An Americana Kitsch Independence Day

I had high expectations this Independence Day and I was not disappointed. The Fourth is one of my favorite holidays. On July 4th we drove to Burley, ID to my sister's. First we attended a parade. It was one of the best parades I've ever been to. It was bleeding Americana kitsch which i LOVE. Cowgirls in skin-tight, red Wranglers paired with a flag-inspired sequined shirt... floats with nonsensical sayings... a mariachi band followed by 50 mexicans on horses... giant tractors followed by hydraulic cars with "santos" in gothic lettering stickers on the back. I kept getting handed different Christian pamphlets to the delight of my family who kept saying I looked like I needed saving. Loads of candy, popsicles, soda and nieces with homemade ponytail bows. It was everything I could've hoped for. Then, we ate and went bowling for my nephew's b-day (Jake won as always) and went back to my sisters for a BBQ and a Wii game dance off. Jenni (my sis-in-law) always won at the 80's music and I always won at the more dodgy hip-hop songs...the ones that my 8 year old niece kept saying weren't appropriate. She's the type of gal that knew every letter of the alphabet when she was 18 months. Seriously, she did. Then we had a snap war in the driveway. The kids/men kept throwing them at peoples backs. My favorite moment was when my 12-year old nephew Kolby walked away from the fight muttering how he was out of snaps and when he got behind my dad, chucked a hidden one as hard as he could causing my dad to yelp in pain. Everyone had black gun-powders stains on the back of their shirts. The sun set over Amber and Scott's farm was so pretty and the epitome of the American dream. Then we watched a multitude of fireworks over the snake river behind kids running around with glow-stick jewelry. It reminded me the reason I love the 4th so much is because it's a day I can feel God's love so strong.

Happy Summer!