Whitsett Adventures: Fourth of July Fun

So as many of you know, I am big on traditions. This usually comes out in the form of Christmas traditions, but Fourth of July is definitely a close second. I absolutely love it. The family, the food, the fireworks, all of it, and I usually have a hard time when traditions change like when we had no fireworks one year or when we had a fake Christmas tree for the first time (I'm looking at you Gramma). :)

Well, when I was younger, we used to go down to Auditorium Shores for the Austin fireworks. The whole extended family would prepare a picnic, pack up the coolers, chairs, and blankets and get there early to insure a perfect seat. We would spread out and eat as we waited for the show to start. The guys who sold the glow necklaces loved us because we would buy a ton and always come up for new ways to wear them - "Will it fit round my waist still?" "Um, how about the thigh?." When the symphony would start to play, we would turn up our radio to hear it better and lay out on the blankets so the fireworks looked like they might fall on top of you. When the "1812 Overture" started, I would usually tear up a bit (yes, a big nerd I tell you) and think about how happy I was at that moment to be celebrating with the people I love most in the world. The fireworks would amaze me every year, and I was always sad for them to end. Afterward, we would pack up and make our way back to the cars. There, we would share a watermelon as we waited out the traffic. I looked forward to this holiday every year.

As time went on, the tradition changed, and we wouldn't make it to Auditorium Shores anymore. We started going to other shows in smaller towns where family lived, or we would go out to my grandparents' and shoot our own fireworks. I adapted, but it was never quite the same.

This year, for the second year in a row, we headed to Georgetown where my aunt and uncle live. You can see the fireworks from their front yard just above the tree line. This has been a good compromise for me to appease my tradition-craziness. We still eat, I make some sort of red white and blue dessert, and we make the not-as-long trek to the front yard for the fireworks. I sat there this year watching the fireworks surrounded by the family I've always known and loved, and next to Cory with Ethan on my lap, and for the first time in a long time, teared up again. I was just so happy with my newly created family, joined with my larger extended family, watching Ethan stare at the fireworks, and I realized this was what it's all about. Being with the people you love, sharing good food and good times. I still love all the great traditions my family has, and I hope to continue them and share them with Ethan. Some of them may be adapted along the way, and some new traditions may be created, but we will always make sure we are surrounded with love and happiness on the days that matter most.

I still refuse to get a fake Christmas tree though... baby steps for me. Sorry Gramma, we may just have to bring our own this year.

Here are some pictures of our fabulous 4th: