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Our 4th (and what cheers me up after a trip)

4th-of-july-2016
Back from a quick trip to Utah for the 4th!  We always spend this beloved holiday at my sister’s house in Salt Lake.  Quick Re-cap of our trip so I have these pics in my blog books.  :)


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Our annual parade!  Great band music, pretty floats and taffy tossed in the streets for all.  Nothing quite compares to a good hometown parade.
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parade
face-painting
parade-time
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It was HOT.  And we almost melted.  But we loved it anyway.  Tradition!
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We hit the pool near my sister’s house to cool off after.  Such a pretty pool with those beautiful Utah mountains in the background.
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best-buds
Cousins.  And best buds.
bbqtime
Then it was time to BBQ!
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It’s always such a treat to have the whole family together.
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4th-at-cars
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Spent lots of time with these two crazy sisters of mine.  The three of us get together and seriously laugh non-stop.  Our kids just roll their eyes.
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Annual piñata!  Aunt Carly filled it with only the GOOD stuff this year.
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Post firework party after the main fireworks.  Love this pic of my boys.  (Notice my husband wearing his new updated wardrobe.  Hello babe.  Meet 2016.) ;)
moms-yard
After the party in SLC we headed back to my mom’s for a day to break up the long drive home to San Diego.
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Ad gave the pool toys a good scrub.  Because who wants to sit on a dusty swan? #noquestionshesmine
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Can’t quite get enough of my little buddy and he couldn’t get enough of this little canoe!  Such a fun idea for a pool.
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Nothing but smiles at grandma and grandpa’s house.
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They seem to make life extra special.  :)

I was bummed to leave after such a fun trip, but we got home today and I walked in my house and instantly felt better.
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One thing I always do before a trip is to clean my main living areas.  Not an easy thing to pull off because before a trip it’s so busy getting my family packed and ready to leave.  Usually I’m up until 1 or 2 in the morning the night before we leave cleaning counters, wiping out my fridge and tossing anything that will go bad, emptying garbages and vacuuming floors.  But I’m always SO happy to come home to a clean house.  I tend to suffer from a bit of post-trip depression (especially after I’ve spent time with all of my family) and coming home to a clean house really helps with this.
coffered-ceiling
We are all tired after traveling and I need to unpack, do laundry, get groceries, clean out the day old chicken nuggets from the car… ;)  Coming home to a clean house cheers me up and helps me tackle that first day getting back in the swing of things.  Are you the same way?
be-more-productive---create-a-visual-to-do-list
I was also happy to come home to my new visual to-do list!  Usually after a trip it takes me a day or two to even remember what I was working on before I left.  Not this time!  One glance at my happy little sticky note chart and I’m back on track.
organized-office
It’s the little things in life.  :)

p.s.  If you missed my last fashion post Banana Republic is still having their big summer sale for a few more days!  Also I rounded up a few past related posts below if you are new here.  Happy shopping or reading or just enjoy your day. :)

Family Room Update and Sources

Kitchen Update and Sources

My Parent’s Treehouse

My Parent’s New Outdoor Decor

My Parent’s House and Yard

My Sister’s House (Modern Decor)

*affiliate links used

xoxo, Erin
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30 thoughts on “Our 4th (and what cheers me up after a trip)

  1. Erin, Love these pics! Such a great time with family. I would be totally high-fiving you on the clean house if we lived closer :) Nothing like it! Would you mind sharing what skincare/makeup/ sunscreen you use? Did you you so this and I missed it??!!! You’re skin looks amazing! Have a good week!

    1. Jamie you are too kind! Thanks for your sweet comment! It made my day. :) I’ve actually been thinking about doing a post on skin care soon so I’ll try to rush that for you! Stay tuned. ;) xo

  2. I’m the same way about cleaning before we leave for a trip. I’m vacuuming while everyone else is in the van waiting:_
    This is so random, but you and your sisters have such pretty eyebrows and eyes!

    1. Ha! Love that Kathy! I seriously had the vacuum on at 1:30 a.m. this time around. I came to bed at 2:00 and my husband woke up and said “what in the WORLD are you doing!? We leave in 5 hours!” He doesn’t get it! So happy you do. :) And thank you! One is my sister-in-law but I’m happy to claim her. I’ll tell them you said that! Made my day and I’m sure it will theirs too. :) xo

  3. Such cute 4th of July photos! We took it easy this year so I literally have no photos from the weekend. It was relaxing so I suppose that’s what counts! :)

    I also clean like crazy before vacation, as if I’ll be judged by the state of my house when I’m gone?? I’m not sure why, I just feel calmer if things are somewhat in order. I’m glad to know I’m not alone!

    1. I love that Shannon! Sometimes it’s nice to NOT take pictures so you can just enjoy the moment! Happy you got to relax and I’m happy that you are a clean freak before a vacation too! Always so nice to come home to a clean house. :) xo

  4. Nothing can compare to family get togethers. Love all these pictures Erin and nothing is better then coming home to a clean house after s trip. Elle and I stay up super late to clean and pack every single trip. Like you said,#noquestionshesmine ! Glad you had a fun and family filled fourth. xo

    1. Love that you two do it too Cathy! It’s so worth it coming home to a CLEAN house. Best feeling. :) Thanks cutie! Hope you enjoyed the holiday with your darling family! xo

  5. Love, love, love your photos of 4th of July family fun!!! Thank you for including your readers in all the fun – it does my heart good!! Also, I love the black & white striped accents in your family room – I noticed the cute little hexagon shaped box in your coffee table – is it new?

  6. It looks like you had a great 4th of July! We always spend it with family and all of the cousins too. I am also just like you and clean the house before we leave on any vacation. My husband thinks it is weird, but I always insist on it. I cannot stand to come back to a house torn apart from us leaving the house. It always feels like a great fresh breath of air to walk in, be home, and have it clean. Worth the extra work for sure! I tend to have old chicken nuggets in the car to deal with too :)

    1. Same Emily! It’s SO worth the extra work before you leave! Makes all the difference for me. Happy to hear I’m not the only one with old chicken nuggets lurking in the car.. Ha! :) xo

  7. Hi Erin!
    Looks like a great 4th! We had a very (very) rainy fourth!
    I’ve search around on the blog and house posts but a not found a floor plan or general layout of your house. Curious if you’ve shared one that I’m missing or if you haven’t if you would be able to?
    Thanks!

    1. Hi Chelsea! Oh my word.. we could use some of that rain in San Diego! Send it our way! ;) We actually decided not to share our floor plan for personal reasons. Thanks for understanding! xo

  8. You and your sisters are so adorable! I can TOTALLY relate to OCD cleaning the house befor vacay. So good to come home to! Can’t wait to see you soon at Haven!👯👯❤️

  9. Love love love the white top from BR Erin! I stalked it online after your last post and they don’t ship to Australia :( ! #somean lol

  10. Oh Wow!! I am so glad to see that I am not the only one that suffers from this…. Anytime that I go anywhere, whether it’s one day or longer I HAVE to have everything done. I think you just feel more accomplished and can enjoy yourself while you are gone as well as when you return. :) I love that you continue to enjoy the flamingo and swan. I really want one but we live on the river and I don’t think they would last as long. I even have seen them on Jane…. So trendy you are Erin!! Enjoy July, I wonder if it will fly by as fast as June?! PS… I am looking forward to your Back to School Posts!! My daughter, Addy has already picked out her new backpack from PB!!

    1. Love that you are the same way Amy! You are too kind. I don’t know that I’m all that trendy, but I try.. ;) So impressed you already have your daughter’s backpack! You are motivating me to get on top of back to school. :) Thanks cutie! xo

  11. Hi Erin! Are you from Salt Lake City? My family is heading there next week from Maryland. My husband has a conference so I’ll be entertaining the kids (8,6,3) while he is working. It seems like a fun city! Do you have any favorite restaurants? Especially those that are yummy, but still family friendly! We are visiting SLC for 4 days before we head south to Moab. Guess I should be prepared for some heat! Thanks Erin!

    1. Hi Michelle! Oh my word.. so sorry I’m just seeing this comment! I’m not from SLC.. I’m from southern Utah, but my sister lives in SLC now and we visit a couple of times each year. It is a fun city! Are you already there and back? If not, shoot me an e-mail and I’ll get a list of good restaurants from my sister! And yes.. prepare for heat. :) xo

  12. Looks like a fun 4th! We spent our holiday weekend with family too, and there’s really no better way to celebrate. I also agree that having a clean house to come home to helps with the post vacation and lack of family depression. :)

  13. Looks like a fantastic time was had by all. So happy that you have such a lovely locale and family to head over to spend the holidays with. Great photos!! I hear you on wanting things cleaned up so it looks great when you get home. Thanks for sharing and welcome home!! A couple of days after the fact, but the sentiment is from the heart. :)

  14. Looks like you all had a fabulous time! I do the same thing before leaving on a trip…clean like a madwoman! I can’t stand coming home to a messy home after traveling. My husband thinks I am crazy, but it is completely worthwhile to me.

  15. I’m so glad you had a great 4th of July with your family! Even those trips and visits that are so very enjoyable, can also be extremely exhausting. I always try to leave our home clean before we travel, even with just the two of us. So nice to come home to “clean!”

    I just have to share, Erin, that I completely copycatted your “visual to-do board!” I’ve just recently re-decorated my craft room (with lots of help from my hubby doing the heavy-lifting), and now have my “visual to-do board” in a prominent location. You always have such great ideas! I’ll be doing a tour of my little room this week and will, most definitely, give you credit for the “to-do” board.

    Hope this is a great week for you!
    Hugs,
    Carol

    1. Carol! I’m so happy you made a “visual to-do board” too! I hope it’s helpful! I’m loving mine. And how fun that you re-decorated your craft room! YEA! Can’t wait to see your post! :) xo

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