Thirty & Two Hundred and Thirty-six Years Old

 Fourth of July was great this year. Since Sam is working nights, Bria and I went solo to a breakfast in the morning, came home to make a second "breakfast," and finished up a special project for the birthday boy all before he woke up around noon.

 Thirty things we love about our thirty year-old, hanging in the family room

 

We spent the afternoon celebrating Sam's birthday (the big 3-0!), and then relaxed for a while before taking a leisurely stroll along the riverfront in Old Town (never mind that we almost melted in the unbearable heat) before joining our good friends Glen and Katie for a laid back barbecue. Our original plan to camp out all day on the National Mall fell through, so it was an easy choice knowing Bria would be happiest if she got to spend the day with her BFF Ada. We watched the fireworks from the Pentagon parking lot, which was a perfect spot-- particularly when it came to getting home. While everyone else on the freeway looked to be stopped dead in traffic, we flew right by, since the parking lot feeds right onto the HOV lanes. And because we were so pleasantly surprised to have not been in the car for hours on end, there was still enough time for some sparklers-- one of my favorite parts of the holiday, for sure.