Happy 4th of July!!!

If you had asked me as a seven or eight year old what my favorite holiday was, I would have told you the 4th of July.  No question.  I loved the sizzling July weather in Northern California; it wasn't unusual for the thermometer to hit 105 on a hot July day.  I loved the fireworks we bought in the next county since you couldn't buy anything - not even sparklers - where we lived.  (It still amazes me that I can now walk down the street and buy fireworks that put our Picolo Petes and spinning pagodas completely to shame.)  Most of all, I loved our little town's traditional 4th of July parade.


Going to the parade is my favorite childhood July 4th memory.  We would get up early and walk the mile and a half downtown.  We didn't stake out spots the night before, but we always managed to squeeze in somewhere along the edge of the sidewalk.  I'm sure the parade wasn't incredibly long, but in my memory it lasts all morning.  There were plenty of treats and candy tossed out to us eager kids waiting along the road.  The parade always ended with men in uniform shooting blanks high into the sky.  When the blanks hit the ground, we would dart between their legs to grab the empty cartridges.  I still remember walking home with those treasured red tubes clutched in my hands.


Another one of my favorite 4th of July memories comes from college.  The summer after my sophomore year, I got the best job ever.  I was a nanny for a family with three kids.  (Here's a shout out to Kelly, Lucy, and Joe who are not kids anymore.  I love you guys!)  I spent the summer swimming, going to the park, and dressing up to star in ridiculous home videos...and got paid for it.  Best.  Job.  Ever.  


The family I worked for owned two cabins - one at Lake Tahoe and one at Donner Lake.  Over the 4th of July, they let me take their kids (and their Suburban) up to the Donner cabin for a week.  (Did I tell you this was the best job, or what?)  Somehow we found out about an amazing spot to watch the fireworks.  In the mountains high above Donner Lake, there is an abandoned railroad track.  We discovered a place where we could hike along the railroad track to a wooden train tunnel.  We watched the fireworks over Donner Lake from the top of the train tunnel, high above the lake and the fireworks.  The air below us and the shimmering lake water filled with bursts of color.  Amazing.


Today was another 4th of July filled with memories.  My parents and my sister are all here from California, and - thanks to some awesome friends from church - we spent the afternoon out on the lake.  

Emma was so excited to take her first boat ride.

She even got to drive.  When our friend Tom picked her up to the steering wheel, she said something like, "I'm used to driving cars."  You know, because we let her drive our car all the time. :)

Here's my girl looking patriotic.  (Okay, so the pink butterfly towel doesn't exactly go with the theme, but we tried.)

Last year, Emma was scared of the fireworks.  This year, not so much.  Tia lit sparkler after sparkler for her in the front yard.  I think she would have stayed out there all night.  She kept waving them around and saying, "Happy 4th of July!"

Happy 4th of July to all of you!  I hope your day was filled with family, friends, and memories that will last a lifetime.