4th of July, Isle Style (2016)

Haaaaaappppyyyy Thursday, everyone! I am bound and determined to recap our 4th of July celebrations before it gets to be August, so here it goes. Just a collection of picture memories and thoughts from our weekend at the bay, celebrating 240 years of America. Really, the alternate post title for today should be “Leslie Plays With All of the Instagram Filters”. 🙂

We left on Saturday, July 2nd with a packed car and big expectations of rest and relaxation. But not after stopping at the Habitat Restore to check out a mirror that I had seen a few days prior… the whole store was 1/2 off, so we figured that now was as good a time as ever to get it if we wanted it. Turns out the mirror came home with us (I just have a quick little makeover in store before it ends up in our hall bathroom), along with a pair of wooden shelves. 3 cheers for good deals!

We don’t need much… just some sun, a breeze, and a beautiful bay to look at. Also, we finally got to take our new reclining chairs for a spin- my parents got them for us for our birthday and they are amazing. Speaking of birthdays, this lady shares one with our country! Even though it’s technically on the 4th, Mitch and I gave Mom her gift that night so she could play with it all weekend (it was the game Heads Up)… here she is, taking it for a spin. 🙂

The next day, we took a ride out on the boat and even a few (sloooooow and not bumpy) rides on the tube!

Cousin love. 🙂

Also that day, Mitch and I tried our hand at making a few pies… my mom LOVES blueberry pie, so we decided to make her one for her birthday.

I am learning something about myself… I really, really enjoy making pies. There’s something about the simplicity of the crust, but the effort that it takes, along with the opportunity to get a little artistic that I really love. It’s very therapeutic. I also like eating pies more than I do any kind of cake, so that could be part of it too. 🙂 I think I’m going to try and find time to make them more often. After all, a 4th of July weekend pie seems to be becoming a bit of a tradition. This year’s blueberry turned out pretty good, I say!

And this picture of my Mom and my Mimi and I makes my heart happy. It’s so simple, but tells such a story.

And how can we celebrate a 4th of July without sparklers?? We opted to do ours the night before the 4th, knowing that everyone would be heading home the next day before it got dark enough to light them.

4th of July at the bay is really a fun time. Food, games, beach time… does it get any better?

Mitch enjoying his annual “Blue Plate Special”…

And Brooke and I enjoying our Old Bay corn-on-the-cob.

Mitch and Chris entered the Horseshoe tournament again this year…

and this time, THEY WON!

We had so much fun spending the day with our family and enjoying the festivities… of course, it wouldn’t be a 4th of July without a family selfie (actually, someone graciously offered to take it for us) on the beach, watching the Cardboard Boat races. 🙂 This one’s pretty complete… we’re only missing 6 of us… not bad!

Happy Birthday, America! And Happy Birthday, Mom!