Oh Say, Can You See...

Oh boy, oh boy did we have a wonderful time on the 4^th of July. Our All-American week started out on Tuesday, the 1^st when we went to see the Washington Nationals play! This was my first time in the stadium and first baseball game of the season. Kyle’s work got us tickets and we enjoyed ourselves. The Nationals creamed the Colorado Rockies (7-1) so not so much an eventful game but still fun!

National’s stadium had big giant metal baseballs hanging around the parking garages. So cool! 

Entering the stadium! 

I miss baseball. I played softball for a little bit so I think it’s always been my favorite sport…also because of the warm weather and summertime. 

Kyle is wearing his U.S. soccer team shirt in honor of the World Cup Game that we watched earlier. A bit of a blow but the U.S. fought hard!

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks…so funny story on this one. The guys selling treats up and down the aisles kept calling out ‘Get Yer Popcorn!’ or ‘Get Yer Cracker Jacks!’. I turned to Kyle and asked what Cracker Jacks really were because I had never had them. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more shocked look come over Kyle’s face than I did right then. “You’ve NEVER had Cracker Jacks?! Did you even have a childhood?” ha ha ha we laughed and I said I honestly had never tried them (I knew it was a type of caramel corn with peanuts and that it included a treat but that’s about it). Kyle’s boss overheard us talking about it and said, “Well, looks like you are buying her some Cracker Jacks!” We called over the guy, paid our whole $5 for the tiny bag and I had my first taste of Cracker Jacks. Verdict? Yummy, especially without dinner beforehand. Would I spend $5 to get a bag of Cracker Jacks again? Debatable. I do agree however that it’s the perfect summer treat especially at a baseball game and that every child should have Cracker Jacks in the summertime, accompanied by the toy (mine was a sports tattoo). 

The rest of the week was spent in preparation for a 4^th of July BBQ we were having. We got some good beef and pork for hamburgers from the butcher along with bratwurst for Kyle and I began to decide what nummy Americana desserts I would make. The morning of the big day, our church had a flag raising ceremony and pancake breakfast right at 8 a.m. (with a speech by former U.S. Senator Bob Bennett). After that, we had friends and the missionaries over for the BBQ.

THE Food Table

Razzleberry (also known as three berry) pie!

The classic American flag cake.

Oh Razzleberry Pie (made me miss Utah and my mom – she is queen at making this one).

 After the BBQ and a good nap, we headed over to our friends Tyson and Jacki’s to get suited up for a bike ride into the city. We decided to take bikes in the end because we had heard horror stories on how crowded the metro can get after the fireworks. The way in was not too bad, but very true to their warning, the way back was pretty hard. Mostly uphill all the way and I had a difficult time figuring out my bike gears and how hard to pedal heading up, all while wearing a skirt.

It was such a beautiful day though and actually cooled off at nightfall. We found a good spot at the base of the Lincoln Memorial (which was already pretty crowded when we got there). While we waited, we played cards and ate our weight in chips J Right after dusk the first of the fireworks went off and continued for a good 20 minutes. It was so cool to be able to watch them in the nation’s capital, with the Washington Memorial in the background! Overall, a great day and Happy 4^th of July. 

'Murica!