As all Good July the 4th Should be

This year Nathan, Brenna, and I were able to spend July 4th with Nathan's family in the Georgia mountains. His grandparents, Oma and Pepere, came down from Virginia, and both his brothers showed up as well. We had a good day. There are many elements that make up a good July 4th celebration. I think we may have hit them all this year. That doesn't happen often and I thoroughly enjoyed the day.

1. Family and friends. I think I already hit on this important issue. Family and friends are a must of this celebration. Under this category, I am going to include babies. We had one this year. I do love taking pictures of babies. This is Matt and Tasha's little nephew. Isn't he a doll. You should see his smile that matches those blue eyes.


2. Food and it's preparation. Of course all celebrations should have a little food to bring the day through. I had the opportunity to help Oma prepare her yummy potato salad. I love preparing food with someone else. There is always great conversation and the opportunity to spend quality time together. There is just something about being in a kitchen together with someone you love.

The grilling is a must. Keith was in charge of that.

Then there is the consumption of a large amount of food. We sat around the porch eating, talking, and laughing. Everyone enjoyed the food and there was much laughter to lighten the load in our full tummies.


3. Good stories. Yes, we heard several of these. The stories of the even provoked much laughter. Pepere and Oma are always full of funny stories from the many years of serving our country. There are stories of childhood, and stories of diversity. There was much talking with this group.


4. A faithful Dog. People often talk about "a boy and his dog". Brenna could be included in that statement. If there is an animal around she will find it. She loves all animals. I love to watch her talk to the animals and play with them. "Patty Puppy" is no exception. Brenna loves her, and what a sweet puppy she is. Brenna really enjoyed having Patty out of the fence for the evening.


5. Swimming at the Lake. Okay, so I didn't take any pictures there, but it happened. Our little fish loved the lake, but didn't want to go under. She splashed around and laughed with those around her. Just so you know. If you don't like people, don't go to the lake on July 4th. There were so many people around, it was hard to move without bumping into someone.

6. Fireworks. Well of course you need those on July 4th. I'm glad we weren't in KC this year. I'm pretty sure they were banned because of the lack of water. I haven't ever really tried to take pictures of fireworks and was very excited about this new challenge. I checked out several sights that gave helpful pointers and set out that evening with my camera and tripod. I knew we were going to the local hotel to watch them, but it never occurred that the fireworks were going to be set off so far away. I also didn't factor the fence into my plans. When we got to the hotel, I realized that the pictures wouldn't turn out well with a fence in the way. Keith suggested that I climb on top of the van. Let me just say that I became the pre-show entertainment. Who knows how many pictures are now floating around that show my "graceful" climb to the top of the van. Luckily I did get up and down safely. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the pictures proved the effort worthwhile. We were just too far away for good pictures. We did all enjoy the show with all the "pretty colors", "booms", and "pop, pops" as Brenna describes the show.


7. Sparklers. This was Brenna's first experience with sparklers. She loved looking at the lights right there in her hand. I think we went through 3 boxes. It was late and she cried when we were all out of the sparklers. Once Daddy showed her what to do. Brenna wanted to do it "all by myself".