It’s Friday y’all – and if you don’t believe I’m doing a happy dance; well, you don’t know me very well! This week has been hectic…to say the least…and I’m so glad to see 5 o’clock on the horizon! But first – Five things on my mind this Friday…

One. The First Day of Fall – It’s here! Fall is like the gateway to my favorite three months of every year…and today is the first day of Fall! I love watching the leaves change colors, feel the temperature start to drop, heck – I honestly don’t mind that it gets darker earlier! I love everything about Fall…leaves, pumpkin everything, cooler weather, sweaters & boots & scarves, postseason baseball, Halloween & Thanksgiving, pumpkin patches & corn mazes..y’all, I could go on for days! Happily – my favorite season starts TODAY!

Two. Harry Potter & Staunton, VA – Staunton is a small town about an hour from my house and every year they host the Queen City Mischief & Magic Festival. For a whole weekend, the town is magically transformed to look like you’ve stepped into the middle of a Harry Potter book! You can try your hand at wizard dueling, shop for a wand or some Bertie Bott’s Beans, climb aboard the Hogwarts Express and even (if you’re lucky) dine at the Great Hall. Events start at 10 AM and go till 10 at night and you can bet there are costumes aplenty!

And I’ll be making my way over to Staunton on Saturday to check it all out! I can’t wait!

Three. Game of Thrones Brunch – A local pub called the Union Jack is hosting a three hour Game of Thrones themed brunch on Sunday and you can bet I grabbed up a reservation ASAP! I honestly have almost no idea what the brunch will entail but I know it includes Bloody Mary’s and Mimosas with your meal and I can’t wait to check it out! I’ve been to Union Jack plenty of times and the food is always delicious!

Four. Nationals Baseball – Only ten games left in the regular season! The Nationals are currently at 92-60 and have already clinched the National League East Division title for the year. The team is looking for it’s first 100 win season; they’ll need to get a W in eight of the ten games they have left this season for that…and then it’s on to October baseball! I’ll be attending the final home game again this year (on October 1st) and then perhaps I’ll find a way to get to a postseason game? Only time will tell…but I’d sure like to cheer for my Nationals through early November!

Five. September Splurge: Poppy Love – Last but most definitely not least; the September Splurge with Perfectly Posh is an awesome chunk – Poppy Love! The chunk is a limited quantity product made with rich shea butter and moisturizing coconut and palm oils that hydrate while poppy and apricot seeds exfoliate for luxuriously soft skin, scented with warm poppy, amber, and sandalwood!

The best part about this chunk? For every Poppy Love chunk purchased, a chunk will be donated to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts! And when you purchase a Poppy Love chunk, you’ll get a coupon for $1 off your next chunk purchase! What’s not to love?

If you want to grab one for yourself, check it out at: http://NatalieSummerlin.po.sh/ and grab one while they’re still available!

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That’s my five for this Friday! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and maybe time will slow down and it will seem longer than it really is, ha-ha!

My dog is having a little bit of trouble understanding that the newly fenced in backyard is essentially wide open space that he can run free in… That or he just really really loves the deck and never had any desire to roam free in the backyard at all…

Did I do all the things this weekend? Sort of – ha-ha! I mean; it certainly felt like I did! I feel like I blinked and the weekend was over! Time flying and fun being had…all those things…

I did a lot of nothing on Friday night. Well – not necessarily nothing, but it wasn’t exactly a riveting night. I ate leftovers for supper, got in a little bit of exercise, re-watched the most recent episode of Outlander and packed some things for my little overnight foray into DC. Like I said – nothing too wild and crazy, but I guess I wasn’t just sitting there…

Saturday morning I got up, got ready and threw some things in a bag for my sweet pup to stay at the kennel overnight – then we were out the door, dropping the pup off and heading for DC and Nationals Park. We had tickets to see the Nationals take on the Dodgers at 1:05 and so we headed for DC for some baseball, lunch at the ballpark and hopefully a win (spoiler – sadly, no).

It actually wasn’t that warm on Saturday – the temperature was hovering at around 85 – but for the first inning or so, the sun was blazing! Happily, a giant cloud slid over the sun at the start of the second inning and the cloud just seemed to grow and multiply and ended up keeping the sun blocked for the rest of the game! I finally tried out See You Tater and got the BBQ Pulled Pork Tots – delicious tater tots covered with BBQ pulled pork, crispy onions and macaroni and cheese – and yes, it was as delightful as it sound! It’s making my mouth water just thinking about them!

The game was good…the final score was 3-2 Dodgers; so it didn’t really end “good” but the Nationals did rally in the latter innings and for just a bit it seemed like we might pull out a win. Thank goodness the Nationals have already clinched the division and so a little performance slump isn’t the end of the world. I’d rather the team slump now as opposed to in the postseason when the games matter all that much more!

There was also a sixth inning home run courtesy of Anthony Rendon – it was the National’s first point on the board and of course, everyone got on their feet for that hit! I always enjoy my time at Nationals Park and happily munching on Dippin Dots in the top of ninth, with the sun being shaded by the clouds and the sound of the crowd – I can’t think of too many other places I’d rather spend a Saturday afternoon. I’m sure the loss was cushioned by the knowledge that the Nationals have already won their ticket to the postseason…but hey…so what if it was?

Another nice thing about Saturday was that when the game ended at 4:00, we literally only had to walk across the street to the Hampton Inn and we were “home”…at least for the evening. While the sun had definitely helped with the sweaty factor; I took some time to freshen up and then we went to grab some supper right up the block at Gordon Biersche. Cue the need to take a selfie or two…sitting in the lobby of the Hampton Inn after the game…and sitting at the restaurant waiting for supper. Which – it wasn’t hot in the restaurant – but I don’t know if the AC was working at 100%. Sheesh.

After dinner, we walked over to one of my favorite spots…besides Nationals Park…although this spot happens to be beside Nationals Park, ha-ha! Go figure! We grabbed dessert from Ice Cream Jubilee (one scoop of Apple Butter Oatmeal Cookie and one scoop of Sweet Potato Molasses Candy) and found a table overlooking the Anacostia River at Yards Park to watch the sunset. The weather was really pretty nice – especially if you were sitting still and eating ice cream! I probably took way too many pictures of Yards Park and the sunset – alas – that’s how it is!

OH! And one of my favorite things about these pictures – better highlighted below – is that the lights from the bridge shimmering on the water remind me of the opening credits to House of Cards. Granted; on the credits for House of Cards, the shot is from the other side of the river…and Nationals Park is captured too. Hey – you’ve gotta work with what you’ve got!

Sunday morning – no rest for the weary! I suppose I wasn’t really weary, but we were up before 8:00 AM to have breakfast and get over to Andrews AFB for the airshow…and while; in all honesty, airplanes are more my sister’s realm – I know a little bit about them and I like a good airshow every now and again. I took way too many pictures – you’d think I actually liked airplanes or something – which; ha…as long as they’re on the ground/I’m not in them.

I wondered around and looked at the static displays with my Dad…and of course, took numerous goofy pictures – which I really feel is a requirement when posing in front of gigantic airplanes…

Some friends had arrived to join us while my Dad and I were taking in all the displays – and I did not know how cute a baby could look in headphones before yesterday, but now I know. I also know I have mad skills when it comes to putting headphones on a sleeping baby without waking the baby up! That’s right – I’ll add that to the list of (currently) useless skills…

It was HOT on Sunday. I put on sunscreen four times and still the sun managed to leave a mark. *sigh* The goofy toddler in the pictures would proclaim every time we opened an umbrella “I need to be in da shade…” which – agreed. We watched all manner of aerial maneuvers and feats of excellence, including the deafening roar of the F22 Raptor and while we all tried our best to keep Amelia (the toddler) awake for the big finale; the planes she’d been waiting to see, she crashed and crashed hard while the Thunderbirds were doing their preshow. *sigh*

The Thunderbirds were spectacular – as always – and I enjoyed the day spent sitting in the sunshine, munching on a hamburger and cheese fries, downing multiple bottles of water (did I mention it was hot?) and watching aerial acrobatics…

However – once it was all said and done – I was more than ready to get home. I was hot, sweaty and felt pretty…gross. I have never enjoyed a shower more than I enjoyed the one I took when I got home. It felt so nice to be clean! I was able to unpack, catch the new episode of Outlander, watch a little Nationals baseball (they won!) and get some Perfectly Posh happy packages put together before hopping in the bed to read and get some sleep!

And sure – maybe my dog wasn’t exactly giving me a smile as we sat on the couch Sunday night – but he had a good weekend too. Little stinker!

One. Nationals Clinch NL East – This is almost a week old…but on Sunday afternoon, my Nationals clinched the National League East Division Title! That means the Nationals are heading to the postseason for the 2nd year in a row…the fourth time in six years! October baseball will be played in DC again this year and I’m crossing my fingers, my toes, my arms, my legs, my eyes…you get it…I’m crossing everything and saying a prayer that maybe this year will be the Nationals year!

Two. Weekend Worlds Collide – Transitioning from all things Nationals to only sort of Nationals…I’ll be going to a Nationals game tomorrow and spending Sunday at Andrews AFB for the the Air Show; watching the US Air Force Thunderbirds, among other planes. The Nationals mascot Screech got a chance to fly with the Thunderbirds today, so that’s essentially my weekend in one picture, ha-ha!

Three. Halloween Costume – It’s well on it’s way! I’ve got jewelry fit for a queen (of the Seven Kingdoms) and yesterday my costume arrived all the way from Hong Kong! I was a little apprehensive when I discovered it was coming all the way from Hong Kong but when I pulled it out of the package, I was pleasantly surprised! Now all I need to complete my Cersei Lannister look is my long blonde wig, a wine goblet and my sweet pup’s lion costume!

Four. NFL Football – Once upon a time I cheered for the Saints…sort of. And while I still love Drew Brees…I just don’t love cheering on the Saints. *gasp* However, one person I can cheer for any and every day of the week is Dak Prescott, who just happens to be the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys. I find myself slowly but surely becoming a Cowboys fan…and when I found this shirt on Facebook; well, it might have cemented my newfound fandom. I think I definitely need this shirt!

Five. Bring on the Bubbly Lip Oil – You guys! I’ll be honest; I wasn’t sure how to feel about lip oil…until I tried the new Bring on the Bubbly Lip Oil from Perfectly Posh and I am in love! It makes my lips feel so smooth and refreshed; definitely different from a lip balm or scrub, but in the best way possible. It’s going on my wish list for sure!

Perfectly Posh just got a new website TODAY and you can check out my Perfectly Posh website here: http://NatalieSummerlin.po.sh/ for Bring on the Bubbly Lip Oil and so much more!

And that’s all that I’ve got for this Friday! It’s almost 5 o’clock, which means the weekend is almost here! I can’t wait for sleeping in, sipping coffee, baseball boys and big airplanes! Hope y’all have a good weekend too!
 

Fun Fact – When you decide to crawl under the table to snap hilarious pictures of your dog lying in the weirdest position; it’s generally a good idea to remember that you are under said table before trying to get up…

If you don’t, you will inevitably crack your head on the underside of the table…which will cause your eyes to water, your head to throb, your dog to freak out and run because of the loud “crack” and the Autumn decorations on the table to fall over.

*sigh* Grace – there’s a reason it’s not my middle name…

Or as I like to call it – I did a whole lot of nothing this weekend and it was splendid! I had “big” plans to binge through Outlander in preparation for the season three premiere on Sunday night – and I did just that.

I did some other stuff too – like laundry, some house tidying, lots of walks with the dog and of course, exercise and coffee drinking – but mostly, there was the watching of Outlander.

Saturday morning in a moment filled with grace, I crept under the edge of the dining room table to snap the pictures of my goofy dog stretched and contorted between the legs of the table… As I went to get out from under the table, I promptly smacked the center of my head on the underside of the table, knocking over the Autumn decorations on the table, terrifying my dog and causing the headache I’d struggled with for most of Friday evening to return with a vengeance. Good times! Clumsy – thy name is Natalie.

The highlight of the weekend was most definitely going to visit my friend Katie and her brand new, still squeaky fresh and wee little baby boy. I spent almost a full hour and a half just snuggling the precious little guy and it was heavenly. I can’t wait to go back again to get some more snuggles in!

Sunday culminated in…more dog walking, more watching of Outlander and making an exciting trip to Panera to get supper. You know what I discovered? The time when Panera Bread is not busy? It’s at 5:15 on a Sunday evening…the place is like a ghost town! I ended my weekend with the Outlander season 3 premiere and puppy dog cuddles.

The weekend went by pretty quickly – it seems whether you’re doing all the things or doing absolutely nothing – time flies! And now this Monday is almost over too!

Friday – the sweetest day of the week, right? Okay…maybe Saturday is a little bit better; but I almost always love a Friday! Especially at 5 o’clock! However, before 5 o’clock rolls around…here are five things on my mind today!

One. Nationals Baseball – September…the time when games can get really important; not that every game played isn’t important, but April baseball is just a little bit different than September baseball! The Nationals have played seven games in seven days and won five of the seven; not bad at all. What’s even better though – the Nationals “magic number” to clinch the National League East Division Title is just FOUR. For the second year in a row, my Nationals are playing for the post-season!

Two. Perfectly Posh Spooky Posh – As I might have mentioned last Friday; I’ve become a Perfectly Posh independent consultant! I have always loved everything I’ve gotten from Posh and I decided to jump in and start selling and so far, things are going well! This week Posh released Spooky Posh – perfectly themed to the Autumn season and perfect for pampering (of course)! This year’s Spooky Posh includes Boo Yeah Pumpkin and Kaolin Clay Facial Cleanser and Carved for Attention Body Butter! If you want to snap some up, visit my site: http://NatalieSummerlin.po.sh/

It’s only available while supplies last!

Three. Outlander Season Three – Oh my goodness; the third season of Outlander is almost here! My two favorite shows were both delayed this year; while that wasn’t great, what is great is that there was only one weekend between the end of one (Game of Thrones) and the beginning of the other (Outlander). The third season of Outlander will adapt Diana Gabaldon’s third book; Voyager, quite possibly my favorite of the books and I cannot wait to see Sam Heughan and Caitrona Balfe bring the story to life on my TV!

I might be spending my weekend re-watching all of season two in preparation!

Four. Autumn – I read a quote today that said “there are two seasons: Autumn and waiting for Autumn”…and I wholeheartedly agree with that! This week started out rainy and with the rain came…cooler weather! There is a briskness in the air, the apples that fill orchards all over Northern Virginia are ripe for picking and the trees are beginning to turn from bright green to shades of gold, orange, red and purple…and I for one could not be more thrilled. I absolutely love Autumn and can’t wait to start doing things on my Autumn bucket list!

Five. Watson – Because when all else fails…and your brain is feeling a little bit like mush from a combination of work + headache…of course, a collage of the dog is the best option for number five! I sure do love this little guy!

Happy weekend everyone – I don’t know about you, but I’ll be spending my weekend doing a whole lot of nothing (except watching Outlander, ha-ha) and I’m looking forward to it greatly!