On Saturday, my godmother hosted a baby shower for me with my dad’s side of the family. A lot of my Florida and California relatives were in town, so it was a large group and a lot of fun! That evening, one of my cousins had the rest of us cousins over for a campfire at her house.

Then, I had another baby shower on Sunday hosted by my sister with my mom’s side of the family. It was a relaxing BBQ get-together, and we were lucky to have good weather during the event despite heavy rain in the morning. In the evening we had a bonfire with all the neighbors.

I’m writing this blog post on Monday, and although the school is in session, both my classes today had independent study days — I have to complete an online quiz for my Pediatrics class, and turn in an assignment for Botanical Medicine IV. Therefore, we are still on vacation and will spend more time with family tonight. Tomorrow, July 4th, we will return to Lombard, hopefully avoiding too much holiday return traffic! We might even watch the fireworks at Madison Meadows Park a few blocks away if we have the energy for it.

The summer months are always busy but it’s nice to take time off for “vitamin R” — rest, relaxation, recreation, and rejuvenation.