Fun July 4th wknd

M's family (parents, bro & 8 year old nephew) came into town on Thurs night, and we've had the best time with them this weekend. We went to the Carolina Raptor Center on Fri afternoon, and then went to Pops in the Park in the evening for a picnic, great music and beautiful fireworks. Most of Sat was spent with my extended family at my parents' house. We enjoyed Tex-Mex food (hard to have the typical July 4th BBQ with a mostly vegetarian crowd), drinks, impromptu badminton matches, a birthday celebration for 2 July 5th birthdays, a lot of laughs, and capped the evening with the Carowinds fireworks display. It was a fun day, and what I consider to be a terrific way to celebrate America! Sun was a bit more chill since we're all a little tired. We enjoyed a game of miniature golf at Frank Liske Park in Concord (what a steal @ $2/game/person!) and wandered around Bass Pro Shop at Concord Mills. I felt like a did a lot of chopping vegetables and cooking all weekend, but I also realized some things that have been at the fringes of my mind as of late: that I really like to cook for my family; I love to try new recipes; cooking uses a different part of my brain than what is typically used, and while it can be a lot of work, it's also oddly relaxing and very satisfying. I think I need a weekend to rest from this weekend, but I haven't had such a fun few days at home with some of my favorite people in a long time!