Jesstravaganza

It's fun having a holiday birthday. No school or work, and I typically have a long weekend to enjoy it. My dad calls my birthday weekend "Jesstravaganza." Though my Fourth-of-July birthday has almost always involved various family activities--cookouts, fireworks shows, baseball games, etc.--just by nature of the holiday, the "Jesstravaganza" terminology just started within the last decade or so, once I was out of the house and coming home especially for the celebratory weekend.

Jesstravaganza XXVIII began with breakfast at IHOP on July 2, before Matt, Kate and I headed north. I had the strawberry-banana pancakes.

Thursday afternoon and Friday morning were pretty low-key, just hanging out. Here's Kate looking street in her LCS bib (a gift from the alumni office when she was born) and Popi's PGA cap (Valhalla, where some major golf tournaments have been held, is just a mile or two from my parents' house.) Then it was off to the Louisville Zoo! Kate wore her red, white, and blue outfit with a cute ruffle-butt. She rode in my stroller from 1981, since for whatever reason, we didn't pack hers. (I was a little embarrassed of the metal and vinyl contraption that lacks several of today's common safety features, but we watched her closely and passed it off as "retro.")

(there's Bartholomew!)

The zoo has a bunch of bronze and stone animal sculptures throughout, and we took pictures of Kate on several, with the plan of photographing her on the same one each time we go.

Saturday Mom and I shopped a little, and we visited my grandparents and grilled out cheeseburgers before Matt, Kate, and I drove back home as tornadoes threatened to twist down upon us. It was kind of scary, but we're home safe and sound.

Hope everyone had a happy Fourth!