Things checked off our list!

First some Ashton pictures....

Meeting his idol...

"Tiger faces" with his auntie

Things we've checked off our list this last week:

• Kels's first week of work

My first cubicle! 

• Mike's first time speaking in court- I'll let him tell you how it went, but it went well!

• Bbuying our first piece of "cat furniture" (how hilarious that this is one of the few pieces we own and will have to transport with us when we move"

This is real

• Stomping Ground!

Mike teaching my dad how to troubleshoot my old laptop.

I didn't get a good picture of the food, but everything was to die for, especially the biscuits and hot sauce!

• Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre

Outdoor theatre venue to see "Catch Me if You Can."

• Kels goes to winery

Lauren's bachelorette party! Wedding this weekend!

• Rooftop summer outings

Next-level Adulting

"Next-level adulting" is a new favorite term when rising to a challenge once thought reserved for "grown-ups", but that is actually just a fact of my life now. These things are hard. Adulting is hard. But we must do the hard things, and it turns out that growing up is also SO awesome. 

Mike told you guys I'm starting a new job. Good, because I was afraid I would jinx it by mentioning it. I'm so so so exciting because I think it combines all of my strengths in coaching and mentoring college students and then focuses that on my favorite area: career counseling! My first official day at the new job is the next week, but I've been busy with other HR tasks and homework that I've given myself (reading career books mostly and making Mike take career assessments online that I can then interpret for him haha) to help prepare me for the transition. My new job is in the city, and this means Mike and I get to metro in part of the way together in the morning. Yesterday morning I went in with him and he introduced me to his bus friends who mistakenly think my name is "Kelseyah". Of course, because I hate making people feel awkward (see Blueberry Hotcake story), I will never be able to correct them now.

I've had amazing support from Mike and friends during the entire transition process. Change is never easy even when it's good change, you know? But yesterday I found a Gold's gym a few blocks from my work, I practiced my new commute and even got to meet up with Mike for the journey home, I learned to only pack what you can comfortably carry hiking miles across the city in 90 degree heat, I realized it will be much easier to meet up with friends after work, and I did not miss driving during rush hour at all!

This week Mike has a trial and I have a to-do list a mile long, but I promise I'll find time to actually enjoy my few days off. :)

Below are some pictures from the past couple of weeks! 

Mike bought me flowers the day I got the verbal offer from my job WITHOUT knowing that I was going to get it that day. He was so proud of himself, and I was so proud of him using his intuition:) I also couldn't believe it.

Zoo on the 4th of July weekend with friends. I regret not seeing the otters, but there were SO many adorable babies in strollers to watch that I forgot.

Zoo selfie.

I just love his pose in this picture:)

Our dessert from dinner at the piano-music-in-background restaurant "The Morrison Grille"! AMAZING food. This was a goat cheese cheesecake. 

Fancy drinks that we shared.

Watching Independence Day at Absi's and we introduced Meimei (Megan, who was visiting from out of town) to WiseGuys pizza.

The day after we watched Independence Day I saw this on the internet and could not stop laughing.

Sometimes Mike finished our long runs way before me and decides to take pictures of me crossing the "finish line".  I'll have you know I didn't walk at all this run!

Cute picture of Ashton and my grandma. Love this one of them both.

Ended up at Tazza kitchen this past weekend again. Their happy hour deal is hard to beat and we Ubered so that neither of us had to be date chauffeur.....we just got to relax:)

 (FYI: Finding alternative date transporation may not seem like the coolest thing ever for those who live close to a metro, but this is a GENIUS idea for us that we'll definitely be splurging on again.)

Sausage black pepper honey pizza with a wine recommended by our waiter. This pairing is not only the best food/wine pairing I can remember tasting, but this specific pizza is my new favorite in the area! I don't say this lightly, and I mean it.

After pizza, we decided to extend our date to Dairy Godmother on our summer goals list. The sorbet flavors looks good, but you only get one thing at The Dairy Godmother: custard. 

I got flavor-of-the-fay Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookie and Mike got a Sundae. SO SO SO good.

Then we found a labyrinth. I quit halfway through, because I had nothing to prove to myself...unlike Mike;)

We also hit up Bed Bath and Beyond last weekend and got a grown-up fabric shower curtain and thing to hold all of our towels! I have folded the white towels neatly so that I will no longer wash my face with them and get mascara on them. I know, I'm impressed with us too.

Made it to Bodypump on Saturday (after a couple of weeks of being so crazy busy that I only had time to run outside). It was one of the best classes I've had in the area and I love the new release! 

Our annual Breakfast at Wimbledon during last Sunday's Men's finals! Mike had to leave for trial work halfway through and Roger lost, but the strawberries and Belgian waffles were delicious. Hoping for the return of cucumber sandwiches next year!

The Sound of Silence

One of the conditions of my first six months of my trial rotation (which happens to be all of my trial rotation) is that I don't talk in court. In fact, the judge doesn't even say that I am in the courtroom. There are stories of judges forcing first tours to say their names in court in order to make them uncomfortable and get them on the record, but that hasn't happened to me yet. Instead, I spend the duration of trials scribbling notes furiously and then handing them to my boss to agree or disagree appropriately. As much as I would love to talk, it actually takes a huge load of pressure off of me and allows me to learn a lot more from the proceedings than I otherwise would. This is all to say that I sat silently through my first full trial last week which I have been preparing since I arrived at the office, and it was an excellent learning experience. 

I also have another trial next week and another the week after that. So for the foreseeable future I will be talking primarily in post-it notes. 

Kelsey has the next week (except for Monday) off as a buffer before she starts her new job. Everything is official and she will be working at GW as a career coach for undergrads. I'm sure that she will talk about it more when she blogs, but I am very proud of her.

Rupert thought the flowers were for him to eat.

In spite of how busy we both have been, we have been fortunate to be able to spend time with many good friends over the past weeks. Brian and Kay have moved to the city, and we had a game night with them and Josh and Absi. We also had a Fourth of July cookout with that group plus Kacey and Megan (who is on her way to spend a year in China).

We also went to the Zoo with David and Shannon

And while we've been doing all of that, my freshman year Woodberry roommate Jake got married in Honduras. Going to his wedding the only thing that we weren't able to do this month that we wish we had been able to do. We have promised to make it up to them by going to England next year as part of our trip to see Rachel and Carson in France.