Happy 4th of July!

Well, Mr. B and I went and watched the fireworks with my parents last night in the field behind their house. It was a beautiful time; this year, though, I found myself thinking a lot about last year.

Q, Mr. Q, DoHP, Mr. B, and I were all partying at Q's, playing Apples to Apples and grilling. Then we all grabbed some blankets and some bug spray and headed out to the commons park to watch the fireworks, and it was too cold and wet to continue playing cards. So instead we all joked around, and most of us had forgotten our jackets, and we only had two blankets. As the wind threatened to increase and cancel the show, and the stormclouds were moving in, and there were little bits of lightening and thunder up in the clouds, we all huddled together on the one blanket and managed to share the other blanket by throwing it over our heads for warmth.

What the other residents of our fledgling city must have thought...

But the fireworks still went on, and we managed to get past the awkwardness of being five adults huddled between two blankets. And it was a beautiful time. Dear friends, I must say, I think it's become one of my treasured memories.

It struck me as I was thinking about all of this last night that last 4th of July was pre- a lot of things. It was before I had started grad school. Before Mr. B and I had jobs--and before Mr. B had changed jobs three times, one time in a very stressful manner. Before we were married, before Q and Mr. Q were married, and we didn't know back then that Mr. Q would be shipping out just around a year later. It was before the car accident, and the funeral, and the struggle to heal that's still very much alive. Before we bought a house, before we almost didn't get married trying to fix that house up. Before one of our best friends had a baby and moved away. Before DoHP moved away for better employment hunting grounds, leaving one more empty spot on Q's couch. It was before this blog, and just about everything that's happened here.

It's been a big year, Ladies. It's not New Year's, but I think that the 4th of July last year was the last holiday we shared before life got wierd on us; I'd like to point out now that we all survived, and we're all still friends, and I'm grateful for that. I don't know what's going to happen by this time next year, but I hope next year we all get to spend it together again. Here's to all of our happiness and health, and of course our friendship.

Happy (late) Independance Day,
Alula