This summer has just flown by – and with my oldest daughter starting preschool in just a couple short weeks (!!), I’m trying to enjoy these last few summer weekends as much as possible! I’m excited to partner with the folks at mike’s hard lemonade on a few posts all about backyard entertaining. It was just the push I needed to take advantage of the warm weather and slower summer weekends!

We live right in the middle of Washington, DC and don’t have much outdoor space of our own. But our friends in the nearby suburbs of Virginia just happen to have the most gorgeous and peaceful backyard – with a pool! – and they invited us over for a cookout. They were providing the food, so we volunteered to bring over some refreshing beverages!

One of the reasons I’m excited to be working with mike’s hard lemonade is their support for the Boot Campaign, which provides assistance for military personnel, veterans, and their families, and raises awareness of the unique challenges faced in the military community. This is a cause pretty close to my heart. As some of you know, I previously worked at the U.S. Department of State for eight years, and I worked very closely with the military during that time. My husband is a civilian employee with the Department of Defense and did a 6-month deployment in Iraq in 2011 in support of U.S. military operations. We’ve both witnessed the challenges faced by members of the military and their families, particularly the challenges of being deployed overseas. Those deployments are tough both physically and emotionally, especially if it requires a family separation for weeks or months at a time. We know many servicemen and women that have served their country with exceptional strength and patriotism while also making incredible personal sacrifices.

To give back to the military community, mike’s is donating $125,000 to the Boot Campaign this year. This donation is supported by sales of mike’s Flavors of America variety pack, which features four refreshing flavors – Lemonade, Peach, Black Cherry and Apple – inspired by the iconic flavors from different regions of the country. For each case purchased of mike’s Flavors of America variety pack, mike’s hard lemonade will donate 25 cents to fund four once-in-a-lifetime experiences for veterans.

Our friends have two adorable Bassett hounds – and I’m not sure if they were more in love with Alice or if Alice was more in love with them! She squealed with delight whenever they came close by. So cute!

Our friends’ backyard became even more magical after the sun went down and the fireflies came out! It was so nice to just relax and enjoy the company of good friends – especially combined with great food and drinks. Life has been so hectic lately, with busy work schedules and two very young children. And it can be tough to slow down and forget the endless to do list. Well we still have a few weeks of warm weather left – and I’m planning to enjoy every single one!

This post was created in partnership with Mike’s Hard Lemonade. All content and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors that make Oh So Beautiful Paper possible!

Photos by Nole Garey for Oh So Beautiful Paper