4th of July Week And All The Red, White, and Blue

There's nothing I enjoy more in the summer than taking time off of work and spending it in the sun and sand with my family. Since the 4th fell midweek this year, the best decision we made was to take off Thursday and Friday. As much as I appreciate that extra day off during the week, it's such a tease when you have to go back after. My favorite is always when it falls on a Friday or Monday and you can enjoy a long weekend.

Since it was midweek I think it was one of those odd holidays where some people celebrated the weekend before and some celebrated the weekend after. We decided to do both, because, why not.

The weekend before we went to our towns fair and also saw an amazing firework show. They were all choreographed to music and it was seriously one of the best firework displays I have ever seen. We left in awe and it really kicked off the festive spirit.

I went to work on Monday and was surprised with a short day on Tuesday which is rare in my office. This time off came at the perfect time for us after we had a crazy emotional few days. I'll share more about that later on. It was so nice to be with each other and see the boys having so much fun and making some great memories. 

It's fun to look back at previous 4th of July celebrations and see a lot of the same traditions and how much the boys have grown. We arrived at the beach Tuesday night and caught an amazing sunset. Actually, all of the sunsets each night did not disappoint. It was the perfect way to kick off our trip. It always amazes me how the sky can change with so many colors in a matter of minutes. Those sights are something I could never get tired of.

The next morning we woke up which was the 4th and headed to the beach. My sister met us there and it was also great spending time with her. We enjoyed talking and soaking up some sun and the boys always love some aunt Faith time.

After we got cleaned up and the boys went down for a little nap, we headed to the boardwalk to ride some rides, play all the games, and see what was going on up there. My oh my was it crazy crowded that night and brought out some very interesting characters. We headed back to set off some sparklers and some small fireworks. There was one that completely malfunctioned and sounded like an m80 went off at the end. I'm talking the outside packaging went flying off, the backyard was filled with smoke, we all screamed, and thankfully no one was close enough to it to get hurt. This thing was only supposed to emit small colorful sparks, and it basically did the complete opposite. Once we all got over the initial shock it sure made for some great laughs and jokes about it. Of course we're usually documenting a lot of what we do, but when I decide to just sit back and enjoy some low key fireworks, I could have gotten it on camera and who knows what would have come of it. Oh well, the important part is everyone was safe.

The next morning Eric's parents wanted to take the boys to a festival in Kutztown PA but I opted to stay behind and hit the beach while Eric had to jump on a few conference calls in the morning for work. I cannot remember the last time I sat on the beach by myself without having eyes all over the boys and always being on alert. I even fell asleep for a little while out there and it was glorious. Eric met me after his calls and we got to enjoy lunch together, a stroll on the beach, and some nice conversations.

After the beach we got a call from Eric's parents and they told us they could just keep the boys at their house for the night and meet us back at the beach the next day. Eric and I were on board with that, and our day date quickly turned into an all day/night date. You guys, it was so nice to have some unexpected time together. I can't remember the last time we were able to ride bikes together and just act like kids hanging out down the shore again. We caught the sunset together and went out for a late night dinner. It was so relaxing.

By the next morning we were missing the boys and couldn't wait for their hugs and kisses. We woke up to thunderstorms and gray skies but thankfully the awful humidity we were having and crazy heatwave broke. We took Coaty for a walk over by the bay and got to spend some quality time with him before the rain started again. After the boys got back we grabbed some lunch and heard all about their special time with the grandparents. They went down for a nap and those rain clouds moved on out. Since it was still kind of overcast it was the perfect time to go crabbing. It's always one of the boys favorite things to do when we stay there. The crabs were still pretty small and not big enough to bring home, but they loved pulling the traps up and seeing what we caught.

The next day was another beach day, relaxing, seeing the boys play and heading back to the boardwalk. I always love when they get along and are laughing and having fun with each other. They loved being buried in the sand and enjoyed an ice cream treat. It was pretty windy that day so they asked if they could fly their kite. We finished the night off with more fun at the boardwalk and another beautiful sunset and a walk down by the bay.

The next day was, you guessed it, another beach day and the weather could not have been more perfect. There was a light breeze, no humidity, and plenty of sunshine. It's always so hard knowing it's the last day, but we enjoyed every minute of it.

The struggle is definitely real here today return back to the office, but such is life. I'm thankful for time off and the experiences we can provided to the boys. I love that they are beach boys and enjoy being there so much. I already hear the waves calling our names again and we're already looking forward to the next time.