It’s raining this morning. After all the sweltering heat we’ve had the past two weeks, on the 4th, it’s raining. Of course. But I see breaks in the clouds, so I still have hope.

We’re in for a fun day. Nate bought tickets to the Mariners game at Safeco Field for this afternoon.

Afterwards, we’re stopping home to pick up food and such on our way to my brother-in–law’s house for a barbecue like last year, because it was a really good time.

Last night, on the way back from taking my brother home, we stopped off at a Fireworks stand so Nate could buy some for the festivities and street show at the barbecue. The kids and I waited in the car, and were shocked when he came back with this.

Street show fireworks make me nervous. I think it’s because my biological father was always so afraid of someone blowing off an appendage in the process, he wouldn’t even let us stay and watch. We always went home from whatever social gathering we were attending once they broke out the fireworks.

I’m not as neurotic. I enjoy watching them very much, but I get uneasy when my own family is lighting them off.

However, it is not very often I get to see “that” expression on my sweet husband’s face. His eyes light up and he smiles in such a way that makes me see the little boy in him very easily. The first time I saw “that” expression is when we were in Israel and he and his brothers were floating in the Dead Sea.

Wait a minute. Where did that resort come from? All that was there 8 1/2 years ago was sand, water, and a couple of open air concrete showers. Wow. And for those of you who don’t know, you can’t sink in the dead sea. You just go out into the water and sit down. No floatation devices, just sit in the water. Or if you’re Nate and his brothers, do everything you can to TRY to sink, or make one of your brothers sink, and laugh like a child when you can’t.

Yes, so, “that” expression. He doesn’t even get that way at Christmas. But lighting fireworks, now, that’s excitement.

It’s really cute. And I can hardly deny him that. But mercy. That’s a huge box of fireworks.

This morning I woke up to the sound of the garbage truck coming down the street. I didn’t figure they picked up trash on the 4th, so we hadn’t put our trash out. I jumped out of bed and ran outside to put the garbage can on the sidewalk and smashed my big toe in the process. Dangit. It really hurts. I came face to face with the garbage man, actually the yard waste man, in my pj’s and bra-less. I hate it when that happens.

After all that, I couldn’t get back to sleep. Didn’t even try. So I took the opportunity to finish up my socks.

They’re awesome. I’m so happy! I used Austermann’s Step sock yarn. I looked it up on the internet to get links and it looks like the colors have changed since I bought my yarn. Either that or the pictures online REALLY suck.

Yesterday, I went back to the yarn store that was closed in the middle of a Wednesday (I found out later she had a knee replacement surgery, and I guess didn’t get anyone to fill in for her) to pick up another sock bag and to look at one or two circular needles to start another pair of socks.

They were closed.

I was so irritated. So, they’re closed on Mondays too I guess.

Anyway, Happy Fourth of July! I’m so grateful to live in this wonderful country. I haven’t seen much of it, but I’m completely in love with my little corner of the nation. And I’m reverently grateful to the people that sacrificed so much to build and protect it.

Have a great holiday.