4th of July - in Granite

so, for my readers out there who are from the good 'ol granite area - this post goes out to you.

the 4th of july in my neighborhood is AWESOME! for as long as i can remember, and even farther back than that, my community has had a breakfast, parade, and carnival in our hood. this is my FAVORITE time of the year cause you know that on the 4th of july you get to see old friends and neighbors. this is like the one time of the year that you know everyone will make the trip back to our roots and everyone who is anyone comes. you have generations of families that make the trip back to ride on a home-made float and throw candy at the people lined up on the side of the streets. my family has this one little spot on the church lawn that we go to to watch the parade. and let me tell you - this year's parade was fantastic, lasting almost an hour! i think that's a new granite record. and of course, my dad and his train made another appearance this year. (the only entry that the crowd cheered for - go dad!)

after the parade is the carnival, put on by the Canyon Springs singles ward. and that is so much fun it itself. (i won't go into detail here - those who have participated - on either side - know how entertaining it really is. yellow shirts, anyone?)

for those of you out there who couldn't make it back to the hood for the festivities and fun - i certainly missed you. please come back next year. and bring your kids.

and of course - thank you to the military people out there - who make our everyday freedoms a possibility. i appreciate the sacrifices you've made, allowing us all to live in this great country.

God bless America -