The Fourth of July 2009

This Fourth of July holiday was sure different than any other. It is usually a day of family and activities. The extended family would meet at the parade in Provo in the morning and watch the parade together, and then in the afternoon we would go to my mom's (Louise Larson Little Jensen) house for a BBQ and fun. Often the kids would get out some big sponges she had with buckets and have a sponge waterfight. There was always something going on at her house on this holiday (as well as all the others).

This year was a very quiet holiday. Ryan and Brittania had gone to Nephi for Ryan to work some extra shifts and to celebrate with Brittania's family, Heidi and Scott are in Henderson, Nevada while Scott is going to physical therapy school at UNLV, Emily and Scott came to a little bit of the parade but then left because they were in the middle of moving and later were going to celebrate with Scott's family, and Shaun was with Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps in Portland, Oregon, so none of our children were available to celebrate with us. My mom passed away last November so there was no celebrating after the parade with the extended family either.

Me and Ray went to the parade and met Lisa, Jim and their family, and Becki and most of her family to watch the parade. We sat in front of my dad's State Farm Insurance office that he sold a few years ago. It just wasn't the same as when he owned it, but it brought back memories of many years of parade watching at that spot.

This is Emily, Scott & Ray with Sister-in-law Becki, and sister Lisa watching the parade

The nieces and nephews watching the parade

Float that was done by Sharon Stake - the stake that I grew up in and now live in again. They are celebrating 80 years.

Shaun's Orem High School Band in the parade without him while he is in Oregon with Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps.

After the Parade me and Ray came home and I worked on my quilt that I started last year when I went to a block of the month class. Later in the afternoon we took our little George Foreman grill to Ray's dad's (Weber Read Walker) house to have a BBQ with him. He is getting more and more unsteady so we decided that it would be easier to take the picnic to him and have it in his little carport/porch.

Later that night I watched the fireworks from the Stadium of Fire from my backyard. You could see a bunch of the fireworks pretty good but there is a very tall tree in the way that is right in the line of sight to where the fireworks go.

I hope that next year's 4th of July holds a little more excitement with more of our family.