Festival of the 4th. The day America feels most proud. A day that celebrates the freedom and beauty of the life we have. And what better way to celebrate that then to enjoy the good life with the people you love. All over America people fire up the grills, prepare salads and desserts and stack the cooler with cold beers and some good ole fashion ball busting. For me, this 4th of July was no different. We had a two day celebration as it fell on a Monday, and I enjoyed every minute.
Friends of ours put together a well thought out and generous 4th of July party up in PA. Their family celebrates this as some celebrate Christmas. Their invitation beckons, "Come one Come all, with a covered dish." This leads to a house filled with all kinds of food and goodies. A backyard with tents, chairs, kegs, & coolers of homemade speciality drinks (including the firecracker, red white and blue lemonade and sangria's for every taste) Kids run around with Marshmallows on a stick, dipped in something red sprinkled with something blue. Our flags colors are flying high here. And there is no shortage of entertainment. One year they rented sumo wresting suits for continuous one on one battles. This year they had a huge bouncy tent. A gift for both the kids and the adults as the kids stay so occupied throughout the night that the adults can thoroughly enjoy themselves without running after or entertaining little Suzy. And because America offers equality to all, and the pie is out there for the taking. They also offer a slew of games for the adults with prizes to be won. Horseshoe Tournaments, Beer Pong Tournaments, Flip Cup Contests, Ladder Ball Tournaments- backyard games to keep the friendly competition up all day long. And in case you would rather sit back and relax all day, you can easily do your preparation ahead of time and enter the ultimate dessert contest.
This year we took home a table gas grill and 2 new beach chairs, I love America.
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| Posing for a picture with our hostess |
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| Ant winning the horseshoe tournament |
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| Love this game, Won this game |
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Big Winners!
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This party takes planning your next fourth of July gig to the next level. On the actual 4th we enjoyed time with family with some old traditions, one being our town parade. We live in a small town and this isn't comparable say to Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. But it is just ours. Children and Vets of our town joining together to celebrate and promote this little area we call home. I think it is important to participate somehow, even if just as a spectator. Our schools, our little league teams, our soldiers and bands, are all gifts we take advantage of every day. This is the perfect time to celebrate them.
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| My sister and I, sporting all the red white and blue |
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| Grams favorite part is the mummers, she will even get up and dance when her South Philly Roots kick in |
Back home we celebrate with the old fashion BBQ. Too much eating, a little drinking, and some laughing. We took a quick dip in the pool and played a round of washers (I would NOT have won this tournament). Instead of battling the traffic at the high school, we pulled up seats in my yard to catch some fireworks after the sun went down. It was a nice end to a nice weekend. It was also a wake up call that July is already here. Summer flies by so fast, so get out in the sun. Celebrate the freedom to enjoy!
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| not as good at this game |
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| Sparklers: not just for the kids! *Actually not good for the kids at all, Jen burned her dress and we were taking mini fire bombs to the arm |
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| Happy 4th, Good Night |
