Life Lately: Charlotte FC Match + July 4th + FLORIDA!

Happy Friday! I hope my U.S. friends had a great July Fourth holiday.

Finn and I kicked off our July 4th celebrations a day early. I surprised him with tickets to the Charlotte FC match on July 3. They were having a “Party of the Summer” theme for the match against Inter Miami with fireworks at the end.

The Charlotte FC is our Major League Soccer team. The team is only in its third year but our city has really rallied around them and the matches are super well-attended and fun! Also, very family-friendly. Finn went to a match with his dad last year and has called himself a fan ever since (it’s so cute). He’s been asking to go to a game all season and this seemed like a fun one for us to go to together.

We had a blast! Finn ate all the snacks (fries, soft pretzel, Krispy Kreme – haha), got to meet the mascot Minty and get his signature and scored a new Charlotte FC hat.

We cheered as hard as we could but the Charlotte FC lost to Miami by one point near the end of the match (Messi didn’t play and I was surprised by how many Miami fans were in attendance!). We stayed for the fireworks and then made our way back to the car around 10p.

Finn is at such a great age for these kind of outings. He was able to do a ton of walking and hang all night with no meltdowns – I didn’t get him in bed until 11! He’s also just really fun to hang out and converse with.

I definitely want to try and catch another game before the season is over!

I let Finn sleep in on July 4th and then got him dressed in festive attire to go to his dad. They were taking off on a weekend adventure!

I got myself dressed in festive attire (love a good theme outfit) to go lift at the gym and then teach yoga.

In my 13 years of teaching yoga I have now taught on every major holiday – Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas – and you just can’t beat the holiday energy. It’s the best. It was an honor to be in the room with these yogis and a sweaty good time was had by all. I had to run the fans and prop the front and back studio doors open for the entire second half of class – it was a hot one!

I went home after class to shower, eat lunch and get packed up. I Ubered to the airport around 3p for a 4:30p flight to Florida. A few noteworthy things here…

• Flying the afternoon of the 4th was a breeze! No lines in security and had a whole row to myself on the plane.
• Book your parking ahead of time at Charlotte Douglas. I usually do but because I booked this flight last-minute I didn’t have the chance to. Most of the lots are reservation only these days and no reservations were available the day of my flight. When I checked parking availability yesterday morning it looked like I could get into one of the long-term lots or Daily North but when I checked parking availability right before I left for the airport everything was full! I pivoted and quickly called an Uber which was fine but I prefer to drive myself.
• Here’s a link to my white wedge sneakers. I love them and wear them all the time – I wore them to the game Wednesday night too. I’ll order another pair when these have had it!
• I brought my Dance Studio Pants out of retirement last month. I had them in a give away pile but it seems they are back in style. I can’t believe I’m wearing a flare leg pant again and liking it!
• Love this carry-on luggage.
• I take Zoey’s golden retriever hair with me everywhere I go. 🙂

I arrived in Florida around 5p. My mom picked me up from the airport and we stopped by the grocery on the way home so that I could stock up on Jeni’s ice cream (you can’t not have ice cream on July 4th!). This flavor combo was 100%. Definitely recommend. It’s my first time trying the Lemon & Blueberry Parfait and it’s so perfectly tart and very refreshing.

My grandmother and I watched the Capitol Fireworks Celebration on PBS and then ventured out on her balcony around 9p to watch everyone shoot off fireworks. It was crazy out there and people were having a great time! There was one group that had obviously spent a ton on fireworks and were shooting off the big ones for almost an hour! My parents poor golden Beau had to be drugged with trazodone and gabapentin. He really struggles with storms and loud noises.

This is BY FAR the busiest week of the year at my parents condo development. I think it’s really cool to see it turn into a little bustling city with all the families vacationing. There is one group huge group here for a family reunion and my mom said that one evening they had Christmas decorations out for a Christmas in July celebration – lights and everything!

I slept for 10 hours last night and I’m still in my PJs typing this at 11:20a. I’m going to get dressed for a walk or a run and then plans for the afternoon include a pedicure with my mom and reading on the beach. I’m on an excellent reading streak right now and have thoroughly enjoyed the last few books I’ve read. I’ll be sure to do a reading recap soon!

QUESTIONS 

What Major League teams do you or your family enjoy following? 

How was your Fourth of July? What did you do? 

Fave Jeni’s flavor? (mine is Brambleberry Crisp)