// 4th of July mani

1 >> This 4th of July was great. Michael and I had both planned to work, but around lunchtime, we decided to play hooky the rest of the day. We went out for “urban BBQ” (which was delicious) and saw The Amazing Spider-Man (which was, in fact, amazing — my favorite Spider-Man yet, and I actually loved the Tobey Maguire ones). At dusk, we packed up the dogs, two chairs, and a thermos of wine and went downtown, where we set ourselves up in the parking lot of a bank and waited for the fireworks while listening to a zydeco band. Well, the fireworks show was less than impressive – it didn’t even last 5 minutes – but the whole experience made me feel a tiny bit closer to Lafayette. When we first moved to small-town East Texas in summer 2010, I clearly remember attending their 4th of July festival…and now, here we are, two years later, in a different state, celebrating and finding our way yet again. Holidays are such great little milestones.

Obviously not on the #cbdiet, but SO GOOD.

2 >> Here’s a picture of Pancho and myself, taking a drive to the park to go for a run. Yes, he’s wearing a headband. You’re welcome.

3 >> Thanks for all your iPhone case recommendations last week. I ended up sticking with a Speck CandyShell, because they’re just so protective, which is great for klutzes people like me. And look! This one has a cute design!

4 >> CouponDudes.com has both an awesome talking dog (!!!) and an awesome weekly contest where you can win a $50 gift card to some of the top online retailers. This week’s stores are Target, Macy’s, Sears, Sephora, and Kohl’s. For more information, click here.

I mean, HONESTLY. How cute is that dog?!

5 >> My in-laws are coming to visit this weekend, which means I’m frantically trying to finish the work week, clean house, do laundry, grocery shop, buy a new shower curtain and towels, and meal plan all at one time. I’m looking forward to getting everything done and enjoying their visit…hoping for lots of good food and relaxation.

Happy weekend!