Happy July! You may not know this about me but the 4th of July is my FAVORITE HOLIDAY. The town that I grew up in always made it a huge production – our neighbors had a donut party at 9am, the parade started at 10am, we would bbq in our driveway for lunch, go to the pool around 2pm and stay for dinner and fireworks. It was the best and that tradition definitely instilled in me this need to really celebrate our beautiful country on this day.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this holiday over the past few weeks. Maybe because it seems like the news is filled with a lot of scary things these days or because I have a 9 month old son and sometimes I worry that his future won’t be as shiny and bright as I dream and pray it will be. Living in Chicago, we see a lot of bad things on the news. People shot on the streets for no reason every single day and lately the dark corners of our city are landing on familiar territory. Street names that I’m starting to recognize and neighborhoods where family and friends live. I don’t know if it is because of social media, or if the world was this scary when I was younger, but it just seems to be really heavy these days and far too common. There have been too many instances lately where I feel nervous walking down the street or decide to stay inside because I have an unsettling feeling that something may go wrong. Although it is important to be aware and recognize the pain that our world is in it is also important to recognize the good.

I feel so proud to be an American. Proud and grateful that we are protected by men and women fighting for us every single day. Proud that I get to raise my son in a nation that is (generally) supportive of whoever he decides to be. I may live in my own little bubble and do very little to say thank you to all of those who make our country clean and beautiful and safe but I feel very lucky. So happy 4th of July weekend! I hope you celebrate it with people you love and enjoy some time away to relax with family and friends. We are driving up to Northern Michigan, definitely one of the prettiest spots and I can’t wait to celebrate this beautiful country that I love.

xoxo

What I’m wearing: J.Crew Denim Jumpsuit  //  Sole Society Heels c/o  //  Mariella Vilar Tote  //  Illesteva Sunglasses  //  Soludos Espadrilles

I linked a few items that I’m packing below…