4th of July

I know, I know. It's been more than a month, but I'm still playing catch-up.

It has been three years since I've enjoyed a Purcellville 4th of July parade. And it does not disappoint. We park our car at the Blaylock's house and walk to Main Street. We sit on the lawn in front of the Cardinal Bank with our friends. Truman and Charlotte, with grocery bags in hand, wait eagerly on the curb for the candy-tossing to begin. Everything is so familiar, but I see it with new eyes. From the American flag, to the cleanness of the streets...I'm so grateful for America.

Tractors, scouts, politicians, horses, and every fire engine within the county (it seems) roll by. How I love a parade!

 We gather at Magen's house for her annual BBQ. It rains, spoiling the outside plans, but Magen opens her home to all 35 of us! Pulled pork, hot dogs, salads, Holly Davis's applebars (I had four - no joking), and root beer. The tastes and smells of the 4th of July I have missed the past three years.

My favorite moment of this day, however, has nothing to do with tradition. Elise and I realize we need some camp chairs for the fireworks show - and all of our camp chairs are currently in storage. We dash to Walgreens to see if they have any for sale. Elise decides to tryout the chair in the aisle - test its comfort level. We struggle to set up the chair (it's more complicated than our tired brains can handle) and so this is the result during the test-sit:

The chair folds up around her, practically eating her. Elise gets stuck. Somehow the locking mechanism engages, and we really can't get her free. We laugh so hard, we become the "disturbance in aisle 3"! Tears roll down our cheeks as the chair situation becomes more and more ridiculous. 

How I love laughing with my children!