As I've said before, today is my favorite holiday because it is so easy and fun. Everything's free and there's no three weeks of prep involved...just grill some chicken, make a fruit salad, serve popsicles and voila! The 4th of July! We celebrated today by returning to Cave Spring for our annual slice of Americana pie by watching the parade. Last year was our first year going to the parade; this year I found out that it was actually started twenty-something years ago by Christa and her little boys on a dreary 4th and has turned into a town spectacle. Everything she touches turns to gold, I swear. And of course it was cute as can be and my kids loved it.
Waiting for it to get started. This picture below is an instant favorite.
The walkers come first, then there are wagons and motorcycles and 4-wheelers and horses and tractors and floats and finally the fire engines bring up the tail end. I didn't want to take a whole lot of pictures, but here's Rebeckah walking with Annmarie and one of my old fourth-grade students from waaaayyyyy back in the day, Ivy. Ivy was the one who told me as I was silently flipping out the Thursday before my wedding that maybe I should just go home. She and her brother were some of my favorite students.
Tom on his motorcycle. This one's for you, Katie. ;)
Then we went over to Tom's house to swim and eat some chicken and other yummy stuff. We have been blessed with really cool overcast weather the past few days, but the sun did start to peek out, so I ventured into the pool. Joan took these pics for me since I have no pictures of Ben swimming because he likes me to get in the pool with him. But he is a great swimmer and he likes to jump off the side and kick by himself, and now I've got pictures to prove it in case he changes his mind next year.
Where there's food, there's Ben.
Tonight we're hitting the fireworks show, so if I take pictures, I'll put them up tomorrow. Luke is working today, which is weird, because even though he used to work all the time, he always got to take the 4th off. Now he hardly works at all, but he's missing today. We're not complaining though...he gets holiday pay, which I think is even better than overtime, and we need it! Plus, I know he's secretly hoping some drunk redneck sets their backyard on fire with bottle rockets tonight so they can see a little bit of action.Happy 4th of July everyone!
