family, fireworks, food

We decided to repeat our plans last year, and head out to Richfield for the 4th of July... which definitely is never a bad idea because Richfield knows how to do that holiday! With Friday the 3rd being a company-observed holiday, Kendrick and I were able to hit the road right after work on Thursday. Everyone was skipping out South for the holiday weekend, so traffic was insane at first, but we quickly made our way to Richfield in about three hours.

With Kendrick's parents living out in Bountiful now (we used to always stay at their house in Richfield), we were able to snatch up a room in his grandparents house, where most of his extended family was staying as well. In retrospect, a hotel may have been a wiser choice, as we soon realized that middle-of-the-day naps don't mix with a houseful of excited children- but either way it was fun being around everyone- Kendrick has the cutest cousins!

A large majority of our Friday was spent helping out at Kendrick's parents firework booth. Kendrick became quite the salesman while I had fun taking control of the cash register. However, it was so hot, so we were sure to take plenty of necessary snow cone stops throughout the day. That night, we watched an amazing firework show in the back yard of a neighbors house. It was hands-down one of the most outstanding shows I have ever seen, especially considering it was at someone's house!

Saturday, the Fourth, was obviously the funnest day of the weekend. The festivities began with a delicious family breakfast, and then enjoying the city's annual 4th of July parade down Main Street. The most memorable part was watching the little kids run out and gather as much candy as they could before the next float would come by and throw out even more candy.

We made our way to the city park right after the parade, where all kinds of food stands, shops, and inflatable rides were set up. Kendrick grabbed some delicious chicken wings while I opted for a large plate of nachos, and we both tried some deep fried cookie dough (don't know if I'll do that ever again, but Kendrick loved it!)

That night we had a fun barbecue on the grandparent's patio, and it was so nice being able to catch up with Kendrick's extended family, and even meet some new people! Dinner was followed with fireworks, fireworks, and even more fireworks! The city put on one heck of a show this year, and then Kendrick and his dad did one nearly as cool right after. It was so amazing being able to lay on the grass, watching fireworks explode right above my head, literally making the entire sky sparkle. Some of the fireworks felt so close that I had to cover my face, in fear that they would come down right on top of me!

Basically, to sum it all up, I'm already excited for the 4th of July next year. Really, really excited.