Happy 4th of July

 Last year and this year were certainly different.  We miss Lila Mae and our annual trips to Midway for Bingo, good food and fireworks.  We did our best to try and start a new tradition of being here in Salt Lake.  I invited Lynda Ann and her family and Maren and her family to come for dinner and games.  Maren declined because of working but all of the Gertsons came.  They got here about noon.  So fun to have Emmi and Abby in town.  They stopped on their way in and picked up Jimmy John sandwiches and brought them to the house for lunch.  Lynda Ann had worked the night before so she stayed home and slept.  After lunch we played games until about 5:00.  Annie came about that time and Abby had prepared a delicious dinner of Carne Asada and chicken and all the trimmings.  It was delicious and a treat for me not to have to decide what to have or have to fix it.  I did make the watermelon ice cream dessert.  That is kind of a once a year tradition.  Annie ate and then left for work and the rest of the gang stayed and played games until about 10:30.  As I was drifting off to sleep about 11:30 I could still hear fire works going off.  Sprout seemed to not care.  He was exhausted from playing with Brinkley and Maggie most of the day so he fell right to sleep between Neal and I. 

Abby preparing a delicious dinner.

Pulling the Saran Wrap off the ice cream.

As I started to cut into it Mallory and I notice more Saran Wrap that I hadn't peeled off.  

The finished product ready to be served.

When ever I take a picture of the family gathered around the table I always think of the sign that Annie made that is hanging on the wall by our table.  It says, "The best memories are made gathered around the table!"  No truer words every spoken or written.

Now I have to add here, the excitement of the whole day.  I had left the back door open just wide enough for Sprout, Brinkley and Maggie to get outside if they needed to do their business.  While we were all gathered around the table and just finished eating a little bird decided to join our party and flew in the back door and ended up behind the blinds in the front room.  Poor little thing was trapped and certainly in a panic.  Well Mallory, jumped up off her chair and outside faster than lightening.  She hates birds and was the first to spot the poor little thing as it came in.  I laughed at her more than I did the situation.  Well, Emmi, having the training she did out at Dougway and animals, came to the rescue.  She very carefully reached through the blinds and trapped the little fellow in her hands.  She took him outside and let him go.  I'm sure as he flew up in the tree he chirped a 'thank you' to Emmi, as we all did.  

It was such an exciting and unexpected moment that know one thought to snap any pictures.  But I did have sense enough to grab my phone and get this one.  

Thanks Emmi Girl for saving one of God's little creatures.  

All in all it was a happy and fun 4th of July.  I love this country.  I love our freedoms and I hope God watches over our leaders so we don't ever lose the freedoms that we have.  We are a blessed land and certainly blessed to live here.  GOD BLESS AMERICA!!