Today was a full, but fun day. We got up this morning and headed over to my great uncle Jack’s house to hang with that side of the family. It was nice to catch up with those folks, who we don’t get to see very often. My kids had an awesome time playing with a big bunch of third cousins! Funny that they met each other yesterday and fell in like they have known each other their entire lives.
I was able to catch up with my mom’s cousin, who I have loved since I was a child. We learned after the fact that we are both ERAU alum (GO EAGLES!) and work in aviation. It was wonderful to meet his wife and visit with them. We also enjoyed the beautiful setting of my great aunt and uncle’s house on the shore of Flathead Lake.
Jack and Gloria 
Nana’s younger brother and older sister
After a few hours with that bunch, we headed back over to the rental house to hang with the rest of my mom’s family. Today we were celebrating the freedom of this great nation, our time together as a family and an early birthday for my Uncle Ron who is 75 this year!
He surprised us all with a Spam platter – just like my grandma would have served back in the day. Even though Ernesto gifted BOTH of my children with GLITTER, I did him a solid and told him not to read the spam can in too much detail as he sampled the goods! 😉
The kids LOVED going out on the jet skis with my cousins and there were kid sized kayaks that Robert and Ernesto helped them paddle around on. A great, full day and we returned home very tired. Little did we know…
The little town that we are staying in is right on the lake. Half of the resort is on the lake side of a 2-lane highway and half is on the other. We were on the lake side, where there are only 3 RV spots, along with the little hotel that my mom stayed in. The door to her room faced us and the room went all the way across the narrow building where the window next to her bed faced the other side where there was a restaurant… this is important. So, we are arriving home after 9pm, with 3 tired adults and 2 VERY tired kiddos. Keep in mind that it does not get dark here until well after 10pm, which has been challenging enough. We told the kids that the fireworks were going to be too late, but we might be able to see something from where we were staying. HA. HA HA HA. What we did not know is that this little town (who can not afford any police presence and actually have an old police car with a dummy in the driver’s seat named, ‘Bert’) is the epicenter of all things 4th of July. Specifically, the parking lot that we are staying in. We pulled in and there are people partying EVERYWHERE. There is a live band set up RIGHT outside that window by my mom’s bed and fireworks are going off everywhere that you could see. 😊 We had new neighbors in the spot next to us who were, let’s just call it friendly and go with that. The kids watched fireworks from the bunk and FINALLY went to sleep. As a non-partying, pregnant (sober), introvert, who has been surrounded by people, this was not amusing. It was like trying to sleep in the middle of a music festival until 130 am!!! At one point, I seriously took a moment to give thanks for those who fought for our freedom, in all sincerity, my exact thoughts were, “Thank you Lord that these explosions that will not stop are in celebration and not the sounds of war that so many who have gone before us endured for this to be possible.” That was my lemonade. Thankful it was just one night.
