A Tropical Independence Day

We’ve got beaching to do, so I’m leaving you with just a short sweet note about our Independence Day:

After skimming through the newspaper for local festive Fourth of July happenings, we concluded that Waikiki Beach was the best way to celebrate our Independence Day. There weren’t any parades or shows, just beach lovers and families enjoying the sand and sun.

We knew we had to leave the house early --7:00am-- to quickly grab a parking spot, and even at 7:00am, parking was still nearly impossible. People had pitched their tents, set up their BBQ’s, and staked claim to their slice of the beach before the sun came up. When we arrived free parking was of course full, with only three remaining spots left in paid parking. It was a concrete battlefield, and we scored a point.

We staked our claim, waving our beach towels and planting our chairs on the perfect spot; it was a shallow calm area with a cement wall to keep the rough waves out, making it perfect for children and for those who want to drift and laze about in the ocean. 

The kids had a blast going out “deep”, but never reaching past their bellies. And I thoroughly enjoyed sitting back and watching them peacefully play. It’s not often that they play perfectly together --William usually squeals, Krysta yells out “MOM”, they laugh one moment, then the next someone is crying.

But today, today they played like best friends.

When the sun began to sink, we ventured out to Hawaii Kai watch a spectacular firework lit sky under swaying palm trees. The fireworks weren’t as grand as last years, but it equally pulled my heartstrings.

If you’ll excuse me, we’re going to head out to --you guessed it-- the beach. I’m determined to grow gills before I return to the Midwest.

Much love,

EM

Independence Day.

It's that time of year when America decks out in stars and stripes of red, white, and blue and we all gather around for picnics, parades, and other star spangled outdoor festivities, all in the name of Liberty and Freedom.









For us in Alaska, it was a cold, gray, rainy day. The kind of day where it's perfect for cuddling under a thick quilt with a cup of hot tea. But, not us. No, we were determined to be outdoors between rain sprinkles. And so, that's what we did.

We headed down to the secluded water's edge- where it was us just us. Our very own private beach.













I'm a little- alright, greatly- paranoid of bears, like on a psycho level. Bears, moose, wolves, and I do not mesh well together. So, of course I pulled out the "eyes in the back of my head" (only a superpower available to mamas) and kept watch out on the woods. I even planned out our escape route in my head- just in case. Can you see the level of psycho?

We didn't see any bears or wolves, BUT we did see two ginormous moose. Yes, they were so big, I had to join gigantic and enormous together. Thankfully we were back in the car- I think I would have fell over right there on that pebble beach with a heart attack if we were face to face!

On a side note: Moose run faster than there clumsy legs and huge backside lets on.













I know I've mentioned this many times over, but I just love watching these two interact together. Today was no different. Ron taught Krysta J how to skip rocks and she loved every moment of it. With every rock that Ron skipped, she would say, "Whoa DAD!" and excitedly jump up and down.








It was a good day filled with precious moments that I've mentally tucked away in still-frames.

Here are a few of the views we saw....

How did you celebrate your Freedom?













HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!




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