Friday Five + 1 to grow on: Summer travels

TGIF!  Happy weekend to you!

I heard on the radio yesterday that today marks the halfway point of summer -- can you believe it?!  I definitely can't, but at least the time is flying by thanks to all of the fun things we've been doing.  It's about to get even funner because the next month or so is packed full of trips and adventures all over the country.  Here are five of my upcoming travel plans plus one to grow on ;)

1. Lewisburg, PA - The first destination on my agenda, I'm heading here next week to visit a friend and her family.  Becca and I met as coworkers years ago, bonded over our love for Martha Stewart, and became great friends.  She and her husband have since moved from the Pittsburgh area but still have family around here, so we see each other every few months.  The last time Matt and I visited Lewisburg, she was roughly 8 months pregnant; now her little guy is 16 months old!  Can't wait to catch up with them!

2. Nemacolin Resort, PA - Two days after returning from Lewisburg, I'm heading here with Laura for some old-fashioned R & R.  As luck would have it, both of our guys will be out of town visiting their brothers, so we decided to plan a fun weekend for ourselves.  Who knows what we'll get into, but when best friends for over 20 years get together, I can guarantee it'll be fantastic.  Bonus: This is my first time to Nemacolin!

3. Los Angeles, CA - I'll have three days to unpack, do laundry, and repack before Matt and I board a plane en route to LA.  Squee!  I've lost track how many times I've been to LA, but the big news is that this will be Matt's first visit to the City of Angels (and anywhere west of Chicago)!  It's also the first trip that will involve the husbands.  Rachel and I have been fleshing out one of our legendary itineraries for weeks months and can hardly handle the excitement.  Highlights, so far include a Dodgers game, Universal Studios, biking along the beach, La Brea Tar Pits, and more food than you could even imagine.

4. Columbus, OH - This little hop across state lines just might be the dark horse adventure of the summer.  A few weeks ago, my friend sent me an email entitled "New Mission?" with this list of the best ice cream shops in America.  It took no time for us to plan a road trip to Columbus to check out the nearest confectionary, Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.  Natalie and I have an impressive history of ice cream consumption, so we're eagerly anticipating to see if this stuff lives up to the hype.  Oh, and while we're there, we figured we'd visit the famed Columbus Zoo, too.  Nothing says "I'm 30!" quite like ice cream and baby animals, right?

5. Deep Creek Lake, MD - It might have taken us a while to plan a group trip -- coughsixmonthscough -- but we finally did it... and I couldn't be happier with the destination we picked!  There was talk of cruises and island resorts, but logistics turned out to be trickier than we expected.  How do big families do it?!  Thankfully, we all agreed that a relaxing weekend spent together was what we really wanted.  Pontoon boats, bonfires, grilling... who knows what (trouble) we'll find!

6. New decade - Before all of that real travel begins, this weekend is going to be spent locally celebrating a big birthday for yours truly.  Today is my last day as a 20-something, for tomorrow I turn 30... eek!  The plans are all over the place and the desserts are TBA, but I promise I'll share pictures next week :)


If you've been to any of the following places (or decades!) and have suggestions for things to do and/or places to dine, feel free to leave a comment or contact me.  Thanks!  And, wherever you are, have a fabulous weekend!