It’s only the 6th, but what a July it’s been already! Matthew Charles and his mom have been visiting for a few weeks, and above is one of my favorite pictures from their trip: Matthew on the swingset at Mom and Dad’s. And here’s a good shot of Sarah, me, and Linds on an oddly chilly Thursday afternoon.

My other favorite picture (so far, as I’ll be seeing the Merrills again later this week) is of Matthew and Mom in mid-giggle:

I spent last weekend in DC with Mandy and her fabulous friends. We ate out, we saw a movie, we went to a Nats game, we tubed down the Shenandoah River. And to cap it all off: We watched the fireworks from the South Lawn of the White House! Here’s Evan, me, Carol, and Mandy right as we arrived:

It was an amazing experience – the nicest portable bathrooms you can imagine (!), the friendliest people, Secret Service everywhere, yummy Dove chocolate ice cream bars, lots of beverages, a concert by The Killers, and the most gorgeous backdrop for watching fireworks I’ve ever seen. I guess the Obamas made an appearance, but we didn’t get to experience the meet and greet. Still, thanks to Keri for the amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Here’s me at the White House!

There are more pictures from Sarah and Matthew’s visit in the Summer 2010 album, and lots more from DC here.

In other news, I hit a raccoon with my car, and I had a chipmunk in my apartment! For a few days, I felt like I was living in an evil Disney movie. Ha! And this also happened…

Chav injured his paw again, and has to wear this ridiculous cone. I think it’s been more traumatizing for me than for him! He’s doing much better than he was when I snapped this picture, thankfully!

The title of this post comes from a quote by Ada Louise Huxtable:

Summer is the time when one sheds one’s tensions with one’s clothes, and the right kind of day is 
jeweled balm for the battered spirit. A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief 
that all’s right with the world.