Good morning!
I’m thrilled to say, TGIF – finally! Right? AND, Ben just officially declared it the start of my weekend (my birthday is on Monday). Wheeee!! 8)
Well, last night’s festivities couldn’t have taken place on a more picture perfect evening.
The sun was shining, the sky was cloudless, and there was a great turnout at the capital for the Yankee Doodle Pops symphony concert and fireworks display!
This is Iowa’s capital building, ICYWW. 
It’s a beaut!
Ben met me and my parents directly from work, but not before picking up some goodies for the group…
Cookies!!
Ohhh, this man knows me so well. Exactly what I was craving!
I also sipped on a cold Diet Mt. Dew. Fun Fact: Ben and I call Diet Mt. Dew "always more" – as in, "hey grab me an always more at the store, will you?" Because, well, we always want more Diet Mt. Dew. It is so good. I know.
Everyone was in a cheerful mood.
I think I’m going to let my hair grow back out. What do you think?
Family!
There was a jazz band that warmed up the crowd for about an hour, then the Yankee Doodle Pops took the stage around 8:30.
They played for about an hour, and even did a few numbers with Iowa’s own Simon Estes. He performed a couple of songs, including one that he’ll be singing at the finals of the World Cup in South Africa!
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the symphony pulled out all the stops.
They proudly played the classic 4th of July tunes like the 1812 Overture, Yankee Doodle and Hooray for the Red, White & Blue as the dazzling display of fireworks exploded overhead.
Goosebumps, I’m tellin’ ya’!
This was my parent’s 24th year in a row of going to the Yankee Doodle Pops concert and fireworks at the capital, and I’m close behind. It’s a wonderful tradition that we look forward to every year. Proud to be an American! 
I didn’t climb into bed until nearly 11:00, so I slept in a bit this morning and whipped up a quick, on-the-go breakfast.
Multigrain Cheerios. Perhaps my favorite type of Cheerios.
Creamy almond butter.
And a Pink Lady Apple.
To be sliced and dunked!
Lunch is some leftover Cold Sesame Peanut Noodles.
I seriously, seriously love this dish!
It would be really good to take to a picnic, or perhaps, a 4th of July BBQ?!
In other news, there is ONE thing good about getting older…free stuff on your birthday!
Free cookie dough from Papa Murphy’s, to be exact! I got this coupon in an email yesterday and I think I’m going to use the dough to make theeeeeeese. That link WILL change your life. I’m warning you.
Ok, time to get this party started!
OH! Locals – Larabars and Chobani are both on sale at HyVee this weekend. Make sure to stock up – but save some for me!!!
If this is your last time to check in before the long Holiday weekend, enjoy it to the fullest! See ya’!
~~~~~
Let’s play MASH. Where’s your dream home location - a roomy mansion in the suburbs, a trendy loft apartment in the city, a cozy cabin in the mountains or a breezy house on the beach?
I’m going to say…cozy cabin in the mountains! Only because I’m terrified of tsunamis….
A lake house in Northern Michigan! It may not sound glamorous, but it is where we have always vacationed and my dream living spot!
Jessica! Just got back from Northern Michigan-Frankfort to be exact! Was staying at a friend’s family home right off the beach. I can see why you keep going back:)
I say grow your hair!
), in the USA of course 
Hmm…big spacious open plan house near the city (ie walking distance to all the good stuff
i’d go with a breezy house on the beach. i like your hair short, but that picture of you with your girlfriends (innnn, maybe chicago?) you’re hair is LONG and it looks awesome! youll look great either way. i cant wait for the weekend! 3pm can’t come soon enough! happy 4th, kristin!
What a fun night! I’m so jealous of your ability to go to Hy-Vee…I miss it so much since we moved!!!
I would love a nice big house on a beach or lake. It doesn’t matter to me!
Whenever I cut my hair, I IMMEDIATELY want it long again! So I vote yes! And my dream place…. perhaps a trendy loft in a city! Might be a good change from good ol’ MT
I would love to live in a beachside cottage!
Go for a change and grow your hair out. Dream house location is a tough one. It would have to be a big enough house for the family, a nice size yard for a garden and yard games, close to a city for convenient shopping trips, errands, and cultural activities, close to the beach for an easy day trip, close to recreational trails and opportunities, and not too close to neighbors for privacy. Boy, that description doesn’t sound realistic.
I would have to say a beach house (err, mansion) on a tropical island.
Those cookie dough balls look amazzzzing!
Either a cottage in Key West (LOVE that place) or a cabin on a lake in the mountains. Well, how bout both… so I can escape to whatever season I want even if it’s February!
Don’t you just love those birthday weekends! I love when it’s a whole weekend as opposed to just “one” day! (My birthday is on the 8th.) Sounds like a fun night. The capital building is just beautiful!
I always imagined my dream home on several acres with beautifully manicured grass and a nice porch to overlook the pond. If I am dreaming big, it’s probably on Bora Bora or Martha’s Vineyard.
I am letting my hair grow out now. You’ll have to post pics of your hair long so we can see the difference.
An acreage in the Iowa countryside with land to hunt and fish and a huge garden.
And Happy Birthday early! Mine is the 10th.
I cut my hair last summer into a short bob after having LONG hair my entire life and although it looked good and I got compliments on it, I just missed my long hair so I’m growing it back out! I totally feel your pain.
For Mash, I would pick a breezy house on the beach. I WILL someday live on the beach again. Love, love, love being on a coast.
First a JJ’s cookies and then Papa Murphys!! Girl you sure know how to get my sweet loving heart racing!
Just found your site and I love it. And you are just too adorable.
I would love a swanky loft in a big city!
It’s a toss up between the beach house and the city loft. Can I have both? I need the beach house to escape to on the weekend!
I would looove a big swanky loft overlooking Boston Harbor..le sigh. I used to love MASH! haha oh memories
Happy 4th of July!
Happy early Birthday weekend celebration! You’ll have a blast this holiday weekend…oh, and I think you’re def allowed to kick up your feet, turn off the pc, and CHILLAX!
Your patriotic night looks like a blast (literally
And I share your love or Diet Mt. Dew…amazing.
I say grow your hair out! It is so pretty long!
Instead of yogurt in the cookie dough recipe you could use sweet & condensed milk
it works great as a binder!
http://saltimbocca.wordpress.com/2009/03/05/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough-bon-bon/
McMansion in the burbs. California lifestyle all the way! But since I can dream, I would want a lake house in the mountains for a weekend retreat.
I would say grow your hair for ponytails in the summer, you will have long and short hair – meaning…. it grows! So go for it and cut it when you get tired of it!
My husband was photographing the Yankee Doodle Pops from the tippy top of the capital dome! He said it was awesome.
My dream home would have to be a beach house with room for all my family to come visit often.
really like your hair short but i’m sure it’d be cute long too!
enjoy your bday weekend
I got excited when I saw Larabars on sale, too. I’m planning to stock up this weekend.
I asked my husband if he would build me a cabin sometime. Just for a weekend retreat, somewhere in the Iowa “prairie” near my hometown. I’d love to have more space to garden and plant a bunch of apple trees. Honeycrisp apples, of course
Thanks for the heads up on the Chobani sale!
Definitely a lofty apartment in the city. You are beautiful with long or short hair. I say keep the short style, it suits you well. Happy Birthday and enjoy your weekend!!
I waffle between wanting a condo on the beach, or a cabin somewhere in Montana or Wyoming.
Did you know Sabra hummus is on sale at Hy-Vee too? BOGO free!! It’s my FAVORITE hummus ever, so smooth and creamy. And if you go to Chobani’s website, you can print off a coupon too!!
I’m from Des Moines (living in Kansas City now) and heading there bright and early Saturday morning so I can hit the farmer’s market. Maybe I’ll see you there!
Definitely trendy loft…. in San Francisco to be exact!
What a great evening, it looks beautiful. I would have to say a house on the beach but that may just be a fantasy. Perhaps thinking about living my life on a day to day basis I would change my answer to a mansion in the suburbs- with possibly a small beach house for vacations ; )
Breezy house on the beach – Bandon beach to be exact (in OR).
Gosh, your posts recently are making me miss IA like nobody’s business. LOVE Yankee doodle Pops! And there isn’t a MN equivalent. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super excited for our plans…but nothing beats Yankee Doodle Pops and Fireworks at the capital. Jealous!!!!
Oh, and yes to growing your hair out! Love your hair long.
1. I had my hair cut kinda like yours (minus the fact that my hair is SO thick and SO naturally wavy) for the first time ever last year and I loved it but it was really annoying and hard to straighten it every day, and I thought it looked like a triangle if I let it be wavy. So now I’m growing mine back out, like I always wear it, but I’m starting my first high school teaching job in the fall and I think maybe I should cut it to look more “authoritative”?!?!?
So I feel ya. I like yours short but I always grow my hair out, so I get that too!
2. I went to Pops for the first time ever yesterday! Actually, my bf and I only made it to the fireworks. We got Tasty Tacos and watched it from sitting on a concrete block in a parking lot on Grand a couple blocks up from the bridge. AMAZING! The traffic afterwards was terrible, though!
3. I love your mom’s Iowa smoke free shirt!!! I want the one that has the outline of Iowa and says “native” inside!
4. I want a teeny tiny cottage on a beach in Central California, near Santa Barbara but not IN SB (too touristy, but one of my favorite places EVER). Also I would like an apartment in London and one in Barcelona.
Deffffinitely a swanky apartment in a big city is my dream “house”. Hopefully the future is bright for college grads of 2011 and I can make it happen, ah, a girl can dream
And I vote for short hair, yours is so cute! I’m jealous because I can’t keep mine that short in the summer because mine is wavy and just won’t behave in the NC humidity.
Such fun pictures and awesome fireworks!
they joys of new jersey never cease–i literally have all four options within, at most, an hour’s drive. but i’ll go with the loft option…i’ve convinced myself that i’ll perish if i don’t have the wherewithal to get on the train and be in new york at any given moment.
real talk, by the way, that capitol building is *gorgeous.*
Your sweater is freaking A-dorable!!
MultiGrain Cheerios are BY FAR the best Cheerio.
love joy the baker…was planning to make those this weekend as well. what kind of almond butter do you eat? i’ve been meaning to try some but one of my friends informed me that the kind she has tried tasted like cardboard.
My mom also LOVES Diet Mt. Dew!
Can I have a house in each location?