I'm hoping everyone had an excellent 4th of July!
Our day started a little late. Kevin & I slept until noon, something I've been doing a lot lately now that I work until 11:30 pm & usually don't fall asleep until about 3 or 4 am. We didn't actually have any solid plans, only that we were going to leave Roanoke (where Kevin lives) and head up on the mountain, to visit Becky's crew and Kev's dads. The goal being getting out of the city and away from the crowds.
Foodlion was the first stop, buying Potato Salad, Macaroni Salad, Marshmallows, Watermelon, Beer & Wine, as planned. The fireworks tent in the Walmart parking lot called to us with big "Buy One Get One Free" signs! This, in fact, turned out to be a lie. The sale was only for a few select items - with an emphasis on "few". But thats ok, everyone knows the scams that take place under those "Big-top" tents... be it fireworks, revivals or a rip-off circus. We wanted some fireworks though and managed to be talked into buying the largest pack they had. This one here:
It would be worth it in the long run. The 4th is the 4th, after all and the kid's would love it! I was a little bummed that Samantha was going to miss our big bang. Sami will be home tomorrow, but that will be tomorrow's story!
We decided to take the Parkway all the way to Becky's, a longer drive, but very relaxed with wonderful views of the countryside.
Becky sent me a text message warning us of two big storms headed our way. Knowing me means knowing how much I love storms and knowing how absolutely cool the drive up the mountain was! We skirted the first storm, by about a mile and not purposely, it was just the way the road wound. Luckily we were able to watch that mighty storm as we climbed the mountain. The second storm we hit, bullseye! I loved every minute of it! Wind and torrential downpours, theres nothing like it! Driving through was exactly that, and on the otherside a bright, sunny, hot 4th of July! We enjoyed the contrast at the Beaver Dam Overlook - with the storm still in view behind us, where we had come from. 
We arrived at the house and Becky was taking the shish-kabobs off the grill - ready to eat! They came at the perfect time and Kevin munched on a few plates of dinner. The veggie's, the best part, were mouthwatering - another one of my loves; mushrooms, onions, peppers & cherry tomatoes scorched over a grill!
The kid's wanted the fireworks; there was no waiting for dark to fall. Kevin was like a kid with candy and couldn't wait either so we lit "just a few" to tide us over until dark.
Ruby jumped at the works, trying to eat them!
For dessert, Becky's son settled for mini-marshmallows grilled over a mini-flame. He waited patiently for the sun to go down and for the real bon-fire.
We sat on the front lawn and chit-chatted for awhile, eventually deciding to try to play a game of Balderdash, my favorite board game & a recent find at Goodwill for only $2.00!
It was fun, but the rain quickly followed, another one of those awesome storms! The rain came and came and came some more, actually raining out the fireworks and the bon-fire we had planned for dusk. Porch-ridden kids and sparklers eventually equaled a bunch of soaking wet kids and Kevin!
