July and the hot, hot, heat.

I love the Fourth of July, a day that consists of grilling out, beers, fireworks, and a little country music! Usually for me the holiday is spent with my friend Megan and her family in Bear Lake, MI, not far from Traverse City. We counted this year and realized I've been going up there with them for over 10 years, which seems crazy to think about. This year I was only able to get away for two days but considering Megan now lives in Boston and I almost never see her this was more than I could ask for! It's ridiculous how excited and grateful I was to spend two gorgeous days on the lake with my best friend. We didn't take many photos this year but we somehow managed to squeeze in multiple ski trips, tubing for what felt like hours, wakeboarding, water games with two cute kids, and two of our traditional dinners. We even got a few hands of euchre in one night. Needless to say, it felt a little like no time had passed at all.

Gorgeous weather and our boarding skills.

The girls!

Unfortunately I had to head back to Grand Rapids early July 4th for work but on the bright side this meant I got to spend the night in the city, which was a first for me. We've been breaking records here all week with this ridiculous heat so a lot of the night was spent with water balloon fights and standing in the sprinkler. We shot off fireworks, played with sparklers, and even had (what could have been slightly dangerous..) roman candle duels in the street. It was a great night and as I stared at the fireworks over the Grand River I thought about a lot, about my family and friends. As we lit the sparklers I brought with me I got that nostalgic feeling you get during Christmas or New Years, when you realize it's been a year since you last did this, watched these explosions of color in the sky. I wished  could be surrounded by everyone I loved, especially those who are far away. I'm so grateful we live in a country that has all the privileges we as Americans do. I can gripe as much as the next person but I truly don't think we stop to thank as much as we should. So as I blog about Independence Day I want to say thanks. Thanks to everyone who has helped create a world where I am allowed to live this beautiful life, to those who keep our country safe, and to those who have sacrificed for the lives of others. My thanks will never be enough but perhaps it's a start.

The actual weather according to my iPhone...it's brutal.

Cheers to a great Fourth of July week everyone!