Basic Bacon-less Breakfast
July marks five years since we moved here to Utah. In some ways, that makes me sad because five years is a pretty dang long time to still feel like such an outsider. The social scene here is hard to figure out. On the other hand, there is much to be grateful for, and one of those things is the "Celebrate Freedom Breakfast" that our stake hosts each year on the 4th of July. We attend every year, but this year, one significant component was conspicuously missing: bacon! That's right, in past years the breakfast included yummy bacon, but not this time. So Gerald, Shulamith, and I left Matt and Seth at home sleeping and joined others from our stake to feast on eggs, hash browns, and pancakes. Food was just "okay," but it was a good start to our happy Fourth.
Practically Perfect Parade
After breakfast, Shulamith and her kids and I embarked on a brave adventure: the 4th of July parade in South Jordan. We had left our chairs out along the parade route the night before and were overjoyed to find them still there waiting for us yesterday morning. Equipped with iced cold Diet Cokes and plenty of sunscreen, we sat in anxious anticipation.
Parades are super nostalgic for us. We spent 17 years living in quite small towns (six years in The Dalles, OR and eleven years in Mt. Vernon, WA). Small-town parades were the highlight of many holidays. I remember marching in a parade in The Dalles for State Senate Candidate Wayne Fawbush. Wayne carried Luke on his shoulders, and Gerald and I walked beside, carrying signs, pushing Shulamith in a stroller. Several years later, when Shulamith was a Mt. Vernon High School cheerleader, I remember waiting alongside the parade route for the MVHS float to pass by and the thrill of seeing her and the rest of the cheer squad on the float. Only a mom could be that excited over a float full of cheerleaders, but yep, that's me!
This was our first time trying a parade with Shulamith's two kids, and we didn't know what the outcome would be, but it really was practically perfect. It was super hot, but the cool breeze made that tolerable, despite how it wrecked havoc on my hair. The kids were happy; we were happy; it was good. We cheered for cops on motorcycles, scrambled to gather candy, and waved at princesses riding high on top of floats.
Naturally Necessary Naps
All this heat and parade fun made everyone tired, moms included. So after a quick lunch at JCW's (Love me those chicken strips!), we came home for naps all around, so both kids and mommies would be able to stay awake to watch fireworks at night. I only slept under an hour, but it was a good power nap, and I was ready to rock the rest of the day. Sleep has been challenging recently with my dumb anxiety acting up. My guess is a combination of events triggered this fairly severe response: Shulamith's struggles through all of May, a new garden hose that's really long and ugly, and the fact that I know four people who are currently dealing with cancer. Yes, four. Sheesh. Then I feel like such a horrible human being because these four people actually have cancer, and I don't. I just think I do. It's what Mathew calls "fake cancer." Can I just say it again: dumb, dumb anxiety!
Marvelous Mac-shack Meal
As we've established in other posts, all roads lead to the Macaroni Grill, especially on holidays when even one of my kids is working. Seth was scheduled at 5:30, so Gerald and I went in at 6:00. It was dead. I've been in that restaurant dozens (hundreds?) of times, but I'm not sure I've ever seen it so dead. We were one of maybe three tables. We enjoyed our chicken parmesan with alfredo sauce and visited with various familiar employees. It's rather surreal to see Seth working there; a Macaroni Grill legacy he is! I didn't know our server, but once he figured out who we were, he said the standard "You must be doing something right to raise so many amazing kids." Okay, perhaps he was working the tip schmooze (successfully, I might add), but still, it's always gratifying to hear people praise my five babies.
Fabulous Festive Fireworks
And before we knew it, the dark sky surrounded, and it was time to go watch fireworks. And again, the memories! We laid out our blankets on he lawn at Jordan High School and waited with all the others for the show to begin. It wasn't the most spectacular display I've ever seen. It was short and sort of medium-sized. Still, it was lovely and a great conclusion to the Fourth Family Fun!
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