Stars, Stripes, and Connecticut

And stunning sunsets! 

Lil' Miss and I flew up north to visit with family the week of the 4th of July. It was a whirlwind trip as always, but so good for the soul. 

We chose a morning flight (not super early!) on JetBlue so we could fly out of the beautiful Terminal C at MCO, and arrived in White Plains, NY just before noon where we picked up our rental car to drive into Connecticut to meet family for lunch. 

I went as cheap as possible when I reserved the rental car, and we had the "manager's special" which meant that the car would be chosen for us when we arrived. I was told by the agent at the check-in counter that we could have anything from a truck to a 15 passenger van which made me SO nervous as we walked out to find our car. I breathed a HUGE sigh of relief when we saw this cute little car. I didn't need a gas guzzler, and only needed something reliable with air conditioning to get us around for the week. This little car was perfect. 

We had lunch with family before heading back to my brother's house for the cousins to play, and have a cookout that evening. Sitting out on the deck catching up with family over home cooked food was just what we all needed. And the girls even got their bedtime story read to them by Nana.

The next morning we headed over to Lake Compounce for the day to ride rollercoasters and enjoy the water park. My brother is a passholder and had guest passes for us and free refills on fountain drinks all day which made it a free day for us. Woot woot! 

On Wednesday, we met up with my high school best friend and her daughter for lunch. Lil' Miss had never had New Haven pizza before, so we went to Frank Pepe Pizzeria and of course also had Foxon Park soda paired with it. She gave everything an immediate two thumbs up and now gets the hype! 

After lunch, we treated ourselves to something sweet at Libby's Italian Pastry Shop which is also in New Haven's Little Italy section. Afterwards, we surprised my dad at work with a quick visit before meeting up with my college best friend at Gouveia Vineyards for some wine (juice for Lil' Miss) and snacks with beautiful views of the summer sunset. 

Maxi Resort Dress {on major sale} | Sunglasses | Crossbody Bag

Girls Resort Dress

Lil' Miss and I enjoyed breakfast at a local coffee shop before heading over to my sis-in-law's for the day. Swimming, cookout, ice cream, and sparklers were on deck! 

We headed back over on the morning of the 4th of July for more cousin time, and stopped for more coffee which is always a must when in town. 

That evening, we had some more fire pit time before heading to the fireworks with the family. Since we have a firefighter in the family, we had a cool experience of being able to pull up and set up in our very own "VIP" section. The girls felt important, and were ready with their light up necklaces and of course snacks. 

One last family photo after brunch before Lil' Miss and I headed back to the airport to fly home. She was sobbing as she said goodbye, and had to be incentivized with candy in-between photos. She started sobbing again on the plane, but was fine once she got back into routine at home with camp and gymnastics practice. And of course being reunited with Da-Da and her puppy was the perfect medicine. 

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