Fourth of July 2024

Summer is in full swing over at the Clifford's and we are certainly keeping busy.  This week, C.C. continued her summer school fitness class and she had her first horseback riding lesson.  While all future lessons will include riding time, this lesson was a "ground lesson".  She did some grooming and learned how to lead and control the horse with touch and commands.  She is very excited for the next lesson and getting to start riding.

I also started remodeling our master bath this week.  It all started when our disgusting 70's light fixture burnt out.  Rather than spending money on specialty bulbs for a hideous light fixture, we decided to buy a new one.  That started the ball rolling.  I decided to strip and re-stain the vanity.  That has been an endeavor, but it's almost done.  They next steps will be new countertops and a trough sink, but that's on hold for just a bit until I figure what I want to do for the countertop.  I guess that what happens when you start demo before you really have a plan.  I'm just hoping to at least get that part of the bathroom done before I head back to work.  Here is a work in progress photo after I spent hours sanding the face of the vanity.

This week was also the Fourth of July.  We started the day at the river.  We took the paddleboards down and figured we would stay for a few hours and leave before it got too busy.  Well, I guess we were having too much fun because we ended up staying for 5.5 hours and had to pry the girls away at that.

Once we got cleaned up, my parents came over for dinner.  We grilled steaks and made s'mores and had a special 4th of July dessert.  The kids were also excited to do little "pop-it" firecrackers with my parents.

After dinner, my parents decided they weren't up to fireworks and headed home, but we went back down to the river.  We moved locations a few times to get the best view of all the different fireworks, but sat along the shore and down on the dock.  I can't believe how many amazing fireworks we were able to see from all the people lighting off along the river.  It felt like the perfect hometown Fourth of July.