Four months later: The 4th of July!

After taking such a long blog break, it's hard to even know where to begin to catch up. So rather than be methodical about what to post, I'm just going to post whatever photos inspire me at the moment. Right now, with the weather cooling even more, I've been having dreams of summer. And what better summer event to reminisce than the 4th of July?

All of the usual suspects at this 4th - Samish Island, Knutzen family and their cabin, Steph/Mads/Kami, Joe, Mom, Dad and Kam on the firetruck in the parade, fireworks, good food, crazy fireworks, Maddie's patriotic jello shots and more. But the latest amazingly adorable addition to the 4th: Baby Lila! Kami's little bundle of joy who was only a little bump last year :)

So in no particular order, my 4th of July... 4 months later! 

America's Birthday

I've said it once and I'll say it again: I love the 4th of July. I love the food, the friends and family time, the sun (most of the time), the Samish Island parade, and did I mention the sun? After all, it is the official kick-off to summer in the Northwest. So thank you, America, for throwing such a fun party, year after year.

Now look at how festive my man, Joe, is getting. 

He now fully understands the glory of the 4th of July.

The annual ladies shot at the Knutzen's - with Kami debuting the baby bump!
As always, thanks for having us Stephanie, Kathi and Greg!

Low tide.

Dad was manning the Firetruck in the parade. Kam was hiding on the other side!

The parade often features unusual animals like goats, llamas and mini-horses. 

This year, this guy got the prize for "Most Exotic Animal"

Without fail, there is always a pirate float.

Mads and me on our deck at home.

Oh, and did I mention the patriotic jello shots that Maddie made?

Yep, I'm thinking this was a start to a new tradition.

I love this little (TALL) man

I couldn't stop giving this little man kisses yesterday - it had been far too long since I last saw him, so I was making up for lost time. At the age of nine, my nephew Kamron is officially one inch (or less!) shorter than I am. We knew he'd be a big one, but every time I see him, I'm still surprised. And so the saying goes, "they grow up so fast." (Look at how much he's grown from less than 3 years ago - luckily, he willingly takes my kisses now!)

Stay tuned: 4th of July recap to come - it is a favorite holiday, after all!

Americana on the Island

The Samish Island 4th of July festivities are a little slice of old-fashioned Americana. It's one of the many reasons I am a proud native of Samish Island. A small town celebration of our nation's independence filled with a quirky parade, the star-spangled banner in every direction, delicious food, beachfront relaxing, sun, and friends and family (though mine was in Montana this year!).

Since we had a wedding last year, this is Joe's first experience. He just got off a 9pm-9am shift and somehow I managed to convince him to join despite the extreme exhaustion he would inevitably face. I don't think he regrets it one bit because he already said he's ready for next year! At one point, he said, "wow, this parade makes the Port Angeles parade look like the Macy's Day Parade!" Yep, that's about right.

The traditional ladies photo. (Sorry, Mads, my hair is taking over your face!)

The Samish Island marching band. They play a whoppin' one time per year!

There are a lot of tractors. An unofficial symbol of the Skagit Valley.

Kids get to dress like whoever they want - a devil on the 4th of July? Sure, why not?

They throw us a lot of candy.

The Knutzen's serve up some tasty food - like this frosting with a side of cake.

Greg likes to make what we call "nacho oysters" - grilled oysters with cheese, a slice of bacon, salsa, and green onions. (Greg is also the biggest HUSKY fan I know!)

Can't wait for next year!

Favorite Holiday

My favorite holiday has come and gone and I have yet to blog about it. Crazy, right? A full post to come, but for now, a snapshot of the amazing Samish Island 4th of July parade. Can't get much better than mini-horses and cute children! Try not to get too jealous.

TGIF!

Home

That's Samish Island out there. Taken from Chuckanut Mountain. Isn't it pretty? Gotta love my home.

Samish Island + Crabbing + Sunset + Dad = Pretty rad.

TGIF

My weekend will be starting with a little Golden Gardens picnic to officially say goodbye to Karen, who is moving to North Carolina. (She's taken the position of Assistant Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life at East Carolina University and while I'm SUPER proud of her, it'll be sad to see another friend move away.) After the picnic, we'll likely go out somewhere in Ballard, maybe the Loft?

Then tomorrow morning, the view below will be waiting for me at home. I'm very excited for the rest of the weekend to be kick-back- sitting on the deck, BBQing, watching the sunset, drinking some good wine with my parents on Samish Island. It's one of my happy places.

Do you have any fun weekend plans?

I'm Erika, the Beautiful!

Oops, I mean America, the Beautiful. (That one is for you, Maddie)

It's pretty well-known that the 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays. You get to spend time with family and friends, eat good food, watch the amazing (read: cheesy) Samish Island parade, compete by trying to hit a golf ball in a boat out in the water, watch phenomenal fireworks (courtesy of Norm Nelson), bring home Maddie (she can't get enough of the pirate floats or maybe just the man who walks his goat with a beer in hand in the parade) and that's just the tip of the iceberg! I'm sure I'll report the details next week, but I just can't stop thinking about it now.

One thing I know for sure, never go to Gas Works Park for the fireworks. I mean, the show is pretty cool, but doesn't compensate for the treacherous crowds. It's so not even worth it. Some Seattle hippy was trying to have the show canceled due to "enviromental" reasons, but he lost that battle. Apparently, this is interesting enough for Colbert to report on - check it out. (It wouldn't let me embed it... or I'm just out of it.)