The last few years I wasn’t super excited about celebrating the Fourth of July. I skipped wearing red, white, and blue, and kept it low-key by staying in and watching the fireworks from my apartment in downtown Los Angeles. Fast forward and things are drastically different. Billy and I moved to New York after living in L.A. for years and last August my parents purchased a beach house in Westbrook, Connecticut. It feels amazing to see the country moving in a more positive direction and after over a year of lockdowns and Covid restriction things are finally getting back to normal. On July 4th, my parents threw a family cookout and my cousin came with her family. We got to meet her adorable two month old son Levi for the first time and hangout with the cutest four-year-old. The day couldn’t have been any more perfect. It started with sunshine and ended with a stunning display of fireworks over Long Island Sound. Here are some of the highlights.
The red, white, and blue table setting. The flowers were from a local shop, and the dinnerware and candy were a mix of Target and Amazon. Here’s where you can find them: dinner plates, dessert plates, celebrate napkins, star napkins, glitter silverware, glitter disposable cups, drink umbrellas (similar here), rock candy, patriotic twist lollipops, and swirl lollipops.
Putting finishing touches on the outside with star felt garland.
Lulu got dressed up for the occasion!
My adorable cousin Kendall helped to set up the croquet.
Billy and Levi…how cute.
Me, Kendall my sister, and her fiancé waiting for our burgers.
A Shirley Temple, Beyond Burger, and my sister’s Panzanella salad.
I purchased a ton of dresses to wear and this SWF x Revolve one made the cut. It’s unfortunately sold out, but here are a few similar options by Amanda Uprichard and House of Harlow. I’m also wearing a Free People denim jacket, Quay sunglasses (similar here), Pure Vida anchor bracelet, Apple Watch, and Sam Edelman sandals.
I asked Kendall if I could take her picture, and she ran to the fence and jumped into this adorable pose. Lol!
My mom picked up the cookies and small cupcakes and I ordered these larger ones from the vegan bakery Shayna B’s By The Sea in Westbrook. The chocolate tasted like an elevated Hostess cupcake, and the other two reminded me of strawberry and blueberry shortcake. I told myself I’d only eat one, but I ended up eating way more than I care to admit.
We also had the most delicious key lime pie and apple pie from an eatery called Oyster River Market in Old Saybrook.
We couldn’t have asked for better weather.
Before going on the beach.
After lunch, we all went down to the beach and spent a few hours there before getting ready for fireworks and s’mores.
Summer days truly are the best.
Growing up, we had a giant raft called “the fun island.” Every summer we’d take it out in the water and have a blast. Eventually it popped, so my parents started looking for something similar to replace it. A few weeks ago they purchased this six person one.
My parents enjoyed the beautiful day.
Out of all the lollipops, the rock candy was our favorite.
My cousins Dylan and Blake.
We had a front row seat to the gorgeous display over Long Island Sound. Unfortunately I took mostly videos so these images don’t do them justice. They were set off a few houses down from ours (on both sides), plus we could see them from Chalker Beach. My dad lit off some of his own and we also had sparklers.
As soon as the fireworks were over, everyone made s’mores. My mom bought these mini bonfire pits. They’re chemical free and there are no smokey fumes. As for s’mores ingredients, we had vegan vanilla marshmallows, Hershey chocolate bars, and graham crackers.
PS: If you’re looking to visit the Westbrook/Old Saybrook area, there are a ton of places to stay. I highly recommend Water’s Edge Resort and Spa, Saybrook Point Inn, Madison Beach Hotel, The Captain Standard B&B, or the Westbrook Inn B&B.
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