Holiday Weekend Recap

The fourth of July weekend was so good. I mean, what's not to love about a long weekend?

Friday we hosted my family and my SIL's parents. My brother was also in town and my grandma was there which was good to see her because she has been suffering some major back pain. So it was a lot of fun to see everyone and catch up. The weather was perfect (low 70s) so we sat on the deck all afternoon eating and chatting. My niece, Ella, was just such a doll. Look how happy she is?

Ella met her cousin, Manny, and it was the cutest thing to watch. I wasn't sure how Manny would do because he isn't around a lot of babies. But he was so gentle and he just got it. He licks, but he didn't lick her once. He was so gentle and sweet with her. 

He would sniff her face and Ella would just open her mouth. It was the cutest. There was one moment Ella was having her bottle in one hand and holding Manny's jowl with the other hand and he didn't even mind. He just let her. It was the sweetest. He always had to see where she was and he would stand guard by her or sleep beneath her. 

He just loved her so much and wanted to be near her as much as possible. Ella has two puppy brothers so she is extremely comfortable with dogs so it was just the most precious thing to watch these two together.

I also had some great cuddle time with Ella. She fell asleep in my arms for a while and I loved every second of it.

It was a lot of fun. I made pulled pork in the crock pot and it was a hit. My SIL's dad is big on smoking meat and known for his ribs so I wanted to impress him. I think this recipe did just that. He had seconds. My dad is also known to make a great steak and burger so it was a compliment that he had seconds as well! Success. 

Saturday we went kayaking with friends. The weather was perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. We kayaked up stream a good two hours and then enjoyed a more leisurely trip down the river on the way back. It was a lot of fun though and so scenic. I got a little sun burned and I am definitely sore from all that paddling. 

After 3.5 hours on the river we were famished. We went to Smokehouse BBQ afterwards in downtown Milford. Side note: downtown Milford is my new favorite place. There are so many fun restaurants I want to try! 

We ordered the burnt ends as an appetizer and they were pretty delicious. I'm not even a fan of barbecue sauce but these burnt ends was so flavorful and juicy. 

But what made this place for me was their mac and cheese. Ohhhhhh emmmmmmmmmmm geeeeeeeeeeeeeee. The best I ever had. It was so creamy and flavorful and I think there was goat cheese in there. Amazing. Oh and the salty surprise of bacon and the crisp breadcrumbs. I want this now. So good! Also, the corn bread was maybe the best I ever had as well. So delicate and flaky and sweet and buttery. I just made myself hungry. I need to go back soon.

It was a nice day. We came home after dinner and walked Manny and then sat on the deck and read. Sunday was a nice rest day. We slept in, drank coffee and read on the deck, took Manny for a walk and just hung out around the house. Did some yard work, but mostly were just lazy. It was perfection. I came back to work refreshed and ready for a hard working week and ready to really stream line my diet and start seeing the scale move!

How was your holiday weekend?