4th of july

For the past couple of years, it feels like we've been all over the place for 4th of July. Last year was Texas, before that I was a youth camp leader while Caleb was working in Arizona, and before that was California.

I was so excited to return back to our wonderful Provo and celebrate with family. We also got to celebrate my Grandma's 80th birthday and visit my sister who just started college. Lot's going on! We had a small family reunion and birthday party up Provo Canyon with lots of food and games. Caleb and I are semi-athletic! Come see us for badminton and a game of pickle.

One of my favorite things about Utah summer is the smell! It's so distinct-warm, soft, and reminds me of grass and the mountains. There are a couple of things that we still miss about being in Utah-mainly being close to family and our friends-but, we feel like we've started a new part of our lives in Palo Alto and I started missing our new "home" a bit towards the end of our trip.

We went to Stadium of Fire with my family to see Journey perform. There were so many fireworks that it started to rain debri!

4th of July

Summer really amounts to one crown jewel- one event that tops all of the beach trips, BBQ's, and painful sunburns-

It's called 4th of July. I just love the sound of it. Why we don't say "July 4th" like every other day of the year is a mystery to me, but it even the funny way we say it makes it special. 

This year we took the four hour drive up to San Antonio to visit some of Caleb's extended family and spend time with his parents who flew in from Arizona. I learn more about the Texan way of life in a few days than I have in our time here so far. The first being that brisket is delicious and I know nothing about surviving heat. We hit the San Marcos outlets which was the most impressive outlet-shopping experience I've ever had. Did you know that Restoration Hardware has an outlet store? Even Lululemon has one too! It was a wonderful 7 hour shopping adventure and we didn't even go into all of the stores! 

Watching the 4th of July parade in a tiny Texan town

Finally visiting the Alamo! It was a little bit underwhelming, (all the fact and events still seem a little unclear to me) but it was a Texas-list check off

All of the 21 cousins that were under the age of 16 loved jumping on Caleb

I'm so glad that I finally got to meet the other half of Caleb's family and experience so much! Small towns are filled with their own traditions and oddities that make them unlike any place else