The weekend of the 4th

Being an American is not a source of pride for me. I am not convinced many people would be after going to overseas and sitting with people to whom American foreign policy and consumer choices directly impacts.

So it might surprise you that I actually like the 4th of July. Not because I am patriotic, but because I love holidays, especially in the summer. If there is ever a reason to break away from the mundane and celebrate, I am for it. That's why I love birthdays so much. The 4th of July is no different, especially since it's like the only day in the year where I get to eat a hot dog.

The weather this weekend has not been bad. In fact, I had my AC off all day on Friday (which, by the way, was a day I did not have to go into the office!) The temp is pretty killer right now, but we got lucky and had a very nice weekend.

Because that was the case (and because I had the day off), I was able to get into my very sad looking garden for a little bit. (Oh gardening. You will never cease to frustrate me. I really, really, really need to get my soil analyzed). But let's focus on the bright side, I did manage to harvest enough green (and purple!) beans for supper. That's a win!

 Because my garden is struggling (and because of the cool May we had), I decided to go down to Wichita on Saturday morning and go to the farmer's market. I had one thing in mind: tomatoes. I really wanted tomatoes.

...but I also got cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes and fresh tortillas as well. So it was worth the drive to Old town.

Saturday evening, Levent and I were invited to go to his friends' house for a 4th gathering. We cooked out, had cocktails, and played lawn games. When the end of the evening came, we all packed up and headed to North Newton to watch the fireworks. Everything about it was delightful, including the cool breeze.

this peach basil moscow mule was awesome 

And hey I guess I am going to do one "patriotic thing" this weekend. Tonight, we are going to watch the final game of the Women's World Cup. (Any type of world games is the only time I unashamedly cheer for the US). Can't wait.

Happy Holiday everyone!