Happy Fourth...

I was allowed a brief reprieve from thinking too much yesterday. I got to spend the entire afternoon with my family. My mom, my grandma, my brother and his wife and kids-- we cooked out after the rain stopped and we spent all evening outside in the cool salt air just talking and eating and watching the kids play. It was so nice! I had planned an old fashioned 4th celebration complete with hotdogs, burgers, apple cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream and cupcakes with red, white and blue sprinkles. The kids had water balloon fights and then after dark, we all walked down to the beach (about three blocks away) and lay out on blankets and camp chairs to watch the hundreds of fireworks that were being set off along about 7 miles of beach. The weather was perfect, no bugs and people were in a very festive mood.... I don't think I could have had a better holiday anywhere! I hope that you had as wonderful a holiday as we did. I hope it was safe and peaceful and that all of your loved ones were with you. I missed only one person the whole day--my 17 year old daughter. She seems to have forgotten how much we love her as she spends all of her time with her other family. I hope she knows that she was missed and I hope she realizes how short time is and that she will come see us again some day.