A Picnic Filled Day And A Firework Filled Night {GIVEAWAY}

I hope everyone had a fun 4th of July! It was my first one being engaged and it was pretty perfect. I love the 4th of July, I am so proud to be an American and love a holiday that is all about good food and sunshine!

I spent the day with this special guy and we had a blast. We headed to the Stadium at State College around 5pm to stake out a spot to watch the fireworks and have a picnic. I love traditions, this is the second year Josh and I have done this together and it is so special to me.

Our picnic spot. <3 Josh’s parents were so sweet and picked us up a picnic blanket to use. Last year we were cheap and used a picnic tablecloth and the dye came off all over our legs. I actually love the story, and the funny pictures that go along with the memory.

This year I was dye free. I was heavily sunscreened though, it was a hot, sunny day!

We made a trip over to Wegmans earlier in the day and picked up a ton of food. The two of us will never go hungry. One of our July 4th staples is Wegmans red, white, and blue bread. It’s a delicious bread made with cranberries and blueberries and dusted with sugar. It’s so good!

We sliced up the bread, topped it with peach jam, apples, and sharp cheddar cheese and had the most amazing sandwiches for dinner! They were delicious!

We also brought along some wine from The Winery at Wilcox we had picked up a few weeks ago. We had decided at the time to save it for a special occasion, and the 4th of July after getting engaged certainly seemed fitting.

We toasted to our futures in wine glasses from our first vacation together. The strawberry wine was delicious, we enjoyed every sip!

After dinner we lounged around and played some card games! Josh won the first game and I won the second. We are such a good match! 😀

We also snacked on some Daelia’s goodies while we lounged. You guys might remember the first time I tried Daelia’s Biscuits for Cheese when Josh and I hosted game night and how much I fell in love with them. Daelia’s was so sweet to send some of their newest product, beer flats, my way. Made from beer and whole ingredients they’re meant to be enjoyed with beer, cheese, hummus, or any of your other favorite toppings. They come in two varieties, the lighter pilsner crackers, and the darker porter crackers.

I love love love the pilsner crackers. They are light and crispy and taste good with just about anything, especially cheese.

Cheddar, hummus, and beer flats for the win!

Josh knows a ton about good beer and food pairings so he made some recommendations for food choices to compliment the crackers. He thinks the light pilsner cracker would taste really good with a soft goat cheese or young gruyere as well as a light bodied wheat beer that would compliment the slightly sweet cracker.

The dark porter crackers would tasted good with sharp or smoked cheddar, and a porter made with malt and hoppy flavors to go well with the bitterness of the cracker. Josh loved the pilsner while I was simply meh on them. I’m not a big fan of bitter things, but I love sweet things, which is probably why I love the pilsner crackers! 😀

Daelia’s was so sweet to offer a giveaway on here to one lucky reader! Keep reading to find out how you can enter to win four boxes of beer flats.

Our picnic was such an amazing time! It’s crazy to think how this time next year we’ll likely be weeks away from our wedding and packing to move who knows where to start our careers. I’m so excited for all of our upcoming adventures but also so happy to stay in this little bubble known as State College for a while longer.

The fireworks show in State College is amazing. If you’re ever in the area and have the opportunity to go I really recommend it. It’s 45 minutes of the most amazing outdoor light show, set to music!

After the fireworks ended we laid on the blanket and watched the stars until the crowd of people and cars had thinned. We then packed up all our stuff and headed home. The next morning was a really productive one for us. Josh went to a meeting at school, I met up with him afterwards to head to the post office to mail back my ring (I have to swap a 5 3/4 for a 4 1/2), and then we drove into the middle of the boonies to get his suit tailored for upcoming business events by a recommended seamstress. After all that we decided to treat ourselves to some lunch!

We headed over to Mario’s, a local favorite of ours that we have not been to in forever. They make some of the best Italian food around, no matter what I end up ordering I always love it.

Josh got tomato soup and an artichoke panini that were out of this world. I want to steal that secret soup recipe and take it home with me so I can make it all the time!

I opted for asparagus raviolis in a butter sage sauce and they were so good. I just wish there were more of them!

It was a wonderful lunch followed with HGTV watching and couch cuddling back at Josh’s place. Before I knew it it was time for me to head back to Williamsport as I have to work Friday. I’m glad there’s only one day left in the workweek and then it’s the weekend again! I also hope you all had a wonderful 4th with family and friends!

To enter to win four boxes of Daelia’s amazing Beer Flats simply comment on this post telling me what foods/drinks you would love to pair them with. For an extra entry check out Josh and I’s engagement story on Facebook. Simply click THIS LINK and like the post. For every LIKE we get the jeweler takes a $1 off our future wedding bands. Please leave a comment for each entry, the contest is open until Wednesday night at 11:59pm. These are some awesome crackers I think you guys are going to love!

*The fashion page was updated with my weekend outfits!