Happy July!

Did you have a nice 4th? :-)

It's become one of my favorite holidays. Seems like it's always an extra hot and hazy day, which makes the dip in Mom's pool exceptionally refreshing. And by "dip", I mean the kind that leaves your hands alarmingly wrinkly, and your nails cleaner than you ever thought possible.
This year, thanks to both of our Mom's, there were piles of fried chicken & porkchops, platters of corn on the cob & watermelon. Big bowls full of broccoli slaw and baked beans, and even a metal pie pan full of the best homemade peach cobbler I've ever eaten.
Kevin and I also caught a parade this year- live, in person- not just on TV, like we usually do.
The outpouring of American spirit was incredibly inspiring. I don't know if it was the way the Elvis impersonator sporting a red, white and blue polyester jumpsuit, singing "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love" made the whole crowd wanna dance, or if it was the kids with American flags painted on their cheeks, throwing candy to other kids from elaborately decorated floats that did it- but it really got me. I just sat there and smiled, while tears of complete joy pooled inside of my sunglasses.
On the night of the 4th, we all sat under the stars, on a blanket & lawn chairs, eagerly staring up at the night sky. There's something so fascinating and hypnotic about giant, colorful, sparkly art- exploding against an inky black canvas.

Next year, I'm buying Sparklers. :-)

We had a wonderful holiday with our families, and hope you all did too!
I'll post some photos and video here tomorrow.

Mr.LC and I also picked up a very old, seven foot long bench at a roadside antique store on the way home. (Exit 85 off the I-10 interstate in Florida, to be exact) The shop owner told us it originally came from a beer garden in Germany. Kevin is going to spruce it up and blog about it here this week sometime.

Stay tuned! :-)