A Montana Recap.

Hi Amy!

I loved our impromptu hiatus too. So needed. As you know, I was in Montana, and a week without the glare of the computer was called for. It was so refreshing. But more on that in a minute.

First of all, I'm sorry that you guys couldn't go anywhere. I'm pretty sure I know why, and let me just say, BS. You guys deserve a nice vacation. I'm just saying. Maybe to Europe. Germany maybe.

The cabin.

What did you do to your shoulder friend?! Was it Christmas tree hunting related? Actually, do you guys do real trees or have a fake one? I went against my better judgement this year and got another real one, and man. I wish I would have done a fake one. Harry has done nothing but pull the lights off the tree and put them in his mouth or around his neck (yikes!) and the pine needles have all but killed my vacuum.

View from the top of the hill. Heaven, right?

So yes, Harry and I trekked up to Montana for the week. How do I describe the week? Let's just say I cried like a baby in the Atlanta airport on the way home. It was especially hard for me to leave that place. First of all, mountains are magic to me. Cold, crisp air is my drug. The snow is what I dream about.

My sister and Harry (top) and my dad (bottom).

And the cabin. Oh, it was a dream. So cozy and warm (heated by two wood stoves!) and ridiculously cute. My dad and stepmom did so much of the work to make this place beautiful… they turned a garage into a living room with sleeping lofts, a bathroom a millions times prettier than mine at home, and mudroom, and a bedroom with Burtons hanging on every wall. It was the absolute best place to spend Christmas, and I'm telling you, everything reminded me of Jon. Weird, huh? He's never been there.

Harry's reaction to the snow was priceless. So confused, so we got a blank stare. Then he discovered how great it was, and we weren't so crazy anymore.

Aside from the mountains and the cabin, it was so wonderful spending time with my family. As we all get older I am really realizing that they really are my best friends. They are so much fun to be around and probably the only group of people I'll play Apples to Apples with. And Harry loved every second. He got way too many dates and blueberries and even skipped his nap due to the chocolate chip pancakes he had that morning, but nothing is cooler in his book than sitting on Uncle Dylan's lap.

I mean, that view.

The second half of the week we headed to Big Sky for the boarders, and our hotel was a dream. Seriously, outside our window was the peak. People skied and boarded right passed all day long. Big Sky is amazing and even as a non-skier I loved it. I even got a pedicure. Sparkly gold, thank you very much.

This was right outside our ski-in, ski-out hotel.

So yes, it was an amazing trip. I wasn't ready for the end and it came too quickly, but here we are sitting right at the precipice of the best month of the year. I've got a pretty big birthday to celebrate in about a week (speaking of which, I had better get started on Harry's teepee!), a homecoming that I have been waiting five months for, and a laid back 27th birthday at the end of the month.

Can you believe it's 2014?! What are your plans / hopes / dreams this year? Any vacations on the horizon?

Cheers to you my friend.
Mallory

Let Freedom Ring + Let Me Kiss My Husband

Happy Anniversary to this guy.

Dear Amy,

Well, hasn't this turned into a sap fest? I guess it's what the holidays are for. Eating too much and getting sappy all over the place. We've spent many a July Fourth up in northern Michigan, at my grandparents condo on Lake Michigan. I miss it. We haven't been up there in five years. Isn't it crazy how years can go by, yet you always crave that certain spot or smell or food or feeling on the holidays?

Also, let's discuss this for a moment. As kids, we want to grow up. We want to get bigger, we want to have more independence. Our parents keep trying to tell us to enjoy it. Enjoy the freedom, enjoy our youth. But man, we just can't wait to get older. How weird is it on the opposite side of that equation now? Kids. Stay young as long as you can. Don't grow up. Run through the sprinklers, eat lots of popsicles. Don't grow up!

We've started a new tradition this year, our first with Harry. We're taking a family portrait. Nothing crazy… just the three of us, standing and smiling at the camera. We plan on doing it every year on July Third to see how we grow throughout the years. It's going to be crazy to look back on the pictures and see the funky hairstyles, the out of fashion clothes, the aging. The hard part will be deployments and trips. But we've decided to really make it an accurate portrayal of our family, so if Jon is gone, we'll Skype him in for our family picture on July Third. I'm excited for this tradition.

Your holiday sounds fantastic. Just to be with family is perfect, but add water, and you've got the best combination for the holiday. Honestly, this time of year and Christmastime are tied in my heart as the days I miss being around family the most. We're lucky to be up in Michigan this year, but I know that won't always be the case. I hope Harry always has a sense of family on Independence Day, whatever kind of family that is. And pride. Pride in his country. Pride in his freedom. Pride in his father's job. Because we're all proud of him (and Aaron. And all the other men and women bravely serving this nation).

I've got to take a minute to send a little shout out to my mister. Four years ago right now I was dancing with my brand new husband. Right after the best kiss of my life. Man, I love that guy.

Have a really great day tomorrow! Happy Fourth!

Mallory

A very sappy Fourth of July.

Dear Mallory,

First off, when I saw that photo of Jon holding a precious paper lantern, I was beside myself. After watching Tangled, which I'm justly obsessed with, I have been on the lookout for an opportunity to launch fiery, paper objects into the sky. There are a few life moments I plan on commemorating with paper lanterns, but in an effort to hold back tears, we won't be talking about those now. And those are moments that I cannot plan for, apparently; fate has its own timeline for us. [Oh wow. How deep am I getting right now? Let's switch gears.]

Growing up, the Fourth of July was a time for everyone--family, friends, and friends of family and/or friends--to gather at our house. I was lucky, and my parents were a little crazy, to grow up with a pool. Our neighbors, who we were very close with, had a gate installed between our backyards connecting the two. [Probably illegal, but the pool has since been filled with dirt and grass and other things that have smothered my reminiscing heart, so there are no worries.] The Fourth was a time for the two houses to host a gigantic party involving splash contests and beer and sparklers and music and desserts covered in white frosting and berries. Wet towels were everywhere, strangers became friends, and parents watched their children like hawks. It was crazy. I remember running between the two houses with peeling summer skin and dripping wet hair, towel held around my neck like a cape, delivering messages from one host to another or mounting another sign on a front door ["Enter through side gate!"] or squealing over the largest game of hide-and-seek ever.

Attending a party like that now turns my palms sweaty and my mind rushing.

Strangely enough, Aaron and I haven't started any Fourth of July traditions. In fact, and this will maybe shock you and maybe sadden you, I cannot remember a Fourth of July since we've been married! One year Aaron was in Afghanistan. Another Aaron had to work third shift and I turned in early. The following summer Aaron was in Kuwait. Last summer we celebrated with friends by watching the fireworks and getting caught in traffic for an exorbitant amount of time [oh joy]. That was fun.

That, my drooling friend, is called an IT'S-IT. It has fulfilled all of my ice cream sandwich dreams. 

I think I will indulge in one too many this Thursday. It seems like the truly American thing to do.

But I like a good sparkler. And I like berry covered desserts. And I like celebrating everything that Aaron's job stands for, everything my grandfathers' fought for in World War II, everything our uncles did during the tumultuous 1970s. This summer we'll be celebrating the Fourth with my sister and her boyfriend on a lake with the dogs and the sun and, fingers crossed, some sparklers. I'm actually a bit choked up about it because I don't know when this will happen again. When will I celebrate America's greatest holiday with family again? I miss running around with my siblings, lying in scratchy grass to feel the boom of fireworks in our chest, sipping Squirt and dripping mustard out of hot dogs.

Wow Mallory. I'm all emotional now. I think the tradition I'll start this summer is making sure to hug. Hug whatever family is closest and celebrate. Take a lot of photos. Do potentially dangerous things in the water, like tubing. [Trust me. It always ends in tears for me. Pulling all of your back muscles is no joke!] What things do you want Harry to remember from the Fourth of July? Do either Jon or you have any traditions you insist upon on the Fourth? What do you miss about celebrating with family?

And four years. Congratulations. That made me smile so big.

Your sappy friend,
Amy

A Memory from the Fourth

Jonathan + my brother Dylan with Chinese Lanterns

Dear Amy,

One of my happiest memories from my childhood exists in pieces in my head. It's a feeling, more than anything. A feeling of extreme contentment. One of those memories which makes your whole body relax, starting with a sigh, and the calmness washes over you.

I was young, probably no older than 10. I don't remember much. It was the Fourth of July (or maybe Memorial Day? Labor Day? But since it's the week of the Fourth, let's just go with that). We were waterside, at a pier, sprawled out on blankets. All of my siblings decked out in red, white, and blue. Impatiently awaiting the fireworks. Running around, eating strawberries, laughing like only kids can laugh.

And then the fireworks started. We were all captivated. Young, old, it mattered not, the fireworks held our attention from the first pop to the Grand Finale. And for a few short moments after the very last one, we were are quiet with baited breath, hoping for one last explosion. All of us, in a pile on the blankets, content.

I have no idea when that was. Or where. I remember the water, and I remember the fireworks, but more than anything I remember the feeling. The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. Christmas Eve might tie it, but the Fourth is kind of amazing in my book.

We spend it on water or with friends or getting married (four years ago this week!) but it's always a happy day for me. Fireworks or no, water sports or rain, the Fourth is a happy day.

What do you do for the Fourth? Any awesome traditions? Are you a sparkler runner, or a sparkler watcher? Have you ever seen the Chinese lanterns like the one Jonathan is holding up there? We lit a few of those last night, and oh my gosh, they are so much fun. Not as loud as fireworks, not as flashy as sparklers, but calm and beautiful. Just my style.

Mallory