Let Freedom Ring!

 Happy July 4th on the 5th!  I hope everyone had a safe and fun weekend.  We went to Chicago as planned and spent the time with my sister and my niece's and nephew's families.  My sister lives in the house we grew up in. Mom and Dad built it in 1951 so it's 70 years old this year and still hosts family and friends and good times.  We sure miss my sweet Mom this year.  Last year there was no celebrating because of Covid and the year before Mom was the Queen of the parade.  Enjoy every moment because you never know what the future holds. We had a wonderful time and the weather was good.  Hot of course, but that's the nature of Summer, right?  Of course I have lots of pics so here goes!

We always had parades in our little suburb when I was growing up.  They were simple affairs..just kiddos who decorated their bikes or themselves and walked the block and then enjoyed homemade cookies and kool-aide at the end.  Not the huge parade they had yesterday.

I've posted this pic before.  It's my sister and me in 1959 dressed for the parade in our hoola outfits. It's the year Hawaii became a state. We joked about reenacting this but it might have shut down the parade! Ha! I do love my sister's not so happy face though! 

My high school's marching band. It's my 50th class reunion this year. Doesn't seem possible!

The parade went right past the house so we grabbed comfy chairs from the deck and enjoyed! Here's Midge with her pup, Hope, and of course my cutie hubby, Jack!  Hope wasn't bothered by the parade noise or the fireworks later that night. She's a really good dog!

These kiddos are representing the "blooms" of Oakbrook Terrace.  I guess that makes my siblings and myself the original blooms! Time does go by so fast.  I think we've lost a bit of our "bloom"!

My dear niece, Katie, the wonderful police officer in the family, driving her patrol car and their mascot. I don't know the mascot's official name but the person in the dog suit is Katie's daughter, Brooke! (My sister's Granddaughter and my Great Niece!

Besides the marching band there were the Bagpipes and those poor guys marched in the 90de heat for the 3 mile route! Some had to drop out because of the heat and 2 of the high school kiddos dropped out and we made them sit on our lawn while we got them water and cooled off.  Thankfully everyone was good after a bit! 

Hope sat calmly and enjoyed the parade and wasn't bothered at all by the noise. She also didn't mind the fireworks that night.  She's really a good pup!

The parade was a big hit and my niece, Amy, was the person in charge.  She did a fantastic job of putting it all together.  Last night my sister, Jack and I sat in her driveway and could see the fireworks coming from the park.  I had many memories of past July 4ths spent in that neighborhood and our home.  They are good ones that we enjoyed with Mom and Dad and my siblings and my good friends from the "hood"!  Many of them whipped through my brain like the soft breezes of this weekend.  I know my folks would be so happy to see our house still stands strong and welcoming.  It's evolved over the years and sits so beautifully as the "white house on the corner".  I'm so glad we took the time to go out there.  I hope everyone had a safe and fun time celebrating our freedoms to gather, have fun, and show love to our fabulous country...God Bless America!