Fourth of July Celebrations

I have decided to keep writing my blog about once a week even though I am no longer out of the country. I love that people actually care about my writing and it is an easy way for me to reflect on the week.

This past weekend I celebrated my first holiday back home since leaving for Africa. Fourth of July has always marked the beginning of summer for me. It is the time when everyone gets together and celebrates our freedom and independence. My celebrations usually consist of good BBQ, outdoor concerts, and fireworks. This year was no exception. I wasn't exactly sure how my 4th was going to work out because my friends were spending time with their families and my family wasn't having anything until the 5th. But earlier this week, my friend, Wagner decided to come into down and visit my family. He had not been back to St. Louis in SEVEN years, so it was good for him to come back and share some time with us.

The festivities here usually start around July 3 and this year our celebration, Fair St. Louis, was moved to Forest Park because there is construction happening down at the Arch. Forest Park is just a couple of miles from me, so I thought for sure I would see fireworks on July 3, 4, and 5. But to my dismay, I could not see any fireworks. On Friday morning I went to the grocery store to stock up on food for the weekend. The boys were going home because it was Joe's mom's birthday and Wagner was coming in so I wanted to make sure there was plenty of food in the house. As I walked into the grocery store, I could not get over the variety. I know I have been home for a little over a week, but this is the first time I have stepped into grocery store since being back. My wonderful roommate stocked my fridge with delicious foods, so I didn't need to go to the store. Needless to say, I was overwhelmed with all of the choices. The cereal aisle alone was too much. I got what I needed and got out.

On Friday afternoon, my friend Wagner came into town. I haven't seen Wagner in about a year. We divorced nearly seven years ago and that was the last time he saw my family. It was good to be together and talk about our lives. We visited some of the sites, had lunch, and headed down to Fair St. Louis. Fair St. Louis is our celebration for the fourth of July holiday. There is live music and fireworks each night. We parked close to Forest Park, but had to walk quite a lot to get to the fair. Once we got in, we stood at the top of the hill to watch the performances.
A man approached us and said, "Are you guys alone?"
Wagner and I just looked at each other and didn't really know how to respond. One of us squeaked out, "yes, why?"
He said, "My wife and I have two extra VIP passes and we thought maybe you could use them."
We gladly took the passes and then discussed whether it was for real or a trick. We decided to go into the VIP tent and check out the perks. The tent was nice with some free food and expensive drinks. We quickly realized there were better seats down the hill so we left the VIP area and found a place in the grass to relax and watch the concert. After the concert, we headed down to the Grand Basin to watch a tightrope walker, which was really cool. Then, we started heading back to the car. We didn't have the patience to wait out the fireworks, but we saw a lot of them on the way home.

The life of a resident...

The next day we headed to Creve Coeur Lake to get some exercise...me - running; Wagner - paddle boarding. Then, we headed over to mom and dad's where they had a BBQ waiting for us. It was so good to go to my parent's house and visit with my family.

Kelly and Kennedie

Baby girl!

Wagner and I

Wagner and Josh

Wagner, Mom, Ella

Wagner and Ella 

After visiting with the family in Alton, we headed over to my sister's house for some dinner and drinks. Kristin lives pretty close to me and it was on the way home. Kristin and Josh made delicious food with wine and desserts.

Then, we headed to Club Viva to dance at one of the popular Latin clubs here. It has been a long time since I danced merengue and salsa and I am pretty sure I made a fool of myself, but we had a good time. Wagner headed back to D.C. today and I really enjoyed the time we had together.

Workout Report
boxing 2X
running 3X (8 miles)
weight training 2X
I was a workout fiend before I left for Uganda, but during my time there, I only did a lot of walking. Therefore, I lost a lot of muscle tone, strength, and endurance. I have only gained about 7 pounds, but it is noticeable to me and my clothes don't fit the same way. So, I am on a mission to get back in shape before I head back to work next month. I would also like to run a half in October...we shall see.

Overall, it has been a pretty good first week. I am hoping to get into a routine this next week and work on my dissertation along with workouts.