4th(ish) of July

There are few people that love America more than Utahans. Kelly became aware of that fact her first year here when she was chastised for not putting her hand over her heart during the national anthem when she was at the Delta Center (the basketball arena) for an event. The event wasn't even a basketball game - it was for a motivational speaker (her work sent her).

But what takes precedence over our great nation's birthday in Utah? Nothing, unless July 4th falls on a Sunday. In that case, fireworks are on the 3rd, and parades are on the 5th. It just doesn't feel right.

Grad students typically don't follow the local "rules", and thankfully our friends held their big grill-out today, the 4th. We didn't plan ahead and lacked a cute red, white, and blue outfit for Audrey, so we settled on pink, white, and blue. The pink coming from her subtle flower accents.

Our neighbors held a big neighborhood bash yesterday, and we reconfirmed the fact that Audrey isn't a big fan of loud noises. She enjoyed the pretty sparkling fireworks, but once the "real" fireworks from Wyoming came out, we had to retreat into the sanctuary of our home. The white-noise machine muffled out the remaining noise and she slept great.

We saved Audrey's first sparkler experience for the 4th. Since she still likes to put everything she holds in her mouth, Kelly did the holding this year. She seemed to have fun!

Happy birthday, USA, and happy birthday Grandma Vicki!