Happy Independence Day!

The 4th of July is just a date on a calendar, but Independence Day is a holiday worth celebrating!

I hope you all have a wonderful day spent with family and friends, eating delicious summery food and risking your lives playing with bottle rockets. Go bask in the glow of some wonderful fireworks, and remember what they actually represent - the dedication, courage, and strength it took to fight for our freedom as a country.

Happy Independence Day!

God Bless America

Happy Day!

Guess why Chester and I are so excited...

Because it's Friday!

And it's bee-YOOUU-tiful outside!

And it's going to be an extended weekend!

And my husband doesn't have to work any of it!

And we get to spend time with good friends and people we love!

And we (the humans, not Chester) are gunna eat hamburgers and hotdogs and watch fireworks!

If those aren't all things to get excited about, I don't know what is!

Do you have awesome plans for your 4th of July weekend?

Boys will be girls

When I find something funny online, I can't help but share it. This clip totally cracked me up, so I thought you might enjoy it, too.

It totally exagerrates feminine stereotypes, but it is absolutely hilarious. (Besides, there's a little truth in all stereotypes, right? I mean, they were founded on something.) Watching boys try to act like girls really demonstrates how differently God created each gender. I love it. As much as girliness is funny to watch, I wouldn't change it for the world.

Has anything been making you laugh lately?

Snack of champions

Lately, I've started munching on Honey Nut Cheerios throughout my day. They're really the greatest snack! The oats fulfill the craving for crunch without being potato chips, and the honey satisfies the sweet tooth without being sugary. Besides, they're supposed to lower  my cholesterol while helping me stay awake during our slow season.

Really, the only downfall to snacking on the little O's is feeling like a toddler in church. But that's okay. The Shrek water squirter inside the box made it all worth it!

What's your favorite go-to snack?

I can't wait!

I can not get Harry Potter off my mind! First of all, his incredible theme park opened earlier this month in Orlando. Then, the World Cup reminds me so much of the Quidditch World Cup represented in Book 4 (they even both play on "pitches") that I can hardly watch a soccer game without wondering where the brooms are and who's gong to finally catch the snitch. (RIP, USA's efforts.)

But even more exciting than any of that, we've just received our first glimpse of the first installment of the final movie!

Oh my goodness, I'm nervous to show it because it gives so much away! So let me issue a formal *Spoiler Alert* and advise any of you who may be currently reading the books or hoping to finish the series before you watch the movie to not view this trailer. All the rest of you, go ahead and indulge yourselves!

Holy macrel! I'm seriously freaking out. I can't wait!! If I could go ahead and preorder my Midnight movie tickets six months in advance, you better believe I would do it in a heartbeat!!

Now, you guys know that I'm absolutely partial to the novels rather than the films. But I'm so loyal to the story, in general, that I'll take the Wizarding World in any form I can get! Besides, the reason I prefer the books over the films so much is because the filmmakers must so greatly condense the storyline to fit into a movie; with this final chapter being split into two films, I have high hopes that they'll stay true to Rowling's dramatic conclusion.

Oh, I wish the entire world read and loved HP, so they could all experience this kind of excitement as we anticipate the end of an era! (No more books, theme park has opened, and finally the last movie... Sad day!)

Do you love Harry Potter? Are you so stinking pumped about the last movie(s)? Are you constantly being reminded of Quidditch during this World Cup season?

I ♥ Harry Potter!!

Pull up a tailgate

This past Saturday, we joined our friends, Pam and Mitch, for a little late night movie action - outdoor style. We drove to the Moonlite Drive-In located in a suburb of Nashville to watch two movies for less than the price of one.

While waiting for the movie to begin, families were playing on the playground or throwing frisbees and footballs in the yard under the screen. We were starving, so we made a bee-line to the concession stand and went crazy. We popped our tailgate, munched our delicious junk food and anxiously anticipated "dusk."

Here's Pam and Mitch, waiting for the sun to go down.

And here is Pam and Mitch's hood, overflowing with delightful calories. Seriously, does it get any better than concession food?

Finally, around 9:00, they thought it was dark enough to begin the first movie. We set up our camping chairs at the end of our trucks and laughed together through Grownups. Since it was so late, Pam and Mitch left during the intermission. Brad and I used the time between movies to go get more junk food. :)

When we returned, we dangled our legs off the tailgate as we enjoyed our nachos and funnel cake. Once Karate Kid began, we lounged back on pillows and blankets in the bed of the Tahoe and watched a young Will Smith Jaden Smith learn to kick some major booty.

We finally called it a night around 1:45 in the morning. Even though we had church to wake up for bright and early, the late night festivities were definitely worth the memories. We really liked both movies, enjoyed time with friends, and loved the drive-in experience.

Have you ever been to a Drive-In movie theater before? I totally recommend that you put it on your Summer To Do List.

Ready for the weekend

I don't know if I'm just getting older or what, but my body is needing more and more sleep lately. I've always been able to go on just a few hours of sleep a night, since my college days and before. But I think that had always been possible because I was also able to take naps in those days. Grownup life isn't so conducive to nap taking.

I've definitely been searching for nap opportunities, though. Any chance I get, I doze off. I'll leave early for work to beat the traffic, and then take a 12 minute nap in my car before I leave the parking garage. I'll even rush lunch so I can sneak into somebody's office and take a 45 minute nap before I have to return to my desk. It's getting bad, guys.

Maybe it's the getting up so early (so early!) to work out, or maybe it's the working out itself, or maybe I am just getting old. (I refuse to believe that.) I'm confident that the late nights past midnight contribute to the problem. But that's new. Not the late nights, but them being a problem problem. Since when do I have to be in bed in the PM instead of the AM?

Whatever the deal is, I feel a lot like Chester looks in that picture. Tuckered out. Regardless of whether or not I have the self control to institute a reasonable bedtime, I'm definitely ready for the weekend. I can't wait to sleep past noon tomorrow. Ahhh... Just the thought of it is nice...

How much sleep does your body require? What time do you usually go to bed at night? And more importantly, do you have any awesome plans this weekend, other than sleeping?

PS. How stinking adorable is our dog? Laying his head on a pillow like a person. I absolutely love him.

Kool-Aid Kids

In the Hill Ridge Hood, Kool-Aid is the drink of choice. The flavor may change, but the beverage always remains the same.

When the boys play basketball, they prop up the jug full of their favorite sugary drink on the tailgate of Kris's truck, where it's handy for refreshing refills between games.

They love their kids' drink so much that they even sip it from matching Kool-Aid water bottles. Oh yeah, they are that legit.

Of course, they had to pose for one picture with their honorary member of the Hill Ridge Crew, Kool-Aid Man. He's always hanging around, fouling on the basketball court, and offering to refill their bottles. If he didn't take up so much space, they'ed let him be in more pictures. But at least he's always smiling!

Did you grow up on Kool-Aid like we all did? What's your very favorite flavor? For me, it's red. Okay, I know that's technically a color and not a flavor, but it's my fave nonetheless. How about you?

Summertime snacks

It's closing in on 100 degrees around here, with heat indexes well into the 3-digit category. It's absolutely wretched outside. You'll work up a sweat just walking to the car. Blegch!

How else are you supposed to keep the heat away but with some of these summer treats!?

So far, this week, we've already enjoyed some (seedless) watermelon

[pic via]

and savored some delicious strawberry shortcake, which just so happens to be the greatest dessert on the planet. Period.

[pic via]

I may hate these temperatures, but I definitely love the great summer snacks that accompany them!

How are you going to stay cool in this heat and pass away the summer months?

Green Thumb

The big plant in our living room is growing a new leaf! (And it's super cool, too. Huge and all rolled up, for now.)

You know what that means? It looks like I'm not such a plant murderer afterall. Holla!! In your face, dying aloe plant! It appears as though your current condition is not entirely my fault.

Do you have a green thumb?