4th of July

Kevin's parents have a mountain house, just near West Jefferson and over the course of the year we have become addicted to getting out of "the city" and driving to quieter, cooler, places. I could go on about what this little house has meant to our family in just a short time but I can sum it up by saying that as we drive down the mountain back home, I find myself thinking each time: I wonder what it would be like to live in the mountains?

This year one of our visits up there was on the 4th of July. Micah and Carine and 'all the kids' (as we call them, not because we think 4 is some insane amount, just because when Adison was younger naming all the names was hard for her so we just summed it up with that little phrase) came with us to spend the weekend.

We had perfect weather, as usual. Cooler than in town, but still sunny and warm and nice to be outside in. The kids just take off and play immediately. Making up games, walking around, and this year picking up all these little beads which we think are little air-gun pellets. (The kids loved it so much we often think of bringing a bag of beads up with us and just throwing them around by the handful).

There was a little festival downtown that was more like a mini-fair, and by the look of it everyone came out for it.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is nearby and it offers tons of different hiking areas and parks. We took the kids on a hike and as usual it offered beautiful scenery and they had a blast.

We packed up the kiddos and took them downtown to a parking lot for a show that took forever to start and then never ended. We actually drove back to the house as fireworks were still going.

These little trips are fast becoming my favorite memories: cool weather, hot food eaten outside on the deck, good friends.