4th of July Weekend 2017

So....it was one of the greatest ever!  I am throwing out that disclaimer.  The weather was awesome...we scored some perfect beach time and we spent so much QT with our family and friends...here's the recap!

Friday Night

We had plans to meet up with the Batsons for dinner to kick off the holiday weekend.  We were going back and forth on some different spots in our area that have outdoor dining but the weather wasn't really cooperating.  Lea was in the mood for Mexican so we happened upon a fairly new place called "Casa Blanca."  They have a few locations in the area.  Check them out HERE . We went to the one in Methuen and it sits right on the Merrimack River.  It did not disappoint.  We got to sit right near the water and even though there was a rain storm happening outside, we got the beauty of the atmosphere and their VERY strong margaritas.  I had a delicious tilapia dish.  We needed to have some QT before our families took over for our different destinations for the 4th.

Saturday

We were up bright and early!  First stop is our favorite coffee shop in town- Village Bean.  The girls were off-the-wall excited and bouncing around everywhere.  I needed to capture the happiness...oh and their patriotic attire of course! :)

and then we were off!  #PortlandOrBust

Yes we were all in red, white and blue (kind of planned)...I am obsessed!

 It only took us about an hour and a half to get to Portland- we hit some traffic but nothing terrible.  The drive to Maine is always such a peaceful one.  

Once we got there, we met Mimi and Papa at our hotel and had them hold our bags- our rooms would not be ready for several hours unfortunately.  

We then walked down to the Pier- it was a 20 minute walk- it was beautiful weather and I was psyched that I was getting my steps in and keeping my FitBit busy- ha ha!

We got tickets for a 1:15 cruise around Portland Harbor and the Islands.  We had some time to kill and everyone was famished so we headed over to Ri Ra (an Irish Pub and fun little place on the water) for a quick lunch.  It was awesome! 

My mom and I LOVED our Blueberry Mojitos

I enjoyed a Watermelon and Feta Salad

Everyone loved their lunches and when we were done, we headed back over to the pier to grab our boat. 

The boat tour was perfect.  At first I was worried it was going to be so crowded but every island we stopped at, people would get off the boat.  We started on the bottom level and looked out the windows....

Lobster Boat!

and then once the boat cleared out a bit...we walked upstairs to the bow and enjoyed the PERFECT weather....the sea spray and salt air...I was in heaven!

Selfie Fail! ;)

and I captured the bliss on video....

 

and then we asked a nice gentleman to take a picture of our entire fam and we could not have asked for a better shot.  This one is a keeper and I am going to frame it for my parents :)

After our little cruise, we headed back to the hotel and checked in to get ready for dinner.

Selfie!

 

Dinner the first night was at The Saltwater Grille in South Portland.  Check them out HERE

We highly recommend this restaurant.  It sits right on the water with beautiful views...the service was impeccable and the food was tasty.  My mom and I each got different kinds of chowder and then we both got the crab and avacado stack- truth be told we could've shared it...the portions were huge...we couldn't even finish!

  

The guys and their cocktails ;)

and another fam shot!

Eva LOVED watching "Dory" and "Nemo" swimming in the big tank.  They had the cutest little lobster chairs for our little friends too :)

Sunday

This was our beach day and it was amazing. 

We headed over to the next town over, Cape Elizabeth, and went to Crescent Beach State Park.  It came highly recommended by one of my clients in the area and it was breathtaking...such beautiful scenery.  The day was perfect...we sunbathed...we swam in the super cold ocean and we made castles...oh and Diana put on a show for us ;)

After the beach, we headed back to the hotel for showers and some down time.  We grabbed a little room service to share and to tide us over.  We enjoyed reading and such...

Mimi and Mama decided to have a little alone time and hit the rooftop bar at our hotel.  It had the best views of Portland and we enjoyed some cocktails and split the homemade chips (which were to die for)

After some alone time, the girls got in on the action....they love their Mimi :)

That night, we had reservations at DiMillo's- one of the more popular destinations in Portland.  I had been there a few years back with my girlfriends.

We sipped on blueberry cocktails and got more than our fair share of seafood for sure!  Wish I had snapped some more pics here.  The restaurant is actually a boat...I even felt it rocking in the water!

Check out DiMillo's HERE

After dinner, Daddy and Papa hit the rooftop bar for their "cocktail hour" and the girls all went to bed :)

Monday

We headed to breakfast at The Bayside American Cafe.  This place was formerly Bintliff's and a local favorite!  It was incredible and to say we were stuffed after, is an understatement! Check them out  HERE

Girls getting silly!

After breakfast, it was time to check out of our hotel. After checkout, we headed downtown to do some shopping before heading home.  

So...Portland...we came...we saw...we conquered...and we are very grateful for an awesome time! 

Tuesday

The 4th of July!

 Back home it was time to have some more fun with family and friends.

It is my Mother In Law's Bday on the 4th so we brought her some cake and presents and celebrated her! 

Then we headed down to Aaron's family home on the South Shore of MA- the kids had a ball in the bounce house and on the water slide and Eva even sang for us ;)

and we wrapped up our 4th with a cookout and pool party at Beth Ann's back in town.  It was so relaxing and fun and Eva swam her HEART OUT.  She is sleeping in this morning as you can imagine.

Blessed...that's all I can say...we have the best peeps in our lives and I am just grateful this morning.  I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July!