When you get married the night before the 4th of July, there are always fireworks for your anniversary.
Independence Day has been a weeklong celebration in our home for years – not because we’re especially patriotic or own a boat or anything – but since we got married the night before on July 3rd, 2012, we’ve always had a magical celebration the seven days leading up to and coming off of the 4th!
Each year we find a carnival or somewhere we can get greasy corn dogs and cotton candy (and maybe fish tacos) and load up a bag of bug spray to watch the “sky explosions”. It’s become my favorite tradition of all time.
We headed to Bloomington for Summer Fête, which I highly recommend for those already looking to next year’s plans; their fireworks were way better than the ones I’ve seen on the 4th anywhere else!
Not a bad view, and a nice welcome mat for the bugs 😐
There’s no one who adores the week of the 4th quite like Lola, who loves a celebration of any kind but all the more when it’s a party for her two favorite people. Watching Mommy and Daddy get married in a secret woodsy ceremony three years ago still tops her list of all time greatest life moments, so the annual celebration of our vows plus partying for America’s birthday leaves her in quite a state-
… of Red, White, and Blue CUTE!
Even though it was our anniversary, I think this is the only photo I got of me and Christian together, and it’s just our feet with Lola’s. Whoops! Good thing anniversaries are an annual thing amiright?!
….She’s my main photo squeeze anyways.
Here are some of my favorite snaps from the day, which have more meaning and happiness to me this year than a thousand romantic sunsets in a row! Our anniversary might not seem like much, but to me it was everything; for there was a time I thought our family would never be able to be this happy, to have even just one carefree evening where no one was fighting or worried inside about our families or about money. But miraculously, we are happy, and the evidence of that is pure joy to me.
Purely patriotic jewelry by the newly minted loom bracelet queen!
Going hard solo with that hair whip (Lola missed her cue!)
Ridiculously fun carnival rides that are approximately .5 seconds long but worth the 30 minute wait in line every single time when they launch you “high into the sky!”
Never gonna say no to a corn dog tho (don’t judge!)
We aren’t perfect, but this evening was as close to that as it gets; and it’s in these moments of everyday celebrations I’m the most jaw-dropped in awe and thankful for everything we’ve been through, and how it’s refined us into a family that loves hard, knows each other so well, and is stronger than anything I’ve ever been a part of…
…the fireworks are just the icing on the cake.
Cheers to holidays to celebrate EVERYTHING lovely, pure, and good!
-Kylee
Loved this!
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