Independance Day Weekend

At first I was worried that this past weekend, a three day Fourth of July holiday that's supposed to be all fun and fireworks, would be anything but. Sean and his coworkers ended the week like zombies, after taking three grueling tests in seven days. Everyone was complaining of exhaustion and stress induced illnesses, and I was wondering if our weekend was going to be filled with canceled plans.

However, we ended up having so much fun. The weather for the past few days has been noticeably cooler and breezier which helped make our plans more enjoyable. On Friday Sean came home extra early so we were able to take a long family walk (or a cross country run if you're Aiden, who RAN the entire MILE long trail).

Saturday, Steinn came with us to Isle of Palms beach, except we didn't make it since traffic was backed up long before we even reached the bridge onto the island. We took a detour and spent the day at the local waterpark where Steinn and I were able to lay out while Sean and Aiden went down the water slides. That evening Sean and I went out...on a date! We had been discussing weather or not to have one of his friends come watch Aiden for an evening, but he decided he'd feel more comfortable with someone neutral. So I found Kassie, a woman who lives down the road from us. Her husband is, of course, a nuclear engineer in the Navy, and they're expecting their first baby this September. We were so grateful to find someone so nice to stay with Aiden while we went to a movie. Kassie and I found so much in common that we're hoping to go out to dinner all together sometime.

Sunday we were planning a picnic with Steinn, Kelly and another of Sean's coworkers who lives in our apartment complex. We went shopping to stock up on food, and spent the evening cooking hot dogs and hamburgers ( I even made my mom's pasta salad. It was delicious but made me miss her). We finished the evening with s'mores and fireworks. Both Steinn and Kelly, who came from Florida and Michigan respectively, were shocked that they're illegal in New York.








This was our first experiences setting them off ourselves, and I have to say, it was so much fun. We put Steinn in charge of lighting them, and Sean covered Aiden's ears. I was worried the noise and light might scare Aiden but he surprised me and watched them wide eyed, a half melted s'more dripping out of his hand and down his arm.



At the end of the night we all smelled like smoke, and hamburgers and hot sugar from the marshmallows. The whole night was filled with the sound and flicker of fireworks being set off all over the area. It was an absolutely wonderful Fourth of July.



To wrap up the whole long weekend, we finally made it to the beach today. We ran through the surf, chased Kelly's dog Indy around the beach, and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on our towels. Tomorrow Sean will take his lunch to work in a lunch box sprinkled with sand, and I hope it reminds him of the past three days.