three little words

I hope everyone had a wonderful and safe holiday filled with family, friends, parades and fireworks (if that is your thing), sunshine, barbecues, yummy food, and lots of fun and laughter. Most everyone has some sort of tradition for the 4th, whether it be taking the family camping, attending the local parade and the fireworks later that evening, having a big barbecue get together, or something entirely different. For me, it doesn't seem to matter what I'm doing for the day to feel special.

This year, however, hubby and I drove to Maine to spend the weekend with family. DH was able to get out of work a few hours early on Thursday afternoon, which was nice. Traffic wasn't too bad (which was amazing) and when we arrived at our hotel around 9:15pm, my sister arrived shortly after with her two boys. Yay, I didn't have to wait till morning to see my nephew(s) as I usually do! Which in turn allowed me to get some actual restful sleep that night - I usually have trouble sleeping because I'm too excited to see them!

Friday morning we woke and got ready early, and then met up with my parents, grandparents (who were also up from MA), and my sister's family to scope out a spot for the local parade. The parade was scheduled to start at 10 am, but it was closer to 11 when it began. All that time in the sun made for some exhausted and very sun-burned people.



We attended some festivities in town, had some lunch and shaved ice, and then headed back to my sister's house for a little rest before the fireworks later that evening.

The fireworks were like any other fireworks. Nothing fancy or unique about them. But what I love about the 4th - the parade and the fireworks display - is the sense of community. As I held my 2 month old nephew in my arms, I looked around at all the people surrounding me. People were jampacked together like sardines in this field of sorts, all for the same thing. DH left and went back to the car, as he doesn't like crowds, and this one had him extremely anxious. I'm exactly the opposite on the 4th - I absolutely love that sense of togetherness. And being the sap that I am, it actually had me a little emotional.

Saturday we headed to the ocean - oh be still my heart. I haven't been to the ocean in three years now? Far too long, far too long. I moved to the ocean as an adult, living and working there for a couple of years. I can remember talking to a local store owner about how she moved away and just *had* to move back, as she missed the salty air. I remember it being the middle of winter as the ocean gave off a added chill to the air, and as I shivered in my coat, I wondered why this woman was so in love with the coast. It's just water, I thought. Hmph. Time would prove me wrong. I spent many a day at the ocean, for work and pleasure, and now that I am away - oh how I miss it so. I love walking on the beach searching for sea glass, turning over rocks to discover miniature crabs scurrying about, stumbling upon various colored starfish, and simply sitting on a rock, watching the waves on the horizon.

So, as you can imagine, Saturday was a day I was looking forward to for a long time. I must admit I didn't get as much time down on the beach as I would have liked, as my three-year-old nephew wanted to play at the nearby park and swim in the park's public pool, but those were fun for me too. Well, swimming with my nephew in a pool that enforces a rule of no life jackets or floaties was a bit more scary than fun at time. My super independent nephew (he even has a shirt to prove it!) He insisted on swimming by himself, which meant lots of him trying to "walk" under water. Silly boy.


Sunday was the sad day of goodbyes. I hate leaving. Hubby and I went to spend a few hours with my sister and her family before we hit the road. I got to play and read books with Luke before I had to tearfully say goodbye.



And I did manage to kiss these sweet angel cheeks a few times before we hit the road.



All in all a good weekend spent with my family. Who could ask for more? :)