God Bless America

We love America.  We bleed red, white and blue & everything about being Americans.  But this year our favorite holiday fell on a Wednesday.  I know we are aren't the only ones wallowing in the fact that we didn't get a 3 or 4 day weekend.  In fact, we got a rather "buzzkill-y" email from our agency HR telling us that "no, you do not have a 1/2 day on Tuesday before the 4th of July and no, you will not be getting any surprise extra days off.  So with the exception of Wednesday, work is business as usual.  And if you're hungry, the cafeteria will be closed & they have the extra time off, even though you don't". 

On the more optimistic side, it's quite refreshing to have a mid-week day off work.  It felt like I worked two 2-day work weeks.  How great would it be if every week was like that??  So we weren't going to let a Wednesday holiday ruin one of our favorite days of the year.  Mike and made the most of our day off by hopping on the train to head out to Amagansett with the Novogratz family.  Since our visit to the Hamptons in June 2011, we haven't been back, so it was wonderful to be invited to celebrate the 4th of July with some great friends.

 The morning was gloomy and rainy and for a split second, we contemplated bagging the day as it could have been a waste to go all the way out there for 20 hours only to be confined to the house due to rain & storms. THANK GOD we still went out because it ended up being one of the most gorgeous days of the summer.  It was the first time I had ever ridden the Jitney, and it was quite a pleasant experience.  In less than 2.5 hours, we arrived at our destination on a very sunny July 4th morning just in time to soak up the day. 

Just a few hours by the pool really does the body good.   I think we were all in need of a little Vitamin D and a bit of relaxation.  Even my Scottish heritage husband endured the sun for a few hours (and yes, he did sustain some embarrassing sunburns, but it was worth it) before heading out to a good ol' fashioned Novogratz BBQ for the evening.   The night was full of delicious grilled decadence, endless rose, authentic fireworks, Patriotic desserts & great times with friends.  And what party would be complete without a Mike Mobley acoustic sing-a-long?  So of course, my husband serenaded the party as a barrage of fireworks were deployed behind him.  

Our view during the work "commute"
on Thursday

It was a short 20 hours in the Hamptons, but it was absolutely worth it to make the most of our Nation's 236th birthday.   In the summer, it is sometimes hard to coordinate weekends together with friends because everyone is inundated with other plans and travel arrangements.  So even if it was only for less than a full day, it was good times to be reunited with our friends outside of the confines of the city.  AND, Mike Novo was nice enough not only to open up his home to us, but he did get us to work rather speedily on Thursday by letting us hitch a ride on his chopper.  Our 2 hour and 45 minute Jitney ride turned into a 45 minute flight.  We're hoping to get back out to the Hamptons again this summer before the next few months get away from us, and next time, it will be for a full weekend!  We hope everyone else enjoyed their 4th of July & God Bless America.