Utah!--Fourth of July

We weren't necessarily planning on attending the Fourth of July parade--probably because of the heat and the crowds and because we have kids who like to sleep in--but when Jon and I found ourselves a block away from the festivities, we couldn't resist the cadence of the drum lines and the pretty petal-papered floats.  I mean, what better way to begin Independence Day, right?

Friday, the Fourth of July, was Alyssa's last day (and it was only a half day) of gym camp.  We'd already been warned by BYU that sport campers should allow more time getting to camp due to the parade.  We drove the back way to campus that morning, being careful to avoid the parade route.  We arrived quickly and found a parking space quite easily.  The parking lot next to the Smith Field House (location of the gymnastics camp) was the staging area of the parade.  When we came out of the building after dropping Alyssa off, the floats seemed to be calling to us.  So we decided to walk the one block to University Avenue and watch it all go by.  I clapped to the beat of the patriotic tunes while beads of sweat trickled down my spine.  Utah is hot! Even at 9 a.m. 

I think every high school in Utah County entered their marching band in the parade.  There were beauty queens, military vehicles and government officials.  But the BYU entrants were my favorites, of course.

The cast of Studio C rode scooters behind the BYUtv semi.  We knew Caleb would be so jealous that we got to see them while he and Natalie were home in bed.   You snooze, you lose, Buddy!

BYU dunk team some of the cheer squad:

And good ol' George Q ended it all with a bang.  Literally.

The parade ended right about the time we were planning to pick Alyssa up from camp.  (Parents were invited to come watch the last hour.)  

It had been a very full week so we all looked forward to a quiet afternoon at my aunt's house where we could rest up for America's big birthday bash that evening.  I got in a much needed nap because I knew it would be a late night.

Sarah joined us for a late lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory and we later went for Macey's twist cones.  In my opinion, it's the best ice cream on the planet.  If soft serve rocks your world like it does mine, then Kong Kones just might be one definition of heaven.  It used to be that only the largest cone was called the Kong Kone.  But Macey's has now assigned all of their cones names within the Kong family.  The sizes have increased but their prices have not.  I got this Momma Kong Kone (the Daddy Kong was just too big) for just over a dollar!

At last it was time for the big event: Stadium of Fire!  Maureen came down and we all went together.  So much fun!

Even though it was getting late in the evening, it was still hot.  This is Alyssa's "I'm melting!" face.

Just being in LaVell Edwards Stadium is a treat.  It's not a football game, but it's still a great reason to sit in those stands.

There was no military fly-over this year, but the sky diving team was pretty cool.

The Stadium of Fire dancers did a western-themed number:

And some fun formations like the Statue of Liberty and the Liberty bell:

The girls had fun with their glow sticks.

Studio C did three clever--and actually very funny--sketches and Carrie Underwood put on a great headline act.  Oh, and there was an amazing super hero-themed trampoline act, too.

At the end of it all, the south end zone erupted with the most dazzling fireworks display.  Those big bangs and bright colors always make me proud to be an American.

Caleb went home with Maureen that night.  She wanted to map out a route on the Frontrunner that she hopes to take with her students and she invited Caleb to be her travel buddy.  He gladly accepted the invitation.

While Caleb was off with Maureen the next day, the girls, Jon and I were invited to spend the day on Utah lake with my cousin and her family.

The girls were a bit hesitant to jump in at first:

But Alyssa eventually got brave enough to try wake boarding.

It was so much harder than it looked, especially for someone with next to no boating experience.  These next two photos are a very accurate depiction of how long she got up:

So they decided to stick to tubing.

And they had a blast!

What a great holiday weekend.  Happy Birthday, America!