The 4th of July in Instragrams

Happy Belated Independence Day! 

It's been a very eventful two days of celebrating. Here in Columbus, Independence Day starts on July 3rd when (what feels like) the entire city floods downtown for a day of greasy food, live music, and drinking beer on the street. Honestly, is there anything more American than that? I prepped by giving myself a red, white, and blue manicure (with the lovely Gabrielle) and then I met up with some friends for Red, White, and Boom! 

The crowds were epic, but we made the most of it by dance-partying our way through. Then a fight broke out. So we dance-partied in the other direction. The city is full of excitement, lemme tell ya.

Speaking of the city, Red, White, and Boom takes place in the heart of downtown Columbus. It was a beautiful view and such an incredible venue to appreciate the freedoms and opportunities afforded to us in this remarkable country of ours. The city makes me feel things, guys.

Beautiful friends

Gettin' ready for a show!

And then, there were fireworks. And they were fantastic.

The next day, on the actual 4th, we got up early to enjoy our favorite day of the year: INDEPENDENCE DAY IN UPPER ARLINGTON! It's like Christmas to us native Upper Arlingtonians, we just love it so much. First up, the parade!

UA Alums!!

It drizzled a little during the parade, but we never lost our enthusiasm. We were standing and shouting most of the time. We just love America so much ;)

But I mean, with floats and attractions like this, who wouldn't?!?!

*****

Next up was lunch at Bodega, a gastropub in the Short North. The Short North is the trendy arts district in Columbus and gastopubs are basically bars that serve really high quality food. For a city girl who loves a comfy environment almost as much as she loves to eat, this meal was right up my alley. Ricotta pancakes topped with bananas and bacon and a strawberry lemonade cocktail for lunch. GOD BLESS AMERICA.

The party broke up after lunch and Ebiji and I enjoyed a quiet afternoon at his parent's house. When we all met up again for the UA fireworks, though, the weather was pretty nasty. We sat through about an hour of rain before the show started. But you know what? I would do it again. Those fireworks blew us away. 

Upper Arlington, you know how to celebrate, and we love you for it.

But, because it was raining, this is the only photo I snapped at the fireworks. We really do bring the party with us wherever we go. Claire and Meaghan especially.

We had the happiest 4th of July! I hope you did too!