moment when the sun set and the crowd erupted at its beauty was something special.
At the beginning of September, I made a quick trip to DC for work. When I lived in DC post-grad, I always metro’d to K Street, so driving downtown in rush hour was a new experience. Despite being in the car, the buzzing energy of the city was palpable. It was nice to be back in my old stomping grounds for a day, and I enjoyed finally meeting my colleagues in person after 8 months of working together virtually.
One last puppy picture for the road! In September, Sunny had a playdate with my friend’s dog Marbles. They were sweet playing together and got extra treats for posing so nicely for a picture.
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Spring in iPhone Photos (2021)
Winter in iPhone Photos (2021)
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