Land of the Free.

On Saturday morning, Mum Laurel and I loaded up our lawn chairs and snacks and headed over to Provo to watch the Fourth of July parade. I remember in years past getting up at 5 am with my family so that we could stake out a good spot along the parade route, but with only two of us this year we were able to get a perfect spot under the trees without having to wake up at the crack of dawn.

Waiting in the shade for the parade to start. Although I loved the BYU float and the MTC float with all the missionaries (especially the Sisters!), my favorite part of the parade was seeing all the veterans and standing with my hand over my heart as the flag went by. I am so grateful for the freedoms we enjoy and for those men and women who have fought and are continuing to fight to protect them. I love this country and feel so blessed to be an American.

After the parade we drove down to Wales for the Fourth festivities, which featured food, entertainment, and two very silly clowns. Brother Brower (left) in our ward is a long-time clown and asked Daniel (right) to help him. I was impressed what a good clown Daniel made...and how good of a shot he was with his flower squirt gun!

Besides squirting me with his flower while we were taking this picture, Daniel also became quite the balloon hat maker. I think the nose and white suspenders should become a permanent part of his wardrobe. :) The biggest disappointment of the day was that the fireworks were cancelled because of rain and lightning but other than that it was amazing!