take me back..4th of July

I was running errands for work yesterday and received these lovely flowers from the grocery store.  As they had no use for red, white, and blue flowers any longer, each purchase was accompanied by these - so wonderful!  I couldn't stop smiling over them and I couldn't help but think about the amazing Fourth of July weekend I'd just had.

For the first time in over two years (!!), I was able to go out on the lake that my grandparents have had a cabin - and now a house - on, for over a decade.  Nathan had never been on the water, but my joy of sharing that with him was surpassed by my happiness of just being out there again.

I managed to only get a bit of splotchy sunburn (#sunscreen4ever) and it was all worth it.  Growing up, my grandparents had hosted a bash each Fourth of July and I have so many happy memories from those parties.  Unfortunately, my grandmother was hospitalized during the weekend.  It was a bummer, but Nathan and I made our way to Sioux Falls to spend the afternoon with her and enjoy a dinner out with Papa.  

As I reflect back on the weekend, not one part, not even spending half of a gorgeous day in a hospital room, has a negative cloud above it.  Fireworks on the lake, old friends boating over to say hello, games of guesstures with some of my favorite people, and just enjoying a part of my childhood happily, without the sad-tinged nostalgia of growing up, is enough to tide me over for quite awhile.  

And if it doesn't, I can look back on the one picture of the weekend that Kit sent me...

Arizona sunsets. az part 2

Every time I travel to Arizona, one thing remains constant: sunset will be watched.  Arizona sunsets are one of the most beautiful things to see, and at the time of my trip, it truly was magnificent.  In preparation for the equinox, the sun lines up between the two palm trees and sets so beautifully.  This was taken on my last night, so it was setting slightly behind the house.  If anyone tries to tell you cloudy days are the worst, that may be true, but they make the best sunsets.

There were a couple nights where sunset was watched not only with family, but also with good friends and good food.  There was jalapeno dip and salmon dip I didn't think I would like as much as I did, cheese trays that I could have devoured, and wine that tastes as good as the company you're with.  There were conversations of life and of beauty and of work and as I sit at home in unseasonably cold Minnesota, these are the moments I miss most.  When I look back through my memories, trying to find the ones that stick out to me as "movie moments", these are the ones I want to find, where the only thing missing is the carefully selected background music.