4th of July -long post!!!

So we, or should I say "I", had a hectic first week of July. To start the week of, I started teaching reading summer school which will last 4 weeks 4 days a week. I don't know why I do this to myself every summer I guess I just like the little extra funds that it will give me plus all the hard work we put in on these kids throughout the year and then see some of it go away during the summer- its a little hard to see. Anyway, we have about 15 kids that come for a couple of hours each day. It's not a long time, but enough that I have to get up earlier than I want to in the summer.

I have also this week been putting together some food storage cookbooks that I am doing for Relief Society. This is a binder cookbook that my parents gave me for Christmas. It has a lot of good food storage item recipes along with some really good information. There are quite a few pages and dividers that I had to copy so it has taken me a while putting them together. I hope the ladies will use and enjoy them.

Also this week I was put in charge of the store's float. I had a really good idea (at least I thought so) and was kind of excited to do it, but it has also taken a lot of time doing it. We wanted to depict the painting "Prayer at Valley Forge" and have a theme "In God We Still Trust". I don't know if any of you have heard that song, but it gives me chills every time I hear it so I also wanted to base the float on that song which I played during the parade. One of the things I wasn't too sure about finding was a life size horse and we kind of found one at one of the local businesses, but it was in bad shape. I had to completely repaint it and add a saddle and reins. I guess it turned out ok

I forgot to take a picture of what the horse looked like before I started painting it. I had already spray painted it white and started on the saddle and reins.

After putting the horse on we added some trees that we had cut down when we were in Brian Head the weekend before and then added some deciduos shrubs that stay green year round (it was winter on 1777-78) and then put white sheets everyshere to depict the snow on the ground.

We had a boy that works at the store be George Washington. None of the adults would do it, so Jay said that he would get paid for helping us out and being George Washington. I had some good padding under the sheets that he was kneeling on. He was a pretty good sport for doing it. We got the costume online and it fit pretty good. I think we will use it this year so Jay can be George Washington and I can be Martha. We'll see.

We won most patriotic!!!

Kierra and Kennedie sat in the back of the truck and threw candy to the hundreds and hundreds of people that were there. It seems that the crowd at the parade just gets bigger and bigger. I couldn't believe all the people that were there !!!

Jay, Ta'Kara, and I sat in front and threw candy out as well. It was fun!!

4th activities

For the fourth we always stay in Kanab. The 4th of July is a big thing here. There are many family reunions, class reunions, or just people coming back to see there friends and families for the holiday. It seems like this year was the biggest I have seen.

After the parade, me and the twins went to the park where they have booths set up. The girls each caught a goldfish and brought them home (bettter than a dog, cat,or rabbit that they have been asking for). Sorry to say, but they will probably be dead within the week.

Later that afternoon we headed up to Jay's sisters house. She lives right across the street from the park and where they light off fireworks. She even puts out the orange cones to save us parking in front of her house. It's great! thanks Merilee!! We had dinner there with all of Jay's siblings and parents. It was kind of his familly reunion. Kind of because we didn't have one this year with his family. so this was it. We walked across the park and watched a little entertainment and then the big fireworks show. It was fantastic!!! No more lighting them off one and a time. It was 15 minutes of between 2 and 5 fireworks going off at one time. I didn't take many pictures, so sorry about that. We had a good time with Jay's family and didn't get home until midnight.

We made homemade rootbeer for the barbecue. The girls did a good job stirring it pretending it was witches brew.