Stars, Stripes & Questionable Choices

Some years I take a hundred pictures on the Fourth.

Some years I barely remember to pull my phone out.

These are from last summer, but they feel like a pretty accurate warning label for what’s coming in a few days.

My best friend’s annual visit.

A neighborhood parade with 973 star-spangled kids on bikes, scooters, and wagons.

Pool water.

Sunscreen that definitely needed to be reapplied.

Murphy stealing the show.

Family squeezed together for quick pictures.

A neighborhood party that somehow always ends with everyone laughing harder than they planned.

And yes…a few questionable choices.

Before we continue, please take a brief patriotic moment to salute Erin’s and my matching rhinestone BRAVE hats.

Completely unnecessary.

Absolutely essential.

Also, for anyone wondering, the “Vegas showgirl meets the Fourth of July” swimsuit is actually a one-piece.

Rhinestones and all.

I have absolutely zero regrets.

At some point, everyone ends up in the kitchen honoring America with tequila shots.

It’s basically science..

The older I get, the less I care about a perfect holiday.

Give me people I love, something cold to drink, kids running everywhere, pool hair, loud laughter, fireworks that may or may not happen, and stories we’ll probably still be laughing about next year.

That’s enough.

The Fourth is coming.

Consider this my official request for strong sunscreen, cold drinks, and at least one story worth retelling.

What’s your favorite kind of Fourth — pool, party, porch, or pajamas?