independence day

We spent the fourth with our friends--and for the most part, whenever I say "our friends," you can pretty much assume that I'm referring to the same people. ...

... The couple we met shortly after we arrived down here, the then-family of three that became a family of four last month: the man who volunteered to fix my toilet while wearing his dress uniform because Alan was working at the time; the lady who knows my favorite Starbucks drinks; the toddler who's made me "auntie" and has recently figured out how to crawl out of her pack-n-play (which permanently sets in one of our spare bedrooms!) and open the bedroom door; the infant whose birth I witnessed.

So, anyway. We went to a parade in Belton, which was pretty disappointing because there was no candy, and we were hoping that the little one would be able to get some candy. However, there were a lot of old cars, so at least the guys thought that was cool.

Afterward, we went to the Nolan Creek Winery. We bought two flights (they ordered Italian and we ordered Sweetheart), and I discovered that I really like a certain type of moscato, although I don't remember the name (I liked the moscato in the Sweetheart flight, but I thought the Italian moscato was too dry).

 
We then decided that hummus and a cheese and meat plate didn't qualify as real food, and so we ended up driving around Belton for an hour looking for a restaurant open on a holiday. We ended up at the Gin at Nolan Creek.

Which is right across from the winery.

We were delightfully surprised by the quality of food at the Gin--Akaushi burgers (apparently, Akaushi is a very expensive cattle that is only bred--outside of Japan--in Texas and guarded by Texas Rangers) were on the menu, and I had an amazing cut of salmon.

Afterward, we checked out a little boutique in Belton and then headed to a carnival (which was a waste--every ride cost $3-$4 and the little one was only tall enough to ride one). We made it to a local fair as it was ending, which was disappointing, but at least we know where to go next year!

By the time we left the carnival, it was almost time for dinner. We went home to rest and then went to the fireworks display on Ft. Hood. Since none of us had eaten since lunch (and it was 10:00 when the fireworks ended), we went to Applebee's to end our day.

I can't say that we spent Independence Day reflecting on our nation and the people and events that have brought us to where we are today, but we spent it together as friends, as family, as husband and wife, and that is enough for me.