The Holiday

Happy Mandela Day!

I took advantage of my July summer holiday in the USA to celebrate a real American 4th of July with fireworks and a barbeque as well as Mandela's and my niece Jill's birthdays on July 18th.

But I also recreated many of the other non-July holidays I missed celebrating this year with friends and family by being an expat living in South Africa. The month was like Christmas, Mothers' Day, my birthday and Thanksgiving all rolled into one big month-long holiday celebration!

Happy Independence Day in Denver!

my contribution to the 4th of July barbeque ... a peach, blueberry & lemon thyme cobbler!

Merry Christmas in July in Denver too!

Christmas crackers and Rwandan shweshwe bunting

shweshwe stockings hung by a real fireplace where they belong!

mini rhino crackers on a Christmas giraffe plate

Happy Mothers' Day in Austin, Texas!

Just like the Thanksgivings in Kansas that I remember!

friends, family, good food! (@ Milano in the Crown Center, KC)

more family!

Thankful for new babies!

Belated birthday cocktails cruising to Catalina Island in Cali

an aquarium birthday party in Long Beach, CA

and a birthday party at The Magic Castle in Hollywood ... complete with real magicians!

Okay and I even celebrated Cinco de Mayo several times over in Denver, Austin and L.A. ...

Feliz Cinco de Mayo in Denver!

Happy holidays!