4th of July!!

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. I love the weather, the food, the fireworks, and just all the red, white, and blue decorations! This year, Derek and I went to my aunt and uncles in Springfield, MO. I hadn't been to their house in like 4 years so I was excited to finally go! It's only 2.5 hours from Kansas City as opposed to 5 hours from Manhattan so it was nice to not have to drive so far to get there. We got there around 7 on Friday and just hung out and catched up with my aunt, uncle, cousins, my mom, and her boyfriend.

Saturday we took our time getting ready and then headed to Branson (about a 45 min. drive) for the day. We walked around one of the outlet malls, ate lunch, and just drove around and looked at all the different stores and things to do in Branson. We headed back in time to meet my cousins (who are too cool for Branson) for dinner at a Mexican restuarant.

Sunday for the 4th we made lots of food, bought LOTS of fireworks and alcohol, and celebrated my cousins 24th birthday (she is 5 wks younger then me). It was luckily awesome weather so we set up lawn chairs in the backyard and then moved to the driveway when it was time for fireworks.

Monday we slept in and headed home around 1. I hated leaving but my cousin and her boyfriend are moving to KC next month so I know I will see them soon and I am SO excited to have them live by us! They are getting married in November so we will be doing a lot of wedding planning together! Thank you Richters for a great weekend!!