our fourth of july festivities went a little like this:

+ we went to the real salt lake soccer game with nick's family the night of the third. i'm not a huge sports fan, but even i couldn't help but feel the excitement at this game! we ended up tying with the other team (didn't even know that was possible??) ha but it was a lot of fun.

+ provo always has a parade on the morning of the fourth and everyone (literally, every person on the planet) either camps out or loiters along university avenue all night long before the parade. i'm not really sure where they all come from, but every walk of life is to be found there. it's been a fourth tradition for me to go for quite a few years now, but nick's sister, abigayle, had never gone before, so it was especially fun to take her and witness her amazement at the amount of people/craziness that goes on. haha we took place in part of a massive bike crew lead by some guy with a boom box and huge flag, saw this strange circular bike contraption, someone dressed in a superman costume was skateboarding up and down the street by himself all night, people were doing tricks off a trampoline on top of a huge van, there were some kids hanging out on a couch on top of a jazzi and much more strangeness. i kinda wish i had taken some photos but i was having too much fun soaking it all in.

+ the morning of the fourth i woke up early (not on purpose, but i'm still a five-year-old at heart who gets overly excited for holidays) and made waffles for breakfast for nicolaus and abigayle.

+ we went up to heber to go on a fishing excursion. which mostly consisted of nicolaus fishing and abigayle and i nearly dying of heat and running a popsicle errand.

+ my cousin, michele, had a potluck/stadium of fire party at her house because they live so near the stadium. we could literally hear everything happening and had a perfect view of the fireworks from their front lawn. and when we rode our bikes home a little early to avoid getting hit by cars/crashing into pedestrians we rode past the stadium exactly when the grand finale was happening and it was INSANE. the biggest fireworks that you can image - they literally took up the whole sky - were going off right above us! it was the most magical firework experience of my life. i felt like i was in harry potter.

hope all you americans out there had a safe and fantastic holiday!! :)