26.7.21

Georgia Summer 2021 | the 4th, family, faith and FUN

If you've been here awhile, you'll recognize this as the same post different year.  It's also been well established that my family is one of traditions (yes, the place cards at the dining room tables are needed for every family gathering even though everyone always sits in the exact same spot time after time and year after year), and I hold tightly to traditions for my own.  So every summer there is a short list of must-haves for our annual Georgia trip.  We try to stay a couple of weeks because it's so hard to fit everything and everyone in to such a short time, but this year we could only stay a week.  We left the very next day after Ellie returned home from camp and got there just in time to celebrate the 4th with my family.

The 4th of July was always Pa's favorite holiday.  He never said as much, but it had to be.  He loved making homemade ice cream and lining the bottles up in the middle of the road for the bottle rockets he'd shoot while we all sat on the front porch and watched.  He was even known to jump into the swimming pool with us with his clothes on.  Our family is a little (or a lot) bigger now, we've traded the pool for the pond and the fireworks are a LOT bigger, but much of the tradition is still the same.  This is most definitely my favorite gathering of the year with my family, and my kids feel the same way.  They talk about this day all year long and can't wait to see all of their cousins again.

This year we got a pic of all of us.  One of my uncles and two of my cousins and their families are missing.

One of my aunts calls us the OG.  There are eight of us grands on the Connell side.  We missed Adam and Brian this year.

I didn't have sisters, but I have these girls, and they were always the closest thing to sisters I could've had. (One of the things I love about this pic is the kids behind us.  They played whatever kind of made-up game this was for hours that evening.)

And here are the great-grands.  Again, this isn't all of them.  The oldest is 20 years old and about to finish his associate's degree while also moving up the chain with his employer.  The youngest is a year and a half.  And all of them are pretty awesome!

I took zero pictures this year.  Not even one.  But here are a few I borrowed.

I remember standing in the food line and laughing so hard, but I honestly can't remember what we were laughing at!  Even Seth is grinning so that tells you it had to be funny!

There are several things I love about this picture.  My dad is praying.  Jenn and I are standing together with our heads bowed.  And obviously SOMEBODY has their eyes open during the prayer and is taking this picture!

I don't have any fireworks pics, not that anybody needs to see more fireworks pics.  But our fireworks stopped traffic this year!

The next day we spent the afternoon swimming with the Hilleys.  And, again, I took not even the first picture.  But it was a great afternoon, and the kids had so much fun playing games in the pool.

And, of course, one of our most favorite days of the year is lake day in Pop's boat!  I spent all my weekends at the lake in this boat when I was growing up.  Pop has had the same boat for 30 years, and I'm so glad my kids have special memories in this same boat.  This summer is the last one Pop will take us out in this boat.  Next summer he'll take us out in the new boat!  But, for now, here is lots of pics from our day at the lake.

Hannah Kate let us go a little faster this year, which was a huge win.  She even let Pop throw her off!  And she got right back on!  Mason got up yet again his very first time on the skis.

The next day we spent with my sister-in-law and nephews.  She treated us to lunch at a cafe at a local farm.  I haven't stopped talking about that place since or the veggie sandwich I had, which is definitely one of the best I've ever had!  I think it would be the neatest thing ever to work somewhere like this - diversified livestock and gardening operations, sustainable farming practices, gardens, you-pick wildflower fields.  It was just the neatest place, and I can't wait to go back!  (And, just in case you can't tell, my kids were totally over the pictures on this day.)

And the following day we left.  We had two days at home before our next big adventure.