god bless america

i love america and i love the fourth of july. 

last year we were in a fire zone, so we had no fireworks. (we went to the zoo, which was great, but there is just something about fireworks) this year we got our fair share of parades, good ole fourth food,  fireworks, fun, and more! 

fourth of july wear.

a lovely surprise: ripe tomatoes from our garden!

we went to the parade for a hot minute, but after realizing we forgot to bring a blanket to sit on AND that they weren't even throwing out candy, so we decided to opt for breakfast.

is there better breakfast than kneaders?

after breakfast we decided to head to seven peaks, expecting lots of crowds and long lines. 

we were pumped to discover that everyone else had found other things to do, so seven peaks was pretty empty. we went on all the slides. i even braved the crazy orange one. it took lots of courage. 

see? it's crazy. can you spot andrew up there?

after seven peaks we shared a giant necatrine and mango shave ice. yum.

(p.s. this one is the small size)

can you say no to a snow cone as big as your face?

we finished the night with a company barbecue and lots and lots of fireworks. andrew's boss did his own little (sometimes scary) show in his cul de sac. him and a neighbor about three houses down were definitely trying to one up the other... it made for an interesting night. then as we were driving home we saw that the sugarhouse fireworks were just starting, so we pulled over and watched from afar.

though not everything about this country is perfect, i am so grateful for the freedoms we share.

 i am proud to be an american. 

the celebration continued a few days later with a fabulous trip up to the family cabin and a good ole rodeo. 

it was a little rainy, but we braved it the classy way... by wearing trash bags.

luckily my mulletted brother-in-law pulled through with a truly classy cowboy hat and western shirt. 

this cute couple was looking good too. 

despite the rain, we had a blast. the rodeo was great, and we loved the team roping and the bareback riding!

stu whipped out a full body trash bag outfit. the announcer called him "white trash," which i suppose is fitting. 

 i'm not really sure why but i love a good rodeo, and i loved going with people who actually knew what was going on and how each event was scored. i'm a rodeo pro now. it really was such a fun night, and they ended it with another firework show. keep the celebrations going!

and i loved hearing about my cute missionary sister's fourth in guatemala. she is having a blast and i am so proud of her. 

i hope you had a very happy fourth of july, and (if you live in utah) a lovely pioneer day. 
God bless America!