The countdown begins again: 363 more days until my favorite holiday

The weekend, along with my favorite holiday, just flew by! And as expected, it was another fantastic 4th of July weekend! It was kicked off on Friday with a BBQ on the rooftop of Kathryn's apartment building - stunning view and good company!

Then Friday night, Maddie and I made the trip north, stopping at Big Lake for the annual 3rd of July fireworks show. The guys and us all packed into a boat and sat back and watched thousands of dollars explode before us.

Saturday morning/afternoon, we headed to North Beach of Samish Island for the annual 4th of July parade. (It's tradition to set up shop at Stephanie's grandparents' beach cabin.) The parade must have set a record this year - it was almost an hour long! Granted, there were periods of breaks because some floats/parade spectacles were slower than others. A couple pics are below, but check out the full album here. After eating, chatting and going for a little walk with the crew, Maddie and I headed back to my house to relax before the next phase of the day.

This year, Mike Inman decided to throw a party for the night at his house - complete with red-checkered picnic tables with centerpieces (when did he become domestic?!) and he even hired this guy to sing and play the guitar. There was quite an eclectic group of people, ranging from some of our friends' parents to people a few younger than us. Overall, it was really fun!

The crew

Man in dress, pushing stroller with a beer in cupholder. Gotta love the Samish Island Parade.

The party strip of North Beach. You can honestly walk up and down to any house and be welcome. It's a zoo.