Happy 4th of July!

I love the 4th of July! It is one holiday that I can say I really love and get emotional about. I love the little family tradition we have for this great day...everyone who can meets at the Founder's Park at 7:00 am for a breakfast of pancakes, eggs and hashbrowns. Since it is early, and still on the cool side, after we go through the food line, get seated and organized, the food has had a chance to cool down - actually it gets cold. But I can say that these are the best tasting pancakes and eggs I eat all year.

I watch the grandkids eat hurridly as they eye the playground with the big yellow slides. After eating, we all eventually end up watching the little ones slide down the slides, climb the playset and swing on the monkeybars until it is time to grab "our spot" on the parade route. It's been the same spot for years - in the driveway of the carwash. We make sure we park there before breakfast so we can set some chairs and blankets up and come back to them when we are finished at the park. It never ceases to amaze me how many lawn chairs and blankets get set up on the parade route the night before. It's a city ordinance not to set up before 6:00 pm, and there is not a spot in the shady areas one second after 6:00 pm. I don't know how they do it. And I love that it's still a small enough town that you can leave your chairs and blankets and they will be there the next day.

While we spread out and wait for the parade to start, the kids each get a few boxes of those poppers. You know...The ones from the fireworks stands that you throw and they pop? They have a blast with those and are getting settled in to watch the parade. Okay...This is the part that gets me every time. I get emotional... Every year everyone waits for the fighter jets from the Air Force Base to fly over to signal the beginning of the parade. I get choked up.... The jets remind me there are those who have fought and are fighting for the freedoms we enjoy. Then we wait with anticipation for the American flag to pass as the first entry... The flag passes. And I stand up and put my hand on my heart. It means something to me...every time. If the parade ended right then, it would be okay. It felt good.

But the parade goes on. And I love it too. The grandkids stand up and yell for candy. They scramble for the taffy that gets thrown into the crowd. They are so proud when they score one or two with each passing float or car. It's the same every year but it is different too. I love it.

After the parade is over, it is time to head back to the park for food and fun. This year I had Caleb, Megan and Grace to spoil and feed. We had a variety of cotton candy, nachos, and frozen bananas. Caleb shot the basketball and won a three litre bottle of pop, and all three of them jumped in a bouncy house for a while. And of course, there was a fishing pond. Megan wished she had brought her swim suit to slide in a pool of water. We had a great time!

For those of you not there this year, I missed you. But the greatest thing is...next year there will be another 4th of July!!