The Girl's Guide
Issue 88: Your Summer Bucket List
Welcome back to The Girl’s Guide! If you missed the last issue, find it here.
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What’s on Your Summer Bucket List?
In case you missed it, Wednesday marked the first day of summer — but somehow, it already feels like the season is going by too fast! In that spirit, I want to hear from YOU about what’s on your summer bucket list. Tell me your favorite places in the DMV so I can feature them in a future newsletter!
Meanwhile, here are a few of my favorite summer spots (plus one I want to try!).
Del Ray Farmers Market
The Del Ray Farmers Market was a staple of our weekend when Nick and I lived in Alexandria. To me, it’s the platonic form of a farmers market — not so small that you run out of things to see, but not so big that you can’t get to know the vendors and chat with them weekly. The market runs Saturday mornings from 8 am to noon. As a bonus, there are some great coffeeshops and pizzerias nearby for you to hang out after the tents come down.
Bears Den Overlook
If you’d like to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, head about an hour outside DC to Bears Den Overlook in Bluemont, Va. Park in the lot off Route 7 and you’ll have a roughly 45-minute hike to a beautiful overlook of the Shenandoah Valley and Blue Ridge Mountains. Stay for the sunset and you’ll have the best view for miles around!
Nick and I did our engagement photos at Bears Den Overlook with Christine McDonald of Captured by CM. If this pic doesn’t make you want to visit, I don’t know what will!
Gravelly Point Park
All right, so this is one place I haven’t checked off my bucket list just yet. Gravelly Point runs between George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Potomac River, and it’s a popular spot for picnickers to enjoy the sunshine and watch planes land at Reagan National Airport. My plane-obsessed husband has always wanted to go, so maybe we’ll finally make it happen this year (although Margot may need a set of baby headphones to protect her precious hearing).
Interview with Juliana Sweeny
Meet Juliana Sweeny, an Arizona native who now calls the DMV home! You can find Juliana on Instagram.
What do you love about your neighborhood?
My husband and I moved from Iowa to Reston, Va., in 2020 — and boy, are we glad to live in Northern Virginia! It has been a good transition spot from rural life to city living. It has amazing food choices (you MUST check out Jackson's in Reston Town Center — order the Steak Frites and Sparkling Sangria), easy access to downtown DC through the Metro, and lots of walking/running/biking paths. It has all the benefits of living in the city while not feeling overcrowded or overwhelming.
What does your life look like right now?
I am a full-time teacher and volleyball coach at a private Christian school in Loudoun County. Outside the classroom, I stay engaged with current events by writing and speaking about the intersection of politics, culture, and education. My husband and I also attend an awesome church in Loudoun County and are so grateful for our little community of believers!
What's your advice to a young woman who wants to enter your line of work?
Teaching is a spiritual and emotional battle, but for the Christian woman who works outside of the home, I am convinced it is the most important vocation of our time. Students need adults who stand firmly on truth AND grace so they can be adequately prepared to engage with culture.
What's the best piece of relationship advice you ever received?
Relationships are all about TIMING and FIT. When considering a serious relationship, it's easy to get caught up in the emotions of everything— which can be a good thing!—but if the timing isn’t right, the relationship won’t work; if the fit isn’t right, it won’t work, either! Take the extra pressure out of dating by focusing on these two most important variables: timing and fit.
How would you describe your style?
After college, I invested in a color and style consultant who made recommendations for my personal wardrobe based on my skin color, body type, and other physical attributes. I am a winter (cool colors with high contrast value) and classic gamine, which means I lean towards simple styles with a youthful twist. Practically speaking, I wear lots of fun, single-colored tennis shoes with dark colored pants, high-neckline blouses, and simple silver accessories. I actively work on simplifying my closet and I’m pretty close to achieving what most would consider a “capsule” wardrobe. You can read all about the House of Colour style and color consultations here.
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