INDEPENDENT

What a long, lazy weekend. There is something to be said for weekends where you don’t pull out makeup or a hairdryer even once (and for a boyfriend who doesn’t mind the au natural look extended days in a row). So, here’s what I did with all that time I wasn’t in front of the mirror:

*Sunned – we went to the pool a few times. While I was sad our lake plans didn’t work out, the pool was a great consolation destination.

*Ate. And ate and ate and ate. C made good use of his grill over the weekend and I was the lucky benefactor: hamburgers, hotdogs, chicken, ribs, steak fajitas and more.

*Watched TV – Specifically, I watched lots of cooking shows! I am all caught up on The Next Food Network Star and Top Chef Masters. These shows left me so inspired that I almost went to try to whip up something extravagant of my own! But then I laughed that notion away and pulled my blanket up tighter. We also caught most of the Fourth of July TV specials on Saturday. Why do they have so many foreigners host and/or perform at those things? Seriously – think about it. In case you were wondering, the fireworks over the Hudson in NYC were my favorite (sorry, A Capitol Fourth and Boston Pops).

*Read – I finished one book (Marley and Me [have been reading it on and off since the new year {yes, I have seen the movie}]) and started another one (I Walked the Line: My Life with Johnny Cash by his first wife Vivienne).

*Mourned – Nashville lost a hometown hero over the weekend. While I was still in high school and college during Steve McNair’s run as Titans quarterback, I learned pretty quickly upon moving here that he was a community asset, beloved citizen and all-around nice guy. Even though his death is being shrouded with LOTS of controversy, this is a sting that our town is going to feel for a while. It has been especially creepy to me since the murders took place two blocks from my apartment. Fortunately these weren’t random acts of violence, so I don’t feel unsafe in my own house or anything like that. It’s just hit closer to home (literally) than any previous crime.

Hope everyone had a great Independence Day!