Happy Hump Day Ya’ll (have you seen that Geico commercial? Oh man, I laugh so hard EVERY time I see it). Its been two weeks since the 4th of July but I never got to share with all of you how we spent our day. The Fourth is a difficult holiday to be so far away from my family. It sounds silly, because I know that holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving should be hard too. They are, don’t get me wrong, but the Fourth is really, really hard. We are such a “tradition is important” family and we do the same things every year – parade, eat, some of us go to a movie, camp out at the fireworks viewing area way early and talk, play cards, eat dessert. Its so much fun and I miss my parents, my sister and my Aunt and Uncle.
What I am thankful for is the new family we have found here. It is so vital to the life of a military family (or a family that happens to move to a new location without family or a prior support group). Last year we went to a parade in one of the nearby towns and had a BBQ and very awesome “never allowed in California or Nevada” fireworks. Our neighbors/adopted family have taken care of us since we moved here practically and I can’t even tell you how grateful I have been for that. This move has been way more difficult then I ever imagined it would be and without them it would have been much harder.
So, how did we spend our very Patriotic Day this year?
Walking down Constitution Avenue in DC! Yep, you read that right! My two oldest joined me with my awesome Blue Star Families friend while we marched down the middle of DC with the MilKidz Club. It was such a strange and crazy experience. I really hope that I never lose the awe-factor when it comes to living here. Everything I do and experience almost leaves me breathless. Visit Blue Star Families, MilKidz Club page and look for a chapter in your area. It’s great for kids! The organization of the parade was really good, but I thought we were there far too early, especially with small children. I was really glad I had decided to leave Phillip home with Mr. Air Force. They had lots of doctors and EMTs at the end of the parade with misting tents (that weren’t misting enough) and warm water and gatorade (not good). Some local fireman also were spraying water with a huge fan that actually was so much better then the misting tents. It really sucked that we had to walk so far to get to a metro, but other than that it went really well and I was super proud of my kids.
After that Daddy came and rescued us with Chick-Fil-A and cold water and lemonade. We went home and rested and got ready for our friends to come over. It still is crazy to me that we ended up living across the country with someone I’ve known since I was a Senior in High School; and my sister and his brother were very good friends. It’s pretty crazy. His wife is amazing and we are besties. My neighbor and her little boy came over as well. Then we ventured out for Fire Works this year at a local high school. It was incredible!!!
No pics of the actual fireworks (who seriously hasn’t seen a firework), because I was actually enjoying them. It really cracks me up to look around and see everyone with their Phones and IPads taking pictures and videos of the fireworks instead of actually watching them. It’s a sickness seriously.
Are you a tradition person? How was your 4th of July?!