July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. It is, on average, the warmest month within most of the Northern hemisphere, and the coldest month within much of the Southern hemisphere.

July was renamed for Julius Caesar, who was born in that month. Previously, it was called Quintilis in Latin, since it was the fifth month in the ancient Roman calendar, before January became the first month of the calendar year (the year when displayed as twelve months in order) during the time of the decemvirs about 450 BC.

Here in the United States we celebrate the Fourth of July as the day that the Declaration of Independence was fully signed by representatives from the Thirteen Colonies in 1776.

On a Personal Note

July is a huge month for me.  It not only marks our independence as a nation, but it holds my wife's birthday, our wedding anniversary and the entrance into the third trimester of our pregnancy as well.  Thankfully, everything is going well and we're doing great.

The baby flips and flops with regularity.  She's going to be a handful that's for sure.  We're taking a tour of the hospital near the middle of the month and registering for classes here very shortly.  There of course is no shortage of available classes and advice on the subject and we just need to do a little filtering.  That said, have you been to Babies ‘R' Us?  We've spent some time registering there over the past couple weeks and some of the stuff is amazing.  Ridiculously priced of course, but amazing never the less.

The thought of family and the 4th for me this year really drives home how incredible our country is.  With elections coming up and what seems to be a never ending campaign, there's a lot of frustration.  However, there is no other place in the world where a family can enjoy as much freedom as we do today.  Stay plugged in and certainly vote, but never forget how lucky we are to be here.

I've included a couple of pictures from our trip to New York last year that seemed appropriate... If you feel inspired and FREE,... Thank a veteran!

By the way... If you get a chance check out this incredible restaurant.

Mediterranean Kitchen. Click HERE

103 Bellevue Way N.E.
Bellevue, WA 98004

Garlic lovers will be in paradise with the "Farmers Plate".   You may want to call ahead because it takes 30 minutes to prepare.  It's totally worth the wait. They say it's best when eaten entirely with your hands and I concur.

A Note from Carly

The fourth of July is here upon us, and as a nerdy Political Science major, it is a holiday that I am extremely proud to celebrate. In between the barbeque, fireworks, and cold beer I hope you take a minute to remember what it is we are celebrating; the refusal to allow a foreign government to push us around and the combined forces and patriotism that was required to claim our own leaders.

What's New In Real Estate

Home sales are finally beginning to increase.  In King County home sales increased 3% higher in May than they did in April. Snohomish County is doing even better with a 5.9% sales increase.

Existing home sales edge up nationwide and in Puget Sound area sales of existing homes edged up slightly nationwide in May compared with April, a trend repeated in the Puget Sound area.

The National Association of Realtors reported that U.S. sales of existing single-family homes and condominiums rose by 2 percent to 4.99 million units last month.

To Read Full Article Click Here

In Other Local News

It's very easy to ignore those who are less fortunate or allow our eyes to blindly see things we don't wish to. In Kirkland a woman chose to do the exact opposite by helping to raise over $110,000.00 for a man she barely knows.

"Guardian angel" leads fundraising to help disfigured Eastside man get treatment

O'Neal, 46, suffers from neurofibromatosis. It's a genetic condition that, since birth, has distorted the left side of his face so that it swells with large tumors, and smaller bumps appear over his body.

To Read The Full Article Click Here.

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