Vacation Wrap Up {Sun & Mon} Pt.3

Catch up with Part One here.

Catch up with Part Two here. 

Sunday was party day for us. So many people have family plans and parties that are booked on the 4th of July, so we decided to host a 4th of July party the day before so everyone could attend. The plan worked so well, and we had so many people at my parents house! I had big plans of making two new recipes; cake batter rice crispy treats and a creamy tomato bacon avocado pasta salad so Stephen and I were busy in the kitchen most of the morning. I will post the recipes soon for everyone because they were so good! We especially liked the pasta salad!

My Dad is one of the greatest cooks ever. Seriously! He has cooked for so many family functions and it always turns out delicious! He started cooking BBQ meat early Sunday morning and spent most of the day by the cooker:

I love how creative he was in designing the cooker to include his initials made out of horseshoes! So clever! A big thanks goes to my Dad for cooking all the meat to fill our bellies. He also made his own BBQ sauces, which I LOVE. Oh, my mouth is watering thinking about it...

We threw up a little bit of 4th decor...

 

and guests started arriving!

It was so nice to see Vickie! Since she lives in Tampa our schedules often do not line up, but she was in Jacksonville over the 4th. Woohoo! It had been over a year since the last time we were together!

It was also great to see Brummitt...who has not changed a bit!

Savannah was so cute in her swim wings and pink bathing suit! We share a birthday so we have that special bond...which, our birthdays are coming up soon!

Love this man!

Okay, how cute is this!?! Hannah brought her little dog (who I wanted to steal and take to IN) and she would just float alongside Hannah in the pool. Oh, my heart melts!

Love these girls too! Hannah and Haley come visit us in Indiana! :)

Our family likes to eat. A lot. So, there was a lot of food. And all of it...

DELICIOUS!

 

I refrained from taking pictures of people enjoying the food, ie: eating. If you were in attendance at this party, you are welcome!

As the party dwindled down and everyone was stuffed we all sat around and talked for hours. It was a wonderful feeling to be with friends and family...I snapped a few candid photos:

 

 

Just because the sun goes down does not mean the day is over! Night swimming is the best!

Stephen and I slept in later than we expected to on Monday, the 4th. We slept until almost 11 (I think), we must have been tired! After a trip to Wal-Mart and a fight with a photo printing machine, Stephen and I set out to do some things. First, I needed wanted to get the car washed. Am I the only person who wants to travel in a clean car? I am obsessive about it (I know this) but I just like it when the car is clean on the road! So we got the car washed...and hit Rita's!

Dinner was served at my cousin Beth's house. Her girls, Hannah and Haley are some of my favorite little girls and it is always fun to spend some time with them! After a delicious dinner that included homemade mashed potato's (Thanks, William!) we hopped in the pool for some fun:

We headed back to Mom & Dad's to pack up all our stuff and set out for IN bright and early Tuesday morning. I did get some snuggles in with my favorite dog on the last night though! :) Mom, don't get mad at me-I love Bristol too!

These photos are makeupless, but we are all friends here-right?

And that is the end of our vacation. We went to bed early and got up even earlier to head back home in Indiana. It was great to see family and friends and sad to leave them, but we are so excited about what we had waiting for us in Indiana! God is so good-all the time!

Friends and family in Florida, we will see you again at Christmas!

Now onto the painting, packing and moving!