4th of July.

With the 4th of July happening right in the middle of a work week, we hemmed and hawed about whether or not we should do a blitz trip up home to be with family or if we should just stay down here and start to make our own little family traditions for this particular Holiday.

However.  For whatever reason, the 4th is one of my absolute most favorite Holidays of all -- and I feel like it just begs for families to be together.  Especially in my small hometown.  This is the week when our town comes alive!  We have Midnight Madness where all of the stores stay open all night, and with each successive hour the sales get better.  We have the most hick parade you've ever seen in your life, we have a super sweet fair that comes to town, and we have some pretty rockin' fireworks to top everything off.

So, we just had to go up home for a few hours.

 I mean, seriously.... where else are you going to see a ninety year old Elvis impersonator?

 Or about eight jillion red tractors all in a row?

And c'mon.  My little home church is celebrating 100 years, so they had their very own float.  I think I yelled pretty obnoxiously when they went by.  I was just so proud...

Might be why the picture is a little bit blurry.  Plus it was raining.  My word, I think it rains almost every year on parade day.

And decked out Mama goats getting led down the road on a leash. 
You don't see that every day, now do you?

And this!  I can't really explain this one.  I don't get it.

But, there was also a man taking a bath in an old washtub, Santa on a donkey, some dude singing into a microphone thinking he was far more amazing than he really was, candy and watermelon, horses pooping all their merry way down the road, and tons of freaky looking clowns.

Now, that's a parade if I ever did see one.

 But, if that wasn't enough, the kicker for me was an afternoon spent with sweet cousins, Aunty's and Uncles.  Eating, four-wheeling, and one rockin' hay ride...minus the hay.

It was love-o-ly.
And the fireworks were pretty fun, too.

So, now we are home. 

Bleary-eyed because of a couple of late nights, - and just a wee bit stressed because of all of the work that we left behind and that needs to be caught up on now.  But, that's okay.

And I'm pretty sure that's what SUMMER is supposed to be all about, anyway.  If the opportunity comes up where you have the chance to get together with family or friends - even if it takes a little more effort and work, and even if that means the garden is going to get a few more weeds and the lawn is going to grow just a little bit higher, and the car is going to need a little bit more gas....and the house is going to stay neglected for just a little (or a lot a bit) more longer...

It's so worth it.
At least in my book it is, anyway.

Summer is the season where days are long and memories are made.

And...

"It isn't the great big pleasures that count the most; it's making a great deal out of the little ones." ~ Jean Webster

Like...
::  Vacation days mid-week.
::  Crazy red-neck parades.
::  An afternoon with family.
::  Fireworks with a big brother.
::  Late LATE nights for the wee ones.
::  Hayrides and four-wheeling.
::  And loving the fact that "one of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." ~ Luciano Pavarotti

And my oh my....my family.  We are good eaters.
Happy Belated 4th of July!
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