USA! USA!

Yay for AMERICA! Who doesn't love the 4th of July?!  It is my most favorite holiday: summer time, family, food, parades, fireworks, celebrating our freedom and honoring those who have sacrificed to keep us free.

Still on that crafty kick, there's a local store Crafty Wood Cutouts

that sells the cutest wood cutouts and all the supplies to make them

Ran the 5k Freedom Run again this year.

I had to make up for last year's race and ran my 

fastest 5k (26:56!)

Nothing like watching the parade when you're all

hot and sweaty

Tried to get a cute sister's pic but it turned out blurry :(

 Family BBQ

PAR-TAY!

My birthday and Nick's birthday are a week apart. It's fun to share your birthday with your best friend AND we have the 4th of July right in the middle so it's literally a party (parades, fireworks, paid holiday...) for a solid week!  This year I tried to go all Pinterest (on a budget) and decided to throw a little party with family and a few friends.

The kiddos gettin their badminton on!

 Ice cream cake per the birthday boy's request

Thirty, Flirty and THRIVING!

So I turned the BIG 3-0! Transitioning into a new decade really wasn't too bad (I did most of the freaking out when I turned 29) I'll be honest, it was bittersweet but instead of dwelling on what my life isn't at the moment, I reflected on the events of the last decade and who I've become.  This birthday brought me to tears (some sad) but mostly just because I was overwhelmed with gratitude and felt so much love from the people in my life.
I had to work on my birthday this year, it really wasn't a big deal. Of course there is the curse of working on your birthday (you're doomed to have a crappy day) my patient did code and then the family decided to withdraw care BUT as bad as that sounds it really wasn't.  I just started working on a new floor the cardiac ICU (well not new but new....) and they were really great.

Vanilla Coke (I haven't had caffeine or soda in almost a year!)

and Kneaders French toast sooo yummy!

My sister's visited me at work and brought me delicious sugar cookies

Just what we needed after a crazy afternoon

 From the hubby when I came home from work

Our awesome neighbors that live above us made me dinner 

and white chocolate raspberry cheesecake!

Their cute little boy (he and Nick are best buds)

enjoying my birthday cake :)

One of my BFF's Julie (met at UVSC while serving on the Institute Council) made me this amazing 30 survival kit. The girl thought of EVERYTHING and it was AWESOME! Sadly I didn't get a picture of it.  Saturday Nick and I went out to dinner to celebrate. We went to La Jolla Groves in the Riverwoods, nice atmosphere and super yummy food.  I didn't take a picture of us but I did of my dessert! Haha!