4th of July

The 4th of July at the beach is one of my favorite activities! I know I am kindof crazy, but I LOVE when people come to town. I love seeing them all, and wondering why they came to Ocean Shores, and how excited they are to be on a vacation and stuff. I do get impatient with all the traffic, and waiting in line at the grocery store and all. There is only one way out of town and on the 4th it gets way backed up and takes forever to come and go. but it is still worth it.
In Ocean Shores you can still drive on the beach, so the cars line up 4 deep sometimes and in some places. We usually try to find a place that isn't so packed. Because when the fireworks start going it gets crazy!
Another reason I love it here, is cause illegal fireworks are allowed on the beach. They are sold at the reservations, which are all around us...I personally don't usually buy fireworks, but alot of people spend a lot of money and take them out onto the beach....and I just have to show up and watch! Now, regular firework shows don't really interest me. They are nothing like what we see. The down of it all...is you usually have to wear a sweatshirt...and sometimes a coat, or wrapped in a blanket. Which I really don't mind either. The last two years the fog has rolled in, which makes it harder to see the fireworks and drive around all the other beachgoers. Sometimes it rains. Last year the wind was really blowing, so the smoke was horrible on the eyes, and sand was blowing up into them. BUT, I still think it is worth it. and soo much fun.

Every year the kids make 4th of july tee shirts. Thanks to Family Fun Magazine we have been doing this for years and love it. This year was my first. I drew stars on my tee shirt with a bleach pen. I really liked the way it turned out. The kids used fabric paint. Their new favorite thing is the glow in the dark paint. Amber also made a shirt. Grandpa just jumped into the picture. You would NEVER see him painting a tee shirt! We brought the motorhome down to the beach after dinner. Friends met up with us. We were nervous about taking the motorhome because the tide was going to be high at 10:30--right when the official fireworks would start to go off. So we might have to try and leave in soft sand. I got J's truck so we had 4x4...but I ended up getting it stuck and the 4x4 not working. It took forever for us to get it out. and all the locals were wondering why J's truck, which is usually pulling people out of the sand, was in it! He was on patrol and couldn't come help us. I was very embarrassed. But, some kind soul took pity and finally got us out.

I thought Kas and Emma were getting their seats ready on the top, but they ended up not lasting up there for the fireworks!

Kaleb did some carving while he waited. Ted brought the girls which was fun.

He made some jiffy pop.
But, most of it either burned or didn't pop. I think he was out of practice.

Elijah loves lighting fireworks, so he appreciated those who brought them. I got my baby fix, which made me very happy!

Jeremy was officially on duty that day so he was gone the entire day and night. Friday and Sunday he had certain hours when he had to be at the dept. No fireman takes the day off on the 4th. In fact they hire in about a dozen or more other firefighters for the weekend. I told J they should sell tickets for people (mostly women) to walk through the firehouse while they were all there getting ready to hit their spots....It was a sight to behold! Anyways, he had a great weekend. I am always glad for company, since J is never around.

ps. sorry this took forever getting out. This is my third attempt. for some reason I would lose the post right as I was finishing. grrrr......