A Classic All-American Fourth of July Weekend

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Happy 4th of July!

Our long 4th of July weekend started off with a tornado scare, but all are okay, and fortunately everyone is safe and sound. When the warnings were first issued I was out eating dinner with Ryan and became pretty panicked worrying about my grandma at the nursing home. All week long we had planned to go visit her Wednesday evening and at the last minute I changed my mind and decided I'd go see her Thursday morning. When the warnings were issued I couldn't help but become full of fear thinking about how hard it would be for her to protect herself. I knew she was at the mercy of the nursing home workers to get her to safety, along with hundreds of other people her age. I said a prayer as we hurried home to turn on the news. The evening was full of warnings and we patiently waited as we watched the TV to find out that the tornado did not damage buildings and loss of power ended up being the biggest concern. By the time I got to her on Thursday she had forgotten the entire incident or was too tired to talk about it, not sure which.

Ryan's birthday is coming up, and as of July first his birthday month has officially started! We are going to Nashville to celebrate and I'm already daydreaming about the trip. I've never been, Ryan has been a few times and has several spots that we must visit. Prince's Hot Chicken is one of the places that he cannot wait to take me! I'm looking forward to the good food and country music, and mostly dancing the night away with my man. Thursday night Ryan and I went to the Royals game and enjoyed grande nachos, Bud Light, and a hot dog! And of course, cheering on our boys in blue!

Friday morning started off with a trip to Starbucks for Cinnamon Dolces, our current favorite. We washed the cars and did laundry. I made vegan lemon cupcakes, see the recipe here, and fresh squeezed watermelon lemonade. Then I laid in the backyard with Mrs. and watched the big fluffy clouds float against the bright blue sky. Ry had George Strait on Pandora, and the windows were open, so I could enjoy the music while I was sunbathing. We ended the night at my sister's house. We barbecued chicken and hot dogs and helped the girls light their sparklers. My youngest niece doesn't quite understand the concept of fires and burns yet, so we were pulling her hair back, insisting on slow movements and no running, all the while their puppy ran from the noise and sparks, just as innocently unsure about the potential consequences as my niece. It was quite the sight to see and hear!

This morning Ry is fishing with my brother-in-law and I'm feeling refreshed after cleaning the house. Tonight we are planning to watch the biggest firework display in the United States at Longview Lake!

This weekend is shaping up to be the best 4th of July weekend I can remember. For me, this is what the holiday is all about, the freedom to go with the flow, and to spend time eating home cooked BBQ with your family. A sky full of beautiful sparks of color. The smell of SPF and the sound country music. Yelling at the little ones to be careful. And ending the night in the comfort of bed - saying a prayer with a heart full of gratitude for our freedom!

This fresh squeezed watermelon lemonade is very easy to make. It's the perfect thing to do if you have left over watermelon, as we did. I simply used a potato smasher to get all the juice out of the watermelon and then I strained it into my pitcher. I squeezed all the lemon juice directly into the pitcher and then added simple syrup. My niece loved it and Ry thought it was too tart!