4th with family and friends

This weekend was so.much.fun. It's just what I needed. There's something to be said about being around old friends and family. It's natural, you don't have to try. They can nap on the couch while you do laundry and watch an episode of a show they think is boring. My friend Nicole and her boyfriend flew down last week and stayed with us. It was tons of fun. We ate well, bowled, played tennis, the men folk golfed, and had a lot of pool time at my parents.

For the 4th of July, my parents hosted a pool party/cookout. Everything was delicious and it was a blast to be together. Everyone pitched in with making things and we were all super full by the end of the day.

{me and my momma}

{my sister put this as my iphone wallpaper....it's staying like that}

A lot of us spent most of our time in the pool. We played our own version of horse with the pool basketball hoop. We played USA because it's more patriotic and shorter. Everyone got really creative on how to make their shots. It makes it more difficult that the basketball hoop floats and can go anywhere in the pool.

We were home early enough to shower and relax and take care of Finley. Nicole bought some bottle rockets and sparklers and we had fun setting them off. We saw some fireworks that were set off around our neighborhood but not a massive show of them. It was a great weekend and I'm so thankful for the freedoms we have in our country because of the brave men and women that serve to protect them.

Flag Cake

My best friend Megan and I have a tradition on the 4th of July to always make a flag cake together. Usually it's a regular rectangular cake, iced, with strawberries and blueberries on the top to make the flag. But this year I decided to take it up a notch (or two).

As someone that hates to bake I was unusually excited about this long baking process. Maybe it was the fact that I had so many loved ones in town that made me willing to put in the work. I found a Betty Crocker Recipe online and was excited to start. However, after reading the instructions I was confused on how to put everything together. So in case you're more of a visual person, like I am, I found this Video for you to watch that will really help.
Nicole and I spent Friday afternoon baking, cooling, cutting, and placing the cake together. It was really fun and people were totally surprised when we cut into it.

How was your 4th?

7.4.14

Dear DAD, yay for you being in town!!!! Dear Nicole, I'm so glad you're here! Dear Spaz and Nate, So excited you guys are in town too. Can't wait to hug on ya! Dear Momma, thanks for sitting at our house multiple times this week. You're the best. Dear Best Friend Megan, I'm sad we won't be spending the fourth together this year but I hope you're ready for our tradition of a flag cake. I really brought it this year! Dear Aubrey, I'm so proud of you for starting your personal blog back up. You're amazing and funny and I can't wait to read every day. Dear Friends, you should check out my friend Aubrey's blog The Found Life. She's crazy funny, a talented photographer, and has such a big heart. You'll love her, I swear.Dear friends, I'm doing ok. I still really struggle with our miscarriage and sometimes it hurts so much I don't know what to do. But Dave and I are so strong and so good that I know I can get through this. Just an update that I'm doing much better and the sadness is kept at bay most of the time. I just don't like thinking that people think we're fine and healed, because it's far from the truth, but we're ok. Dear Nicole, I loved sitting in my closet among all my pretty clothes and talking till midnight the other night.

Memorial Day

I hope you're enjoying your day off and spending time with friends and family doing fun things. But amidst all that, I hope you take a few moments to remember those that have sacrificed their lives for our freedom, so we can do the things we enjoy. I hope you realize what an amazing country we live in. We have so many freedoms we take for granted each and every day. Today I am thankful, so thankful for the sacrifices these men and women have made for our country. If we only stand united in one thing, I hope it's that these sacrifices are appreciated and will never be forgotten.

To the men and women of THE UNITED STATES MILITARY, thank you for giving your all. And to those families affected, your loss is not forgotten.

Visiting

Paperless Post

I'm obsessed with Paperless Post (I'm waiting to be their official spokeswoman.....). I wrote a post  here a while ago and am still loving their cards/invitations etc. Having friends that live so far away sometimes you have to plan things way in advance. That's why I sent out and e-mail in April to see if anyone wanted to come and stay for the 4th of July weekend this summer. I'm excited at the thought of having a house full of friends- I love it just being me and Dave, but I also like having a house buzzing with close friends. Since sending out the invite to host everyone, only one friend has booked a flight! And since it's first come first serve at Homeward Bounds I decided to send the cute couple an official reservation. I'm hoping by then we'll have finished the second guest room and whoever else decides to come will be able to sleep comfortably in a bed. But now that we have our wrap around couch upstairs  there are 3 more spots for people to sleep, plus an air mattress. And if we need to my parents house a few miles away.

 I'm going to try to pack in all the friends we can for the weekend because we don't see them enough (especially Dave's best friends) and it'd be fun to be all together for a little while.