4th of July

The 4th of July is truly one of my favorite holidays.  That and Thanksgiving.  This year we spent the 4th of July at my parents' house in Virginia.  With a lot of work, we prepped a nice little July 4th cookout for family members and neighbors, 25 of us in all.  I was running a fever all day and spent part of it in bed but I managed to hang through the entire party.  Thank goodness....   Here are some of my favorite details and moments:

I couldn't bear that my Snoopy 4th of July flag wouldn't be flown this year so, to remedy that, I brought it with me and hung it at my parents. I mean, honestly, who on Earth is more fabulous than Snoopy?

The neighbors' dog, Riley, crashed the party.  Smile.

Kids enjoying Pop Its in the driveway.

When it comes to the 4th of July, I'm all about a traditional menu.....burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans, deviled eggs, chips & dip, brownies, cupcakes.  It won't be your most nutritious meal but it sure is good!  And, it never fails, the deviled eggs and brownies are always the foods that completely disappear!  Is that just a Southern thing?

My favorite part of all is that both of my 82-year-old grandmothers were at the party.  My grandma Nellie (above) is always willing to dress up and have a good time!  And my grandma Barbara (below) is indispensable when throwing a party.  I borrowed so many platters and dishes and chairs, etc from her.  She even called us early in the day to remind us to charge our camera batteries!  Trust me that having her two blocks away when you're planning an event is a godsend.

I hope all of you had a fun, safe, happy 4th of July!

PS ~ Any World Cup fans out there?  Did you watch the game on Tuesday?  Sophie & I dressed up in our finest USA gear and went to a local, family-friendly bar and watched the entire game.  We were there for four hours!  To say that we were crushed the US lost would be an understatement.  By the end of the game, Sophie was screaming at the TV along with everyone else.  My man, Tim Howard.....WOW.  He is a BEAST.  I remembered this post I wrote about him back in 2010.  I'd go crazy if he could play in one more World Cup!!! I remain his biggest fan!

Marching for Goldens

On Saturday we took part in Charlotte's St. Patrick's Day Parade.  We marched with the Golden Rescue......the same group that I volunteer for and the same people that rescued my Hubbell.  This was the first time that the whole family walked the entire parade together.  

And it was SO MUCH FUN!  Sophie even cried at the end because she didn't want it to be over.  

The parade was always Hubbell's favorite event so I made a sign for Clara's wagon.  

{Please ignore the ghetto masking tape I used to tape the sign to the wagon!}

In years past, Hubbs would always want to walk right at the edge of the parade.....where all the people sitting on the sidelines could rub him and give him attention.  Oh he LOVED the attention.  At times I'd try to pull him into the middle for a break and he'd pull me right back to the side.  For this reason, we'd often call him The Mayor.  He was the perfect representative for the group.....and it didn't hurt that he was the most gorgeous Golden ever.

What made me the most happy on Saturday?  It was quite serendipitous that "Hubbell's Angel" was at the parade.  I hadn't seen her in a decade.  She didn't even see me but noticed the sign on the wagon and immediately combed the crowd to find me.  Oh, I was so happy to see her! Her name is Linda and she was the person who drove all the way to Gaffney, SC, to pick Hubbell (formerly Stewart) up from a bank parking lot where he'd been hanging out for several weeks. (Can you imagine?) She rescued him and, because of that, I consider her to be my angel as well. Doesn't she look like one?  

So the weather was really ideal for a parade.  (We'll just thank our lucky stars and ignore the fact that it's been rainy, cold and miserable ever since then.)  Lots of people were out and everyone seemed so happy.  I love parades because they are such happy events!  Anyway, here's the view we had while walking.....

Sophie made sure to walk right up front with the sign.......

.....while Clara kicked back in the wagon and ate snack after snack after snack after snack.  So happy I thought to bring a HUGE cooler FULL of snacks.  I'd often look down and she'd have her feet propped up on the side of the wagon chowing down on something.

Every once in a while a big Golden would poke his/her head down in the wagon.  They really wanted some of those snacks.  And Clara was D-E-L-I-G-H-T-E-D each time she got a face full of big furry Golden Retriever!

Clara was also enthralled with the sign and wanted to tell everyone that this dog was her Hubbell.

{Oh, my heart!}

We had a fantastic turnout and almost everyone had on their various Golden shirts from over the years...

And the dogs came all decked out for St. Patty's as well.....

{my God-Dog, Champ}

{The girls begged me to take a photo of the dog with the tutu!}

I felt so thankful that we had such a fun, beautiful way to honor Hubbell's memory, while supporting other Goldens. I was super emotional when the parade started and felt so thankful I had big, dark sunglasses on to hide my tears.  I felt Hubbell's spirit marching right alongside me.  To look around and see several faces who also knew and loved my boy brought me comfort. And being surrounded by Hubbell's fellow Goldens always brings a lot of joy and overwhelming love to my heart!

I can't wait until next year!!!!

XOXO

Happy Christmas!

 

To all of my friends and family who celebrate, I wish you a very 

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

May it be filled with good tidings and cheer.

XOXO,

Audrey

Gingerbread Lane

Sophie and I have a wonderful tradition.  Each December we meet up with one of my friends and her daughter and we visit a local gingerbread house competition.  It's a small one but we love all the details on these houses. After browsing and taking some time to vote for our own favorite, we visit the resort's restaurant for some hot cocoa and treats.  Here are some of my favorite shots......

How adorable are these Wizard of Oz characters?  Adorable enough to win Sophie's vote!

Last year's visit here.

Happy Father's Day.....

.....to the best Dad I know.  

We are so very lucky.

XOXO