Family, Faeries and the Fourth

Happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans. Heck, it is still the 4th of July no matter what country you're in, so I hope you're doing something fun today even if it isn't a holiday.

I'll confess--I'm not doing anything to celebrate. Mostly, I'm just trying to catch up on the things that got away from me [yes, garden, I'm looking at you] while I was out of town visiting with my sisters and their families Thursday thru Saturday, then gone all day at the NY Faerie Festival with Robin, 5 yo Sophie, 4 yo Nate, and our pal Ellen. Also, I'm draining my long-suffering waterbed (which has a number of patches from run-ins with Magic the Cat over the years) to make room for the new mattress that is being delivered tomorrow...from SALEM, of all places. More about that later...

To keep y'all amused while we're waiting for the bed to empty out, here are some pics from my adventures.

This is my gorgeous family: Stamo, my sister Becky, Athena (from CA) and Brianna, my sister Sarah, Addy, and Rich (from Schenectady). Good looking bunch, eh?

On Friday night, we surprised Sarah with a cake for her [important number deleted] th birthday. It was really a surprise, because her birthday (a big one...you know, like 30 or 40, only more so) isn't until September. But since we were all together now, we decided to celebrate early. We went to a fabulous restaurant that Rich does caricatures at every week, so the owner was happy to play along, and let him drop off a cake earlier in the day. FUN! And hey, she's still younger than me.

The only downside of being with my family is that I always feel blue for a few days after leaving them. We live too far apart, and don't get to see each other nearly often enough. But the day out at the Faerie Festival was a great distraction. Sophia and Nate were as adorable as always, and I love spending time with them and their mom (and pal Ellen). More Faerie Fest pics later, probably. It was very cool.

My family-by-choice is as gorgeous as my family-by-birth. How lucky am I???

All in all, a lovely four days...although I am definitely ready for a vacation to recover from my vacation. Or I could weed my garden and drain my waterbed :-)

What are you all doing for the 4th? Something fun, I hope!