4th of July 2016

The past 7 years, we have spent the 4th of July at the annual Robertson family reunion. This year that was not even a remote possibility. But we were actually happy to have the holiday to ourselves for a change. Still, I worried that I wouldn't be able to make it fun or meaningful enough for the kids. In the days previous, I looked up where local city fireworks would be held and made some plans. To our surprise, everything went perfectly and we had a wonderful day!

First we played some games together in the morning, and then we had our big feast for the day at lunch time. Our 4th of July feast consisted of watermelon, corn on the cob, and steak. The watermelon and corn were sweet and the steak very tender. Everyone loved it. The only problem was they wanted more.

Once the house was cleaned up, we spent time reading and discussing the importance of the Declaration of Independence. We have read it together every July 4th since the second year of our
marriage.

Around 2pm, we headed to the beach. We knew it would be a big day there, so we wanted to start a little late. We stopped at the store for some snacks to get us through the rest of the day. We drove through a rather large rain storm and wondered if we should have checked the weather ahead of time. The sky was very dark for a good hour of the drive, but by the time we got to the beach, the storm had cleared.

The beach was amazing. We found a fairly secluded spot away from the crowds. The waves were amazing-- bigger than we had ever seen them. I think they were rising between 6 and 8 feet. I would walk to where the water was up to just above my knees and the waves would still come crashing over my head. Some of them were so powerful they would send me into a backwards somersault.

It was fun. We had to be cautious about it was fun in the same way an amusement park is fun. The little kids all loved the crashing waves. They would catch the waves and ride them on their bellies into the shore. Even Arwen and Susan who usually stay out of  the water enjoyed riding the waves.

After 7pm, we left the beach and went to a park near the shore to snack and await the fireworks. The park was a fun wooden park with pathways and club houses and lots to climb and do. The kids have not been to a park since November, so that was a big deal for them.

Once it got close to 9pm. we walked the family down a few blocks to a public beach access to watch the fireworks that would be set off a few blocks further on. The spot was perfect. It was pretty because it was right on the water, but it was not very crowded because it was still a little ways from the where the fireworks were being set off. The firewoks were lovely and then we walked back to the car and went home. We got home just after 11pm, Everyone needed to shower from the beach, so we showered all the kids before sending them to bed.

One nice thing about having such a big family is that we make up our own party and there are just enough of us that we never feel lonely.