The second fourth

I am glad to report that Leah's second fourth of July was so much better than her first!

A complete one-eighty from last year, we had a wonderful time celebrating America's birthday with great friends.

And the food.  Oh, the food.  De-lish.

Sadly, the only pictures I got of the food, I took before our guests arrived.  But rest assured, it was good.  Caprese and pasta salads, veggies and fruit and pita chips and dip and guacamole and corn on the cob and cupcakes and burgers... basically, everything you'd expect on the fourth of July. 

We only invited a small few - largely because that's about all our deck can hold while still allowing for comfortable firework viewing.

 Someday I'll be mellow about hosting holiday gatherings.  I won't obsess.  I won't run to 15 different stores at the last minute.  I won't overdecorate.  In otherwords, I'll fight all - and I do mean all - of my natural instincts.  But, all that will have to wait for another year. 

We enjoyed good food and good company until some of us found it a little too overwhelming (and much past our bed time!).

Leah had to bow out early, so she missed the fireworks for a second year in a row. 

Everyone else settled in to watch the many fireworks shows that dot the skyline and can be seen from our house.

Perhaps a little too comfortable for some...

It was a lovely evening.  We are lucky beyond words to be able to share these days with such wonderful people. 

As I sat there in the glow of a dozen fireworks shows with a full belly, surrounded by my husband and our friends and their children, it absolutely took my breath away. 

This is my life.  Wow.

Fortunately, I had the mess of cleaning up all that holiday fun to help bring me back down to reality.