Good… afternoon, friends!  Happy long weekend to those of you who are celebrating, and happy Monday to all!  No morning post scheduled, because we were away this weekend – visiting our friends Rebecca and Eric in Virginia Beach – and were traveling back today.  I’m now back in NoVA, my fridge is stocked with fresh sliced fruits and veggies and homemade vegetable soup, I have a pot of homemade vegetable stock simmering on the stove, and I’m ready to begin a new week.  Our weekend started early – I worked from home on Friday, and Steve and I drove to the kids’ school together to pick them up at dismissal, and then we rolled right on down to the beach.  Woke up on Saturday morning ready to have fun and to soak in some sun and saltwater!  It was a relaxed, laid-back weekend; we mostly just hung around the neighborhood beach (on the Chesapeake, not the Atlantic, so it’s calmer and a little more kid-friendly) and trundled back and forth between the house and the beach in Eric’s golf cart.  This was probably the last time we visit them here, as they’ve officially put their house on the market and are preparing to move to Florida (sob).  No guarantees, though – if the house takes a little while to sell and they’re still around at the end of the summer we could mosey on back for Labor Day, but we’re not expecting anything.  Knowing that this was probably the last visit to them in VB, we devoted the weekend to together time.  There was lots of laughing, some cooking, and plenty of belly scratches for Rebecca and Eric’s dog, Brandy.  We took in two sunsets down at the beach, ate some fresh seafood, drank a few beers, and did some paddleboarding on the Bay (it was choppier than usual, and I fell off the board and lost my hat).  All in all, a soul-satisfying and revitalizing weekend.  If it’s a sign of things to come, we’re in for a good summer.

Reading.  I kept up a pretty good reading pace this week, although it’s about to slow down.  My Metro station closed as of Saturday, and won’t open again until after Labor Day – yikes.  I’ll be doing a lot of remote work this summer, and driving downtown a few days a week, which means all that transit-reading time is gone for the next few months.  So I got in as much commute reading as I could this week, and finished up Women of the Raj and The Bird King over a few Metro rides (and evenings at home).  I devoted the rides down to VB and back again to Digital Minimalism and finished it off on the playground this afternoon, while Nugget and a new friend raced their cars down the baby slide.  Summer’s going to be a slower reading season this year, which it often is, but I’m hoping to still get some good pages in.

Watching.  Two episodes of Undercover Boss – surprised?  Me, too.  Rebecca and Eric love the show, and they turned it on one evening this weekend.  Rebecca said we lucked into two of the worst episodes; I guess it’s usually a tear-jerker with lots of life lessons for bosses and employees alike?  The two we watched were so terrible that Steve, Eric, Rebecca and I were all rolling on the floor laughing.

Listening.  Podcasts, as usual.  I’ve noticed that I go on thematic jags in my podcast listening.  Sometimes I’m really into my book podcasts, sometimes I’m all about the environmental conservation and healthy living podcasts, and other times I go down a parenting podcast rabbit hole.  This week was the latter, as I churned through several episodes of The Mom Hour while working out at the gym, packing for the beach, and running errands around town.

Making.  Lots of making.  On Monday afternoon I spent a refreshing couple of hours in my kitchen and made a fridge full of healthy food for the week – always feels good to start things off that way.  Less prosaically, I also made a bunch of pretty decent pictures this weekend at the beach, and several videos; I’m doing a #OneSecondEveryday project for the summer, and I started it on Saturday.  (I’ll post the final product after Labor Day!)  And most importantly, I made lots of wonderful, sun-drenched memories.

Moving.  I had a decently active week.  Only one gym day, unfortunately – work got in the way otherwise.  But Rebecca and I did some stand-up paddleboarding in the Bay this weekend, and it was an especially good workout thanks to all the chop.  (I only fell in once, but staying upright and on my board was a huge effort in the rolling waves.)  And lots of kiddo-chasing and walking, as usual.  I’m hoping to start working some more runs into my routine, and I got some new tie-dye running shoes to motivate myself.  Don’t judge.

Blogging.  An outdoorsy week, after an outdoorsy weekend!  I’ve got a garden update coming atcha on Wednesday, and a huge photo bomb of a travel recap on Friday.  I hope you like beach pictures!

Loving.  It’s probably a little early to say I am loving this, but I’m really excited about my #OneSecondEveryday project.  For those who haven’t heard of #OneSecondEveryday, it’s an app that lets you upload very short – like one to three second-long – videos, which it then mashes together and sets to music for a montage of snippets of your life.  (I learned about the project on The Yellow Note, but forgot to download the app in time for a year-long project beginning on January 1st and continuing all year.  But a summer-long project seemed like a good way to get in the habit.)  I have only been at it for three days, but I am having so much fun taking the videos and watching as my montage of moments grows.

Asking.  What are you reading this week?