Fridays Five Favorite Things: Fourth of July

1. The Habersham parade: I already described, so I won't belabor the point, but it is precious. This year I added red white and blue pinwheels and patriotic bubbles as a favor for the kids. We had such a great time...
2. Fireworks: Who doesn't love a good fireworks show! It's amazing how nostalgic they can be. I find no matter how old the person watching them is, their faces light up the same way. It could be a five year old child staying up late enough for the first time to actually see them, or an eighty-five year old veteran who has seen them every year in this very same place and they both have the same look of happiness. My favorite part is when the crowd ooooohs in unison! I just love that!!
3. Red, white, and blue dessert: My family has made RW&B dessert every year for as long as I can remember. Once I insisted we do it with tapioca, and the result was more coral, cream, and teal dessert, but it tasted yummy. We've tried a lot of different combos over the years from Shoney's strawberry cream pie with blueberries to rice crispie treats with red and blue sprinkles. It's a tradition we haven't been able to experience these last few years because we haven't been together for the 4th for a while, but this year we were and we had to uphold the family tradition! We had blueberries and strawberries with fat free whipped cream. I guess when you're five and crying for tapioca, you don't have to count weight watcher points!! It might not have been our most frivolous dessert, but it sure was great to have everyone together to make it!
4. Family and friends - This year we were lucky enough to have my family in town for the 4th!! We were so excited for them to visit!! We really had such an amazing weekend together. We also had some other surprise visitors! Our friends Shannah and Andrew and their son Aiden came to spend the fourth here in Beaufort. Its amazing how friends and family can make you feel at home even if you are far away!! And of course, we were so grateful to have our Beaufort friends all together for this special holiday. All of our favorite people in one place at the same time = always a favorite thing!!
5. PARRIS ISLAND - There is no more humbling place in the world than right here in Beaufort at Parris Island. For those who don't know, Parris Island is where all Marine recruits this side of the Mississippi come to become Marines. I feel so honored to be able to walk on that island and stand in the very place these young people stand. From the Iwo Jima memorial to the parade deck, from the firing range to the Molly Marine statue, I find that every spot on that island makes my eyes well with tears for the pride I feel in our country and the brave men and women who serve it. For them we should celebrate our freedom every day and not just once on the 4th. Marines - they are an amazing group of privileged Americans who I am so proud and humble to see every day. They remind me always how lucky we are that the men and women of the generations that came before us fought for the freedoms we have today.