It's July already

Hi Folks! It's July again, how did that happen? I have been thinking a lot about how fast time goes by. Remember when your grandpa used to say, "It feels like it was just yesterday." Well, yesterday is what brought my circle of thinking to completion.
Yesterday was our annual 4th of July party. Joe and I work for weeks getting the house ready, planning the menu, and repeating, "The parade starts at noon and we eat after that!"
The first few years it was just my parents and us, sometimes our friends Tim and Lori and their two girls, Tarryn and Holly. As the years went by, we gained a few people liked Becky's parents and her grandchildren. This year, we had all of those folks, some work friends, and some new friends...over 30 in total! It was wonderful.
It started raining during the parade and didn't stop until after everyone left. The atmosphere was so great, no one cared that it was raining! The kids played in our arcade until the hamburgers were cooked, we ate, talked, laughed, and then the kids went swimming. No one seemed to care that it was raining. We were just all there to have fun and enjoy each other. I was so grateful for every one's attitudes.
The point of all of this rambling is to say that I don't want to remember this as the 4th of July where we all sat inside and stared at each other because it rained. I have to scrapbook this to help me remember that this is the 4th of July where we swam in the rain and had fun anyway! I will scrapbook this Independence Day to remember that this is the 4th of July that I noticed how big all of the kids are getting. One of the girls I mentioned before, Tarryn, was in our wedding. She just bought her first house. Her sister is now just about as tall as me. Chanda's kids seem to have grown two feet over the past couple months and Charity's little girl Iva celebrated her first 4th of July ever! I want to remember these details through photos and journaling. When I see all of us enjoying no sunshine and the pictures proving it with bad lighting and damp hair, I want to remember that I am grateful for those things. I am grateful for friends who pitch in and bring food to share, do the dishes, and smile for those rainy pictures!
What will you scrapbook about this 4th of July? Come to our crop Saturday, July 11th. Our menu this month is salads and sandwiches. Sign up by commenting on this blog post, or shoot me an e-mail. I'll keep the menu updated here and also send out another e-mail before the big day. Be the first to tell me about this post on Saturday and I have a special gift for you! See you all Saturday!
Menu update:
Sheron-Sandwiches
Koty-Oriental Cole Slaw
Quinette-Layered Salad
Mindy-Cake Pops
Jenny-Deviled Eggs
Krista-Tuna Salad & Crackers
Lefa-Sandwiches