Being that last year we spent the 4th of July in Krakow, Poland, and the year before was spent in Berlin, and the year before that was spent in Friedrichshafen, Germany, Brian and I were excited to spend this Fourth of July in true American form... By hanging out with family. We spent a long weekend up north at my family's house and simply enjoyed spending time with each other, laughing, shopping, visiting the National Cherry Festival, swimming, barbecuing, watching parades, relaxing, off roading, and hanging out with the fam... All in all, it was a fun way to celebrate America's birthday, and it was so great to be back "home" to celebrate after spending the past three years away! :)
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| Brian was eagerly anticipating the start of the 4th of July parade in Ludington... :) |
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| Stacy, Kaden, and Randy getting ready for the parade... |
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| Lovin' all the flags! :) |
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| You can't get much more American than this! :) |
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A very hot Kaden... :)
It was so sweltering hot, that you would just sweat by simply standing there... Ugh! |
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No Northern Michigan parade is complete without a performance by the Scotville Clown Band!!
These "clowns" are awesome! :) |
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| After the parade, we headed back home to enjoy a yummy 4th of July feast! |
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The spread...
Mom and Dad never fail to outdo themselves! :) |
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| YUM!! :) |
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And American flag cake for dessert...
Perfect! :) |
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| Is he not the cutest kid ever?! :) |
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| Randy and Jason being typical goofballs! :) |
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| The guys... |
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Dad and Kaden...
Such buddies! :) |
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The remainder of the day was spent in here, where we attempted to beat the heat...
However, since the water temperature was only slightly cooler than the air temperature, it felt kinda like we were swimming in bath water... But, at least it was still cooler than standing outside. :) |
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Stacy, Kaden, and I invented our own game...
The goal was to jump out of the water and through the hoops! :)
I'm pretty sure it was probably quite comical to watch! :) |
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| Vander enjoyed watching from the deck! :) |
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| Happy 4th of July from Brian and I! :) |
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| Me and my favorite little man! :) |
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| Later in the evening, we brought out the sparklers and fireworks... |
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| So much fun! :) |
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| After the sparklers were gone, and it was finally dark enough to light off fireworks, Kaden sat down front and center and directed the fireworks show for the evening! :) The "show" proved to be quite entertaining, what with Brian's crazy firecrackers and dad's fabulous dancing skills... Needless to say, the laughter continued well into the night! :) |
Here's a look at one of the crazy fireworks that Brian set off on the 4th...
They were pretty intense to say the least! :)
And I'm pretty sure that it sounded like a war was taking place within our yard as those fireworks were set off... Thankfully we live in the country! :)
I think it's pretty safe to say that one of our favorite memories, by far, of that evening was watching our dad bust a move in the driveway! Hysterical!! It still makes me laugh just thinking about it! :) (And, I promised him that I wouldn't do this, but this video of him dancing is just too good not to post... So, enjoy! :))
** Sorry, Dad... You know I love you! :) **
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| The rest of the weekend consisted of some off roading... |
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And, this pup did not like his off road adventure one bit!
Poor guy was so miserable and kept standing up to put his head in my lap... :( |
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We also headed up to Traverse City to check out the National Cherry Festival for the day...
Love this view of Grand Traverse Bay! :) |
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| Brian enjoyed the air show taking place over the bay... |
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Needless to say, Brian was less than thrilled when I asked him to take this picture with me in front of the National Cherry Festival sign.
His response to my request... "Wow. It's almost the same as standing by the Brandenberg Gate!"
What a smartass! :) |
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| Hanging with my mom! :) |
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen
Hagnau
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