Fourth of July Favorites

Lordy, lordy, America is almost 240!

*I wanted to put that on a t-shirt but Chris told me it wouldn’t sell. I’m thinking he was wrong.

Like most people, I live for this weekend. It’s like the Christmas of summer, but with warmer weather and less egg nog. What could be better than spending a weekend at the lake with friends and family, drinking beer on the boat, and making s’mores by the fire? This weekend is what Old Navy summer commercials are made of.

We’re jumping in the car after Chris gets off work and making that lovely eight hour drive through the night which always fun. If you have a good suggestion for an audio book, let me know!

At the moment I’m trying to finish up all of my work, while also quickly packing. Flag bikinis, denim cut-offs, and red, white, and blue crop tops. I’m grabbing it all, people.

Thus I present to you: What’s In My Bag- Fourth of July Edition.

But I won’t really show you a photo of my neatly packed suitcase on a crisp white bed because my bed is neither white nor crisp. And I don’t fold when I pack, I throw. I throw it all in and close that shit as fast as I can.

First and foremost:

1. Harlow’s “how to survive the fireworks” essentials.

His thunder jacket and his happy pills. We used both last year and they worked pretty good. They didn’t completely solve Harlow’s intense fear of the loud boomers, but they certainly helped.

For other ways on how to calm your dog during fireworks, check out this post.

2. Several outfits I won’t wear.
Which can include, but certainly isn’t limited to, this white top I recently got and have worn 100 times.

Or these lace up wedges I often wear with said white top.

Sidenote: huge shoutout to my creepy neighbor next door for repainting his garage door. Really helping me up my blogger-pose game!

And also any striped sweater/shirt I own will be packed as well and most likely not worn.

I always pack outfits with such good intention. I’m going to look so cute and classy this Fourth of July, I think. But in reality once I get to the lake I usually wear the same thing over and over and couldn’t care less about looking cute or classy.

Which brings me to number three.

3. Cut-offs and crop tops.

I have a major issue finding jean shorts that fit around my waist, aren’t too snug on my thighs, and aren’t too short on my butt. I’ve probably tried on 100 pairs in the last few months. I’ve found some of my favorites here, here and here.

And finally, these shorts are stupidly expensive and I resisted buying them for years, but I basically live in cut offs in the summer so I told myself if I wear them at least twenty times it will be worth it. I hate to say it, but now I understand why One Teaspoon is so popular, they really do fit pretty great.

4. Obnoxious swim suits.
Oh you know, just referring to the American swim suit as seen in this post.

5. A good book.
Right now I’m reading The Nest. I just started it, but it seems pretty good. If you have something you can’t put down, let me know.

The self help book I’m reading (I’m always reading at least one) is “Grit: Passion, Perseverance, and the Science of Success.”  It’s making me realize I was gritty AF as a kid, but not at all as an adult. So I’ll be working on getting my grit back- as soon as the 4th of July is over.

6. Food.
When I type “4th of July food” into Pinterest my head explodes- in a good way. A very good way. Give me all the red, white and blue food.

What’s your favorite recipe? I’m always a sucker for a dip or pasta salad.

And that’s all I’ve got for today. I won’t be posting for a few days but I will be snapping @thedailytay. Sending happy and safe vibes to all of the doggies out there, just cozy up in the bathtub Stephanie Tanner style and you’ll make it through this weekend.