Happy 4th of July! This is one of my family’s favorite holidays. My husband, Ryan, has always loved the 4th and does a great job of displaying a great fireworks show for his family. This year, like every year we will go out to my in-laws house for the 4th of July festivities. They always BBQ, have plenty of food and drinks, and of course Ryan purchases many fireworks for the evening. Included every year is a family and friends baseball game where Ryan’s team always seems to lose against his brother Clint’s team (and Ryan even played baseball in college). Clint has friends that are pretty athletic and stacks the deck up against our team. This year will be more fun as Carson, Addison, and Grace (my niece) will be playing as well. Maybe the addition of Carson to our team will increase our odds. He’s a pretty good batter and fielder for a 6-year-old. I’m sure Grace and Addison, as they are just four, will have more fun running around and pretending to be princesses.

I want to let my friends know what a good time I had celebrating my 32nd birthday with them last month. They planned a fun evening out on the plaza, gave wonderful gifts, and even baked a cake! I don’t think anyone has ever baked a cake for me except for my mom! It’s so nice to have such good friends to celebrate fun times with. Thank you Ali, Laura, Kim L., Kim S., Amy, Jen P., and Jen M. for making my birthday so special.

I always have a great time getting together with them. We even had a long standing allergy issue come up every time Ali and I are together. We always end up sitting next to each other and by the end of the night she’s wheezing and needing her inhaler. We laugh that she’s allergic to me and I spend the entire night trying to figure out what is making her wheeze. Or what product I’m wearing that she’s allergic to. However, if you know me, I tend to not wear perfume (as I get migraines) and use all dye-free, perfume-free detergent. We don’t have any pets and I like to avoid all those products containing harsh chemicals. So why is it that every time we get together she starts to wheeze? Well of course we sat next to each other that night and before I knew it she was coughing a little. I encouraged her to move away from me but she being the polite person she is was determined to stay by me and prove it was a fluke thing, but it didn’t really stop and she got all congested. I’m sure she was glad to get home and get her inhaler that night. Maybe she’s allergic to one of the hair products I use? Who knows, all I know is that they are great friends and I’m happy to have them in my life. Thank you all for making my birthday so special this year. It’s exactly what I needed!

Happy July Birthday’s to my Dad, my husband, Ryan, my niece Grace turning four and her twin brothers, Colin and Cooper, celebrating their first birthday!

Special Notes

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Positive Thought of the Day

“You have to love a nation that celebrates its
independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns,
tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House
in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics
where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy,
and the flies die from happiness.
You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.”
—Erma Bombeck