Independence Day

I've never been into the 4th of July holiday much, especially in the last couple of years living along the biggest parade route in Utah Valley. Watching everyone elses' enthusiasm somehow drains my own. I don't get why people set up chairs, stake out lots, and even camp out the night before the parade. I've always been angry at the people who keep me up until 2am with their noise because our house is so warm we have to sleep with the window open. This year, however, I decided I'd change my attitude a bit, maybe see what all the fuss is about. It helps that I know we'll be moving away next summer (hopefully before July) so this was a last chance thing.

To start off our day of festivities, we walked (can't get our car out of the parking lot!) to Macey's Food store for a free french toast breakfast. If you've never had their french toast, you gotta try it. Some combination of whatever they dip the bread in and their yummy vanilla syrup is definitely worth the trip. Next, I took Rachel out on our front lawn and squeezed in a chair in the last remaining open spot probably on the entire street. She was enthralled by all the sounds, colors, and pre-parade excitement just oozing from everyone around us. I thought the parade was okay, she absolutely loved it. What can I say? I'm no longer 1 and a 1/2.

After naptime, Grandpa came down and we headed out for Center Street and all the festivities in downtown Provo. This was a bad idea. 1) It was really hot. 2) I'm pretty pregnant. 3) Did I mention it was hot outside? 4) We walked the 8 blocks to get there. Oh well. Gotta have one bust in the day, right? This was one of those "reminding myself what I don't do this" activities.


For dinner, my husband bbq'd us up some delicious hamburgers and corn on the cob and we had homemade ice cream to boot. I love food. It's probably my favorite thing about holidays. After playing with Rachel some more, we put her to bed and had a lively game of Ticket to Ride. Grandpa left to beat the rush home, and as soon as we heard the loud booming of fireworks, Sam & I journeyed out to our parking lot to enjoy the spectacle.

Not too bad of a day. Maybe getting into the celebration wasn't such a bad idea after all.