4th of July in Arizona

Fourth of July was spent in Arizona with my mom. On the actual day of July 4th, we traveled to Goodyear (about half an hour away from Surprise) and spent the day with the Gutwein family. Rich and Pat actually live about a mile from my mom, but their son Rich, daughter-in-law Julie, and the grandkids, Abby and Wesley, live in Goodyear. We have known the Gutweins for years and years. I went to grade school with Richie and their other son Tom, and then I went to high school and college with Richie and Julie. Julie and I even roomed together (my senior year, her freshman year) at Master's and had so much fun. As you can see from the picture of my mom and Julie below, we worked really hard celebrating Independence Day. It was definintely hotter in Arizona that I was used to. Many days were around 110 and the 4th was no exception. So, we spent a lot of the day in the pool. When I returned to Palmdale, I felt like I almost needed a sweatshirt for our 90 degree temperatures. With pools and air conditioning, however, it was manageable.

Abby and Wesley decided to have a cannonball contest, so we were entertained by their creative cannonballs--and with temperatures so warm, we didn't even mind getting splashed! It was so fun to spend time with friends who are more like family to us. It was also good to contemplate how blessed we are to live in a country that allows us the freedom to be able to do so. Hope that you all had a great 4th of July too!