My Mid-week Fourth of July

I hope all my fellow Americans had a wonderful Independence Day! It sure was special to be back in our Nation's Capital for the first time in three years for this special holiday.


The morning started off at the pool where it was nearly unbearable to just sunbathe without jumping in the pool every five minutes. I got some sun so that's all that matters, right?

I also tried a Fourth of July cookie recipe. Last year I made these scrumptious cupcakes so I wanted to try a new dessert this year. I say "try" because a lot of times I make something by the recipe and it just doesn't turn out that way. Today was a perfect example. 

The firecracker cookies I made turned out completely different from the pictures. Mainly because every store was sold out of red and blue sprinkles. So, I had to use those sugar crystals which just end up changing the color of the dough. Well, let me just say these cookies ended up being a HIT! They're soft, super tasty, and still ended up being festive!

I also got to spend some quality time with my sweet niece Aubrey. We both put our sunglasses on and went for a super short but fun walk :) She's starting to just love posing for pictures now. What a doll!

Then, it was time to head out for the DC fireworks! After parking and walking three miles [my feet are STILL killing me] we found a spot up at the Air Force Memorial to watch the show.

It had been years since I've seen the DC fireworks live so I was quite excited. If you ever get the chance to go watch the DC fireworks, you have to do it! It's so cool to be in the Nation's Capital, surrounded by millions of people from all over the WORLD.

Maybe it's just me but the show seemed a little shorter than I remember and I wasn't super impressed with the variety [or lack thereof] of fireworks. Did any other DC area people notice this too?

Here's a video of the finale. Everyone's commentary has to be my favorite part. So much love for this country of ours! I'm proud to be an American :)

What did you do to celebrate Independence Day?I can't wait to see what next year's Fourth has to hold :)

Festivities on the Fourth

I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend and for those who celebrated, I hope your Fourth of July was full of fun!

I started the weekend off by making some tasty and festive cupcakes! While these cupcakes are certainly not a perfectionist’s dream and took me a little longer than normal cupcakes because of the food coloring and multiple batters, they were adorable and nice and moist!

As I mentioned last week, our plans for the Fourth were to start at an Arts Festival with ethnic food. My husband has been dreaming about taco stands and was finally in luck! I, on the other hand, saw a booth for Tibetan food and figured, how many chances do you get to try Tibetan food?

I ordered the veggie momos (dish shown above) from the Tibetan restaurant. You could probably compare it to a dumpling. It had lots of flavor and was delicious dipped in a bit of soy sauce. Mmmm.

Then, we were off to Liberty Park to enjoy the 1st Annual Bula One Love Celebration full of live reggae music!

I saw Sione Po’uha almost immediately after arriving there! He’s the NFL player from SLC who put on this huge event!

We bought these awesome bracelets at the art festival. They are made out of recycled belts… how cool is that??

Me, all decked out in my red, white, and blue. My husband likes to take tilted shots of me if you can’t already tell!

Final thoughts on the 4th of July this year:

I love reggae music. I LOVE live reggae music. The drink Bula is so amazingly delicious and I hope they start carrying it in stores soon. Seeing The Wailers live in concert was so much fun. Looking around and seeing everyone singing “Don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing gonna be alright” is a beautiful thing. After growing up seeing the DC fireworks, no other fireworks show will ever be enough :)

Oh, and… I LOVE AMERICA! There were so many people from SO many different cultures at the One Love Celebration. It was a true reminder of the diverse country that we live in. Seeing the people, tasting the food, and hearing the music of people from different countries and backgrounds helps me appreciate this phenomenal world we ALL live in. ONE LOVE :)

Let Freedom Ring

Source: bippityboppityboo.tumblr.com via Dana on Pinterest

 

Happy Independence Day!! :)

What a blessing it is to live in this beautiful and FREE  country! While the economy may be in a scary state here, we have freedoms that some countries and areas of this world may never have.

I’m grateful for my ancestors for their courage and bravery to leave the lives they knew to come here to this country.

I’m grateful for the men and women who did, do, and will serve this country to give us the freedom we have today and to protect and help not only the civilians of this country, but the people of others as well.

Source: google.com via Ana on Pinterest

 

I’m grateful for growing up where I did –  in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. and for the diversity I was exposed to there through my neighbors, classmates, and co-workers.

I’m grateful for our beautiful Star-Spangled Banner.

I’m grateful to be an American and for all this country stands for.

Happy Birthday, America!