Recap: 4th of July Weekend

I love 4th of July! It's the epitome of summer: sun, fun, friends, grills... basically all my favorite things.

Oh yeah, and the celebration of America's independence. Which I also love.

(However, I wish more of those Brits had settled here or would come over... who doesn't love a British accent?!)

This year I had an especially fantastic Fourth, because I spent it with my family in Florida. (Wow, there is some serious alliteration happening in that sentence). My brothers Chad and Conor make everything more exciting, and this weekend was no exception.

Tiff and I spent 5 days in Panama City Beach, but our July 4th was spent canoeing the Econfina Creek - which is home to like a bajillion natural springs. Which makes it a very COLD creek. And very clear. And very beautiful.

Launching our canoes

I have beast arms now from rowing all 3 or 4 miles of it. I like to call them "souvenirs".

Parentals

 

The canoe of "kids"

Loading up onto the scariest bus ever after the canoe trip

Zonked out. Completely.

Sadly, Conor couldn't come with us, because we were afraid of how natural springs + cold, cold water + canoes + shenanigans would end for the little guy. After our adventures, though, we rushed home to him - and not MORE importantly, but also importantly, to fire up the grill.

After some delish burgers, corn on the cob, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans and WATERMELON (I love watermelon), we headed to the beach to watch the fireworks. There are lots of places that had "official" fireworks, but we went the "unofficial, more variety/danger/fun/ease, less crowded" route and watched all the people who spent their kids' college savings on fireworks light up the sky. They were right above our heads! Which was truly patriotic when they exploded too close to the ground. Really conjured up the experience of being a revolutionary. I've never felt more American.

One of my favorite American girls.

Celebrating the 4th on the beach.

Started building sand castles. Then switched to building bomb shelters.

The whole crew. 

P.S. - my dad is an active duty service member. USAF. I'm so proud of him and so thankful for his commitment to our country. Love you, SMSgt McCann!

Anyway, more to come on the full weekend spent in paradise with my lovely family. For my USA friends, I hope you had a great, safe, holiday and took a moment to remember the historical significance and very current responsibilities of FREEDOM!

God bless the USA.

XOXO,
jam

What I love about you...

There are some people who you love because you were born into a family that includes them, and you have no natural choice but to be connected by blood and family ties. However, I am blessed to have some family members who I love for reasons that aren’t hereditary; I love them just for being themselves.

Tammy, my Dad, Chad and I with Baby Conor in June 2008

My stepmom Tammy came into my life when I was in junior high, which has to be a tough time to get to know a teenaged girl. Hormones. Attitude. Defensiveness. What a nightmare. But Tammy isn’t like any stepmother described in fairy tales or “stepmonster” anecdotes. She dispelled all those stepmother fears I had and became an incredibly important person in my life from the very beginning of our relationship. Which I thought our relationship wouldn’t go well after I was busted playing with her makeup while Nair-ing my legs in her bathroom when she and my dad were just dating… but she’s a forgiving person. And even better, she later taught me how to properly Nair.

Tammy and I picking up Dad from the airport...

The first thing I fell in love with about Tammy is her selflessness. She is honestly the least selfish human I’ve ever met. She loves openly and quickly, shares everything she has, cares deeply for her loved ones and works tirelessly to make sure everyone around her is happy, healthy and having fun. She is selfless to a fault… one time she got a gift card for Christmas and bought OTHER PEOPLE stuff with it. She’s just that type of person. Hence, I’ve resorted to getting her monogrammed items so she is forced to use them for herself…

My family under the Century Tree during my A&M graduation.

Another thing I love about Tammy is her friendship. She is a true and loyal friend. When Tammy is your friend, you know that you can trust her with your most unguarded thoughts, secrets and stories and she will laugh with you, cry with you or help you come up with a plan for revenge. Whichever response is most appropriate. And she treats all her friends that way. I’ve never heard her talk bad about anyone, certainly never a friend… that’s just not how she works.

But what I love most about Tammy is the void she filled in our family. I love how much Tammy loves my dad; I used to worry about him being lonely or not having someone to take care of him. Now I know that he is going to be okay. I love how Tammy loved Tiffany and I before she ever met us and became our immediate friend and confidante. And I love how Tammy has grown our family by bringing Chad and Conor into the world. Tammy completes our family and was meant to be a part of all of our lives. I love that she was brave enough to take on the challenge of marrying a man with 2 girls, a career that demands his service and sacrifice and a “clean-freakiness” that is a little unbearable at times. God bless her bravery!

I love these two crazy kids.

I just can’t imagine my life without her. And that is what a true family is… the circle of people who you need to survive. She is as much my family as any person who shares my DNA, and these are just a few of the many reasons I love her so much. Her New Years’ Eve pina coladas are also up there on the list.

Best friends on the beach!

XOXO

jam

Hello. My Name Is....

I'm starting a blog, but I'm not a blogger. I just want to get that out in the open upfront. I'm just a normal person. Who will try to keep a blog. For no other reason than it sounded like a good idea. So as long as you realize that, we should be great friends!

And I do have a somewhat selfish reason for keeping a blog. Several actually. The first few who come to mind are Chad and Conor... my brothers. I adore them!

Conor

Chad

I'm blessed to have a large family and cursed to have them scattered all over the place. I'm always interested in finding new ways to keep in touch and connected... so maybe this will be one more avenue we can share our lives. By the way, Conor isn't reading or blogging yet... but soon. He's smart - really smart.

So anyway, I'm starting it. It's done. And I'll be back.

xoxojam