4th of July!

In my family 4th of July is a big deal.  It's safe to say that the hype and celebration surrounding this holiday comes close to eclipsing Christmas.  I spend all year searching for the perfect outfit to wear and the perfect swimsuit for the pool and going out on the boat.  When I am shopping and I see something red, white, and blue my senses start to tingle and I b-line right for it.  It's almost like a sport to me.   Why? The 4th of July is my Grandpa Hallie's birthday.  I mean just look at the man. He is a true fire cracker.  How could you not want to make a special effort to celebrate his birthday, not to mention one of our country's most patriotic holidays?!

This year, however, I am in upstate NY on a theatre contract. I think my new friends thought I was joking when I told them how excited I was.  That is, until I was up and cooking at 10am decked head to toe in stars and stripes.  We had to work all evening, so we didn't get to take in any fireworks, but we had a lunch BBQ complete with Vegan Sloppy Joes made by Kim Corbett of This Simple Vegan Life. They were DELISH.  I am not ashamed to say I went back for thirds.  Don't worry though, Kim is sharing her recipe here on the blog later this week! :)

As you can see there were Bomb Pops too (duh).  Eating a multicolored popcicle in white shorts is not for the faint of heart, but I managed to pull it off without any stains. *happy dance* I hope you all had a wonderful 4th! -xo Sydney