The Life of Katie!

Pumpkin patches, Fall festivals, the changing seasons, and pumpkin spiced lattes – OH MY! In recent times, I have truly been continuing to embrace the Fall 2024 season. Indeed, Fall 2024 has been a GREAT ONE! It is my first Fall season with my camera which means that I have been taking LOTS of photos (!!!!) of ALLL of the Fall festivities. I have been striving to savor the moments more so this Fall 2024 season and aspire to do so beyond, too. As always, here are some updates into the Life of Katie!

A visit to an orchard + Carlisle, Pennsylvania – Papa and Rosie and I took a day to go visit his sisters – my Great Aunts Darlene and Margaret – in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. On the way there, we stopped by a favorite place of ours – Catoctin Mountain Orchard in Thurmont, Maryland. Catoctin Mountain Orchard this time of year offers apple picking and has an ADORABLE pumpkin mountain (!!!!!). SO, we did some shopping to support the local economy, snapped some photos, and took in ALL of the Fall vibes while briefly there. And, then, we headed to Carlisle which is a beautiful and scenic drive from the Washington, DC area to visit family. We enjoyed lunch at one of Aunt Darlene’s local digs and time with one another. Truly, family time is a blessing!
Allergies – Unfortunately, like many others locally to me, my seasonal allergies have been THE WORST in recent times. Truly, my allergies have gotten the best of me from time to time amongst all the excitement with the changing seasons.
Seeing Mean Girls The Musical – My friend Briana and I enjoyed a soooo fetch girl’s night out in Washington, DC seeing Mean Girls The Musical at National Theatre. Beforehand, we grabbed dinner at La Grande Boucherie aka a lovely opulent French restaurant housed in a former bank downtown. Both dinner and the musical was LOVELY and such a great way to unwind on a weeknight with an amazing friend.
Solo date in Old Town Alexandria – To kick off slamming my laptop shut until Tuesday for Indigenous People’s Day Weekend, I took a solo evening out in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia aka one of my FAVORITE local spots. I started my solo date by doing a *tiny* bit of retail therapy at Current Boutique aka a local consignment store and then headed over to Captain’s Row and the waterfront to snap some golden hour shots as I strolled. To end off the night, I enjoyed a nice dinner at Vola’s Dockside outdoors while watching the sunset and then took the trolley back to Metro to head home. Truly, it was a lovely evening to recharge on my own!
Walks with Rosie and Haley – My friend Haley and I have enjoyed some lovely walks together and so have me and my doggy Rosie! Rosie LOVES to explore our neighborhood, especially nearby Heron Pond where she loves to go for a little swim! At the same time, my friend Haley and I have enjoyed local walks to Lake Mercer and a neighborhood home that is DECKED OUT for Halloween!
Taking my dog out on a date – One of the most special things that I did recently and even in 2024 as a whole was take my dog on a date just us two! Rosie and I went to a favorite dog-friendly vineyard of mine that I actually had the amazing opportunity to work with (here) earlier this year – Three Fox Vineyards & Brewery! Rosie and I enjoyed some time together as I sipped on some wine and nibbled on some pizza (which Rosie enjoyed some of, too!) and a walk to the gorgeous meadow and creek (Rosie *of course* swam a bit!) and enjoyed meeting local guests and staff, too! Rosie was truly a hit!!! And, above all else, it was such a special outing to be able to take my dog on a date and do something just us two.