The Fourth of July is a pretty big deal in our family. We have gathered with each other and friends at Lake Mitchell and at each other’s homes for as long as I can remember. I’ve spent one 4th away from my family and the lake and I hope that it never happens again. There is too much love, fun, food and friends to miss …. especially now as I look around and see so many that we love that aren’t here to enjoy it with us. We keep living though, and we honor their memory while we celebrate our family …..here’s the story of this year….

On Friday we hit the road, headed to the lake ….. and happiness ensued …..

Traffic was light and by 1pm I was settled in ……

The weather ? Perfect …..

The company was even better ….

Amazing mornings …..

Colorful nights …..

Good food prepared by good men (and women!) …..

And lots of it …..

naps ….

Games  …

Lots of swimming ….

Boats ….

Boat drinks ….

New babies …

Of all kinds…..

Curious little girls ….

Smiles …..

A cousin home from Nashville ….

Good times to celebrate the red, white and blue ……

And family and friends ….

I can’t think of a better way to spend my time.

Hope y’all had an amazing holiday weekend too.

I hope the sidewalk never ends, and I hope that I find it’s path one day. And I hope that someone is waiting for me on that sidewalk. And I hope he’s wearing my pink crocs…..

Where the Sidewalk Ends

There is a place where the sidewalk ends And before the street begins, And there the grass grows soft and white, And there the sun burns crimson bright, And there the moon-bird rests from his flight To cool in the peppermint wind. Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black And the dark street winds and bends. Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And watch where the chalk-white arrows go To the place where the sidewalk ends. Yes we’ll walk with a walk that is measured and slow, And we’ll go where the chalk-white arrows go, For the children, they mark, and the children, they know The place where the sidewalk ends.

Shel Silverstein

Today was “decoration” at the cemetery where 25% of my husband is buried. Apparently, it is an old tradition that requires family members to take flowers out to the grave, and then you make a donation to the groundskeepers fund, and eat, etc,etc. I don’t recall doing this when I was younger, but then again, I’ve never been a big fan of the marble orchard.

I went because I am “the widow” and it’s the proper thing to do, and because there was no one else available to take my mother-in-law, even though their family is about 10x the size of mine. (bites tongue)

I awoke at the proper time, got ready, and headed to the florist that we have used for years to pick up my flowers. I had taken a picture of the urn thingy there, had told them specifically what I wanted and had even picked out the flowers and greenery. It was nice latex and almost real looking stuff, none of that plastic dollar store crap for my Gregory. So I get there, amass the rush of Mother’s Day flowers and deliveries, and the owner says “Hi Kim, how are you? What can I help you with?”

Then she gets a look on her face like she just ate a rotten lemon. “OH MY GOD IS THAT TODAY???”

Well !#^@%#^&#*. This is a GLOOOOOORIOUS start to my Saturday. She apologizes profusely and tries to give me some cheapy looking rainbow colored urn arrangement, and I managed to keep my cool and say “no thank you” and left.

I then spent the next hour stopping at every florist, Hobbby Lobby, flowery type place I could find. I finally found something that would just “have to do” at a Home Accents store. Oh I was ill as a hornet, as I am sure you can imagine. Which in turn initiated a skull splitting headache and my gastrointestinal system to turn against me. Multiple bathroom stops, three advils and lots of cursing finally got me to my MIL’s much later than anticipated.

Oh and did I tell you it was a FRIGGING MONSOON?

By the time we got out to there the rain had slacked up, thank god because I had to put flowers my MIL got on every relative I think has ever existed, some I never heard of. We stayed out there for a few until it started raining again, and I took her home, said I had to get, and headed out.

I decided to run through town and stop at a little store that I have been wanting to go to, so I did, and then I tried to take a different way back to the interstate. This town has four exits that lead to downtown, surely I could meander my way out?

Oh no, I got LOST !! Yes, with a GPS in my car , and one on my phone, I was driving around Cullman County aimlessly. I knew when I saw cows I had problems. You would think at this point I would have lost it. Amazingly enough, I was remarkably calm. Calm in that talking to yourself in a high pitched voice and white-knuckling the steering wheel, but calm none the less. My stomach and head were even cooperating and had politely excused themselves from the situation. I managed to finally luck myself back to the interstate where I headed southbound, fast.

About 20 miles down the road, I had to tinkle. So I stopped, did that, and decided I would get gas. And along the road I went.

When I got back to Bham I decided I needed a cocktail so I stopped to grab a bite to eat and a drink, and then I realized that I didn’t have MY CHECK CARD. @#$#^!*!* And I knew right where it was. Sitting on the top of the gas pump, along with the Coke Zero I bought. So I spent twenty minutes on the phone with Wachovia, who are sending me another card forthwith, and I used my other check card. Thank god I have two accounts with two different cards or I would have up the proverbial creek without a paddle. All of this because I left my purse at home and just took my little wallet thingy that only holds a few cards and my id. Everything else, at home. Grrrr. Luckily no one used my card and it is now inactive.

So I then “hit the road again” and decided I would run by the store to pick up a few groceries. And WINE. Which I plan to be enjoying as soon as I finish this post.

I then came home, got the jeep and the boys and went to the nursery to get daylilies to plant around the base of Gregory’s tree. Nothing like digging in the dirt to ease one’s frustrations. They look very nice and that made me happy and kind of made up for the Saturday from hell.

I hope your Saturday was better, and hope everyone enjoy’s Mothers Day…..and just so you know, I’m going to the nice flower place next week and start making my own arrangement for Gregory for summer. I guess if you want something done, you really do have to do it yourself.

The orange ones are the ones that I grabbed in a rush…….they don’t look too terribly bad, but still…..and the ones on the left are from my MIL.