4th of July week-end...

What a fun and eventful weekend! There was so much controversy over the 4th of July being celebrated on the 3rd this year... local news 8 or post register didn't ask for my opinion (which I wonder why?) so I kept my thoughts to myself. I figure if you have as much money as Vandersloot and are forking it out to the community you could change national holiday's too. Either way I got to celebrate a long weekend and that I am not complaining about one bit. We were even closed on Sunday and got paid for it... doesn't get much better than that!

When our alarm clock went off at 5:00 a.m. Saturday morning. I wasn't too thrilled and especially after hearing the wind blow all night it didn't start off on a positive note. However, we made the best out of our morning getting the float ready while freezing. It turned into a decent day and I even some how managed to get a sun burn!

Sudz w/Lady Liberty and Uncle Sam

Sudz w/ the girl helpers :)

Sudz and the Dare Lion... too cool for school!

As soon as we made it through the parade, got unloaded, ate lunch, done a quick packing we were off to the "hills" where we would spend the evening riding four-wheelers, eating s'mores, talking around a camp fire, and weenie roasting. We went to a high peak at 10:00 and could see the majority of the fireworks being done around the greenbelt... so fun! This is the only picture I took it was me, David, Dad, and David's friend Enrique w/his wife Shasta and his lil bro Orlonzo... Alonzo.... Olonzo? ish :) David managed to sprain/brake/twist his ankle within the first hour we were up there simply stepping off the four wheeler... I am still hoping the swelling goes down and he can walk on it before next weekend so we don't have to cut into our savings account- that sounded harsh but it's true and I know he feels the same :)

Our adorable niece Elise turned 6 on the 4th of July so we were suppose to be home to her party by 1:00 but luckily when we showed up at 2:00 there was still lunch, cake and presents to be opened. Sometimes breakfast, chasing cows, and cleaning up takes longer than one expects.

We got her a pink Zhu Zhu pet and some jewelry... just what she wanted :)

I don't know where her cute faces come from but she is definitely a keeper!

(darion, Brooklyn, and Roz)
Then we (david and I) were back to my dads by 7:00 where we (dad, spike, me, dave, mel, the girls, darion, shayne, and amy) had pizza and lit off a few fireworks of our own even though the wind was blowing pretty hard and dad was afraid for his hay field across the street... no fires this year!

And finally Dave home relaxing with the girls, watching cartoons, resting his poor swollen purple ankle while I colored my sisters hair.

Then came Monday...