Every 4th of July for the past 5 years or so, we have went to a big family party at my Aunt Cheryl & Uncle Stu’s house. In that time, this gathering has grown from about 15-20 close family members on each side to more people that I could even count (my Dad says around 75-80 people were there). This includes my family, my Uncle’s family, and my Aunt & Uncle’s friends, basically making for a great group of people, and the best 4th of July celebration in southern Indiana.
Even though I love all of the people that were there, what might be even better is the amazing spread of food that we had. Everyone brings at least one covered dish, so we had homemade noodles, baked beans, homemade pesto, pulled pork, and too many other amazingly delicious things to mention. I may or may not have made more than three trips through the lines of food…and yes…I did say lines. There was the dessert area, the drink area (arguably the most important…thanks to the best sweet tea on the planet that is made by both my Aunt Carol and Aunt Cheryl), the appetizer area, and the regular food area. I’m starving just thinking about all of the deliciousness…(I would have taken a photo of all of this, but I was too busy eating…my apologies.)
After we ate, we sat around and chatted like we always do. The only thing that my family likes to more than eat is talk…and we had so much to catch up on with my sister’s wedding coming up, my internship at Vera Bradley, and since my cousin, Amy, is pregnant! (My family loves small children as well.) Once it got dark enough outside, we all ventured out to the backyard, where my cousins and my Uncle Stu put on the best fireworks display this side of the Mississippi. There may or may not have been a small competition going on between their display and the neighbors across the street…but there is obviously no question as to who won that competition….Uncle Stu is a fireworks genius.
This photo doesn't even begin to resemble how great the fireworks were.
Why can’t the 4th of July be every day???
I think that’s because I was just so busy doing things the whole time that I was home, and I never totally got to relax. I was such a good student that I even wrote a paper and worked on a speech while I was at home. Yeah, I’m that dedicated. But I didn’t do homework the entire time that I was at home of course. I went to a wedding (my friend Taryn’s older brother married my friend Casey’s older sister) which was so much fun! It was kind of like a reunion of a bunch of my really good friends from high school, and we haven’t all had the chance to hang out together for a long time…like a truly long time. I love going places and seeing people who I haven’t seen for awhile, and who I really enjoy….it’s one of my favorite things I believe.
But here is something that I enjoy as well…. when I went home, I noticed something different about our election signs in our yard. We have a rather large yard, and part of it is a hill and another part is flat, so we always put our signs on the flat part of the yard that runs alongside the highway. This year is different though. My Dad is a Republican, and my Mom is a Democrat, and they each have their own set of signs, on opposite sides of the yard. Dad’s are on the hill, and Mom’s are on the flat part. I find it rather humorous though…and random? I guess this is what happens when they have an empty nest. I just wonder what will be next….haha. Oh and the other day I got my first call for a poll…it was pretty exciting. Not really, but now I guess I’m a part of the numbers they talk about all the time….that’s pretty sweet. But yeah….make sure you get out there and vote!!! Remember, vote early and vote often! 
