america!

happy fourth of july weekend!

i’m rushing around getting ready to host our annual bbq with friends (invitation above!). this year we’re doing a potluck and i’ll be tackling TWO of my summer wish list items: 1) learning how to grill and 2) making an american flag cake.

throughout my entire childhood, my parents would pack up the aerostar (brown beauty as i like to call her) and head to our grandparents’ home in indiana for a weekend of family gathering. there are memories of these special weekends that have stayed with me nearly 20 years later and i can easily assume 20 more.

• my grandmother’s annual american flag cake, which i’d love to start as a tradition for our gatherings. it’s simple, festive, and seasonal. a trifecta of holiday dining perfection in my opinion.

• lighting sparklers in my grandparents’ backyard far past my normal bed time.

• catching lightening bugs with my sister

• swinging with my grandmother on the old porch swing out back

• playing tag with my cousins around an enormous (at least it felt like that when i was 5) pine tree

• watching my grandfather make home made pickles. my favorite!

these are parts of my childhood that i fondly refer to when i’m missing those carefree youthful summers. and while they are memories now destined to live in my past, they inspire me to create traditions of my own as i build a home here in chicago.

this bbq is part of our summer tradition. a gathering of close friends, close enough to be family, to celebrate another year of living together in the city. some other traditions we’re starting this year? a group picnic on the lakefront complete with kite flying, frisbee, and summer tunes.

whether you’re celebrating the traditions you’ve had for years or just beginning some of your own, have a wonderful holiday weekend!