Great Holiday Week!

Ok, so the 4th of July weekend is way past now, but I'm determined to get this post in. I've sat down about 15 times to write it and could never decide on what pictures to post. I think I finally made up my mind. So here it is.

My sister and two of her kids came out to visit us the week before the 4th. Mike put them to work the first few days helping put up a fence in our front "pasture". I'm putting that in quotes, because up until now, it's been "our front yard" or "the field". Put a fence around it, and it becomes a "pasture". Right now the fence is doing a great job of keeping the wild flowers in and the deer out, but some day soon it will have an occupant of the equestrian variety. Maybe, that is, if we manage to get some kind of shelter up for him some time before winter.

Here's my nephew, Tyler having fun learning how to use the riding lawn mower. (Looks great, Tyler!)

We didn't make them work the whole time they were here though. Some friends invited us to go camping that weekend. It was our family's first time camping together-ever, except the time we pitched a tent in our living room because a typhoon canceled our planned camping trip. I have to say that it started out miserable! The heat and humidity were horrendous the first day. Other than swimming in the lake for a bit, we just sat around feeling like we were in a sauna. That evening a pretty good storm came through. We were grateful that our friends who came with us had a camper so we hid out in there until the storm passed. If you've read my previous posts from last year you may remember that my sister does NOT like thunderstorms. Yeah, she wasn't so thrilled with our camping experience at this point.

Thankfully, as the storm passed through, it took the heat and humidity with it. Saturday and Sunday turned out to be beautiful, and we had a wonderful time the rest of the weekend. We swam, played cards, hiked, and made s'mores of course. Sunday we even rented a boat and went out on the lake. I was a little nervous with Mike driving/steering (whatever it is you do with a boat) as it was his first time, but he did great. I got some great shots of an eagle and some loons. Mike, Paul and the kids all had fun swimming in the lake for a while and the three moms played life guard.

Mike was head chef for us most of the weekend. Pam and I planned and prepped everything before hand, but he did all the cooking.

Here's the eagle I caught on camera. If you look closely at this guys claws, you'll see his dinner!

Mmmm. Mike knows how to make the perfect marshmallow!

We came home Sunday afternoon to unpack, recuperate and get ready for Monday. Our friends came over, along with Mike's Mom and Sister to bar-b-q and set off our own fireworks show. Other than the bugs that were having quite a feast of us that day, we had a great time.

I love this picture Pam got of BreAnna and Angel running away from the firecrackers they just lit.

I tried my hand at taking pictures of the fireworks. I think I need to invest in a tripod.

I guess I will close this for now. What did you do to celebrate on the fourth? I am so glad my sister came out to visit. My only regret is that I didn't get any pictures of the two of us together. (Hear that, Pam, you have to come back now so we can get some sister pics!)

Till next time...God's love and blessings!