happy 4th of july all y’all!

i hope everyone has a safe and magical 4th of july! i am very grateful for the women and men that serve our country so that we can experience freedom. i will drink to that and i will be drinking from the hysterical cups i found at the grocery store yesterday for $0.97. jackpot. we are headed to a friend’s BBQ later (so excited) and i will be bringing a package of hot dogs, corn for ravery to grill and this dessert:

these are almond blackberry (and strawberry) jam bars and they are delicious. i’ve already had 1 (fine, 2) for breakfast and 1 at midnight and too much batter. some people are like “ohhh let’s do strawberries and blueberries for something refreshing and healthier!” and i’m like “nah, i want some heavy carbs and lots of sugar, thanks.”  recipe to follow because right now a pool is calling out to me to go play in it woohoo!

ravery and i often like to reminisce about how spent the past holidays together-it’s what we do. our first 4th of july together happened in 2008 where we took a road trip to panora, iowa for a mini family reunion with my side of the family! it was amazing and missing them all right now. it’s okay if you are feeling some jealousy about our matching shirts, we get that a lot.

be safe and have fun!

questions:
1) do you have any 4th of july traditions if you are american?
2) do you get to spend the day with your family?
3) how willing are you to drive and get caught in traffic to see fireworks?