The Third and a Half of July

So we started our Independance Day celebrations a bit early this year. Last year, when July 4th fell on a Sunday, we had fun creating a red, white and blue Sunday dinner. We liked it so much, we decided to go for it again. So, the decorations:



The food:
(The only time in the year we EVER have Jello)

(Nature's Popsicle)

(The red, white and blue drinks...which didn't really layer up quite right this year)

The Booty:
(mostly left over from last year's celebration)

The friends and fun:
(the kids made ice cream by shaking up baggies of ColdStone Sweet Cream mix, packed in rock salt and ice and then put into pillow cases. The jumping on the trampoline really helped with the shaking!)

And finally, the show:






(the "SAFE-ZONE"- where the kids hung out during the firework show)

After all that partying on the third, we still decided to take advantage of Joe having the day off from the bank and took the kids up the Ravine Waterpark for the day. We packed a lunch, left the lovely 76 degree weather of San Luis, and headed up to the 105 degree weather of Paso Robles. Amazing what 40 miles can do to weather. We had a great day and shut down the park, but opted out of taking the camera on the trip. Sometimes I feel like you just need to step back from the camera and actually enjoy the day...plus I didn't want to take the chance of me being photographed in a swimsuit! :)

After all that swimming and playing, we were hungry and ready for dinner. So we headed 30 miles southwest to Morro Bay for dinner at the kid favorite Bobs Big Boy Diner. Again, amazing what 30 miles will do for weather. We all suited up in our sweatshirts for our coastal dinner.

And, since we had already seen a firework show a couple of nights before at the San Luis Blues Baseball game, we skipped out on havoc of finding a place to park at the beach and then finding a place to see the show at the beach, and then just basically the pain of being at the beach (have I mentioned how much I hate sand?), and headed home for an early bedtime.

After celebrating for nearly 36 hours straight, we were ready for some sleep and relaxation. The fourth of July has quickly become one of my favorite holidays. I'm not sure exactly why. It's been so fun over the past couple of years to start and keep our own family traditions (can I say blow torch) for this special day. I think that next year, though, we'll skip the third and a half day of celebrations and just stick to the main event on the fourth!

Hope you all had a lovely holiday...no matter how you celebrated it!