...a quiet 4th of July with family & farms...

A sunset from Waco, Texas.

I love the sunsets we've seen in Texas. Each one very different, but still breathtaking.

We've had a lot of rain the last week (spun off of Hurricane Alex) and our friend, the sun has been missing.

This last weekend though he blessed us with beautiful rays and warmth.

For the fourth of July, we stayed close to home. Mat went on a "test flight" first thing Saturday morning (keep checking back - he wants to actually do a blog post about it!) and I just finished with finals. We have been constantly going every weekend so we forgot what an actual Saturday felt like. It was nice to have a little time just "hanging out" before we were off and running for the weekend.

First, he headed straight for the north side of Houston to see Aunt Debbie & Uncle Frank, they live on a farm that reminds me of a "hidden treasure". It sits about an hour outside of the city and at the end of this gravel-like road. They had just done some canning and we scored candied jalapenos, dill pickles and HOMEMADE SALSA!! It has a kick, but is incredible!! Mat really liked the candied jalapenos and I'm scared to even give them a try. Just a small sniff burnt my nose! :) 

We then drove even further north to Hewitt, Texas (it's neighbors with Waco) to spend the night with Aunt Jeanne and Uncle George. The morning of the 4th, Uncle George and Mat ran off to the farm. Mat was tickled as can be! He came back telling me how we shot his gun, caught some bass and got to see Uncle George's trains. He was all set for the day!

Then we had a HUGE dinner full of brisket, potato salad, baked beans, etc. It seems to be the Texas way to have brisket on the 4th rather than hamburgers or hot dogs. :) It was sooo good! Our cousin, Jamie even stopped in and brought her two adorable kiddos! It's been so nice to see our Texas family more and more, we are looking forward to the day when we will live closer to them. For now, it's nice to have a place to run to when we need a break from the city. :)

Aunt Jeanne also loaded us up with a TON of leftovers! We're definitely set for the week!

Before we left town, I wanted to see the farm. Uncle George and Aunt Jeanne are building a house there and I was curious to see where everything would be. It was beautiful and you can't hear the city noise, it will be the perfect retreat. Mat was thrilled because of all the fish he was catching!

I even gave it a go, but as soon as I handed the pole back to Mat (after I didn't catch anything) he just casted a line and a fish jumped right on! It was pretty comical! I stuck to taking pictures after that.

Speaking of...

 

This is the farm with Aunt Jeanne and I fishing.

Mat showing off one of his many fish.

And another...

That's all of 'em!

And as we were driving back home, we saw multiple firework shows light up the sky!

The fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays, growing up in a military related family, I have a deep appreciation for all of those who have or still are serving our country.