The 4th and beyond!

Catching up - we had our normal 4th of July parade in town. It was HOT, as usual. Smith took the lion's share of the pictures - some 178 or so - here are a few that he captured. Many were in succession, with the rapid "sports" shots, so we could see 20some pictures of the man on the unicycle in a row. Good times.

Mime on a unicycle - my brother's kryptonite

Decorated grocery cart

Beautiful, but HOT!

Annual picture of the 4 of us

After the festivities of the morning, we went back to the house and got my parent's car loaded for their upcoming trip to Hilton Head. David and I were headed to Madison, and the kids were going to various locations - Smith to a friend's house, then UVA for a soccer camp, then flying solo to Hilton Head. Tate did "just" Hilton Head.

Tate and I made what is now our annual strawberry treat, white icing and blue sprinkles, and we got ready for the fireworks of the evening. 

Strawberries look a little like a crime scene.

Waiting for the fireworks

Meeting up with lots of friends

After the show - the fireworks in the pool parking lot. Sparklers are still my favorite!

The next morning, we all headed off to our various locations - Tate to Hilton Head with my parents, Smith to a friend's and then UVA. He had a blast, 6 of them shared a suite. Then, he had another first (sleep away camp was the first first) - he flew solo to meet up with my parents and his sister! 12 is a big year of firsts!

South of the Border

UVA hotspot

Friend at the beach

Seriously, one of my favorites. Breakfast in HHI, chatting away.

He boards...

...and he arrives! HUGE thanks to my dear friend Sonja for picking him up and getting him to and on that plane! That is not her in the picture above - she is taking the picture :-)

Reunited

 We did a lot of relying on friends and family while we were away. It's hard to rely on others - personally. I know they all know I would do the same for them, any time, and each and every one of them was gracious and kind and giving of their energies to take care of Smith before camp, getting to camp, getting to the airport, picking him up from the airport - and Tate, with her adventures and the energy she creates, and Spud, the Mighty Beagle, at a friend's house while she, too, was away. It's exhausting being away and worrying over who is where and how do I repay these people. But they don't really need repayment, right? "That's what friends are for" but I have a hard time equalizing all that. I find it is much easier to give than to receive in these cases. It's the receiving that makes me feel...heavy. Overdue. Anyway, I'm trying to let that go! Everyone had a blast and got to just where they needed to be, so all is good.

And now, our real summer (for me anyway) has begun!