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...

happy heart.

This last weekend has been magical.  It was my last "off" week before I started work and class for the summer, and there's no doubt I did it right.

The original plan was to have a morning meeting before having lunch with a friend.  My meeting ended up getting canceled and when I texted my friend to see if he'd like to meet earlier, he was at the coffee shop next to my place getting work done.  I finished up some things and walked down to the coffee shop to meet up with him.  We wound seeing friends, grabbing food, enjoying patio weather, and getting sun and laughs to last for days.  We discussed how crazy it was that, for the first time in months, no one in our party had any other commitments for the day - it was just us, enjoying the day.

There was plenty of cleaning, errands, painting, runs, and long walks between, but I was soon joined by a dear friend from England.  It's been over two years since I last saw her, and it was such a treat to have her with me for a long weekend!  We hit up some great Minneapolis spots (Stone Arch Bridge, Moscow Hill - I know it's St. Paul!, U of M Campus, Main Street, the Guthrie, Mall of America, to name a few), she met and we went out with my darling J. Crew family, and made it to a Twins game.   

Experiencing this city as a tourist, experiencing the Mall of America through the eyes of someone who'd never been, and then catching up with even more old friends just made it even better.  Watching the Tony Awards to finish off a great weekend doesn't hurt either!

P.S. I also received this in the mail...wonder what it could be!? ;)

How was your weekend?xx