Bacon Brownies, Elephants, Fireworks and a 5K

My 4th of July weekend was wonderful! It was a good ol' fashioned memory making weekend......and I loved everything single second.

One of the highlights was the bacon brownie. Amber brought it back from her business trip to NYC, and as I was eating it, I thought how funny it is that I would be eating a dense chocolate treat laced with caramelized bacon. Who comes up with this stuff? It is choices like this that give clarity to my "battle of the bulge". I do have a serious thing for chocolate and I am in deep trouble when there is bacon around, but to indulge in both at once, and admit that I actually thought it tasted good.......well, think I might need help!

This was going to be the weekend where weakness and triumph would embrace and be friendly, for my sake and for the sake of family.......This was the weekend of the much anticipated 5K. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

We kicked off our celebration of independence with a trip to the zoo! Which is kind of funny......celebrating our freedom and independence by watching a bunch of animals trapped in cages lay around eating veggies and picking lice out of each others hair. Oh but it was fun! Accompanying us on our adventure would be the lovely Marnae , the beautiful Bethany, the gorgeous Tynett and all of their handsome husbands! It was bound to be a good time! Unfortunately Emilee got sick on the ride up, and emptied her breakfast all over her shirt and skirt ensemble, so we did our best to give her a quick wet wipe bath, and set off in nothing but a pull-up and a hogle zoo souvenir t-shirt, courtesy of Nett and Adam (thank you). It wasn't long before her upset tummy was a thing of the past, and nothing but monkeys, tigers and elephants were in view. She ran here, and bounced over there.....snakes, penguins, giraffes.......and more monkeys! It was a two year old dream come true! Like I said, we loved every single second!


After a few hours at the zoo, we headed to a local park for a picnic. We ate sandwiches, home-made salsa, and fresh fruit. The weather was absolutely beautiful, almost a little chilly even. Perfect for napping, and relaxing. After the picnic we stopped by Nett and Adam's new apartment to check it out (very nice by the way), then we headed off for Springville.

That night we did the traditional eat snacks and watch fireworks. I must say it was magical, being there, watching Emilee and Adeline soak it all in. There is something so satisfying about passing on traditions, and seeing that same childhood joy you experienced in your own children as they feel the magic and excitement.

I must say my favorite 4th of July tradition is the when the fighter jets fly over the city. Seeing them race overhead fills me up completely with a combination of love, gratitude, patriotism and a sudden desire to watch Top Gun......okay, I'm kind of kidding about the Top Gun part. It gets me teary every time.

Sunday evening Tyler's sisters and husbands joined my family for a bbq at my parent's house. It was fun being surrounded by so much family. My grandma Wheeler was there as well. My favorite part was watching Emilee do the sparklers that night.


The grand finale to the perfect weekend, was our attempt at our first 5K! On Monday morning bright and early Tyler, my dad and I gathered with thousands of people in Provo Utah for the Freedom Run. We got to run down the parade route and it was so much fun! We were slow......and I mean slow. As we headed up 9th east, I started to curse the bacon brownie, and every other thing that keeps me trapped in my plumpness......why......WHY? I am too weak to resist, and a little too chubby and out of shape to really "run", so here I am shuffling and gasping for breath on the uphill wondering why I ever agreed to do this. The wondering only lasted a few minutes until I rounded the corner and saw the finish line. At that point my dad took off and I tried to pick up my shuffle until at last I crossed that line and crossed one of my goals off the proverbial list.

I did it!

I finished a 5K. And surprisingly, I can't wait to do the next one!

I kind of rushed through and left out so many details of our weekend, but I'm quite sure it was one of the best 4th of July weekends I've ever had.

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness........How did I get so blessed?!