July 4th fun Fun FUN

We had a great 4th of July holiday!

Last week, we traveled to Lima to be with Andrea's parents for a few days. We had a great time boating on Indian Lake and picnicking. This past weekend, we spent some quality time with Joe's parents. We went to two different happenings on Saturday. In the afternoon, we went to an antique tractor show and pull. It was my (Andrea) first time to a tractor pull. It was hard to understand what was going on, so I was more interested in the flea market. We got a few good deals. I was proud of myself for talking a couple vendors down on their prices on a board game and book. The food there was great! You can't beat the fair type food they had. All of us really enjoyed the homemade ice cream! They had many different flavors, but we shared strawberry and peach! We all had a great time at the tractor festival!

Joe and I at the tractor pull! My first experience...

Later in the afternoon, we then headed (with Joe's parents) the Preble County Fairgrounds for an antique tractor show and hot air balloon liftoff. It was a little disappointing, as there weren't any tractors there. They did have a Civil War demonstration, which was pretty neat. I am normally not one to be interested in those sort of things, but I would have to admit that it was quite informative and interesting. They told all about the guns they used and how they loaded them. They also fired off a canon and shared how they used it, etc.

Firing of the cannon...

After seeing many tractors throughout the day and a Civil War demonstration... I was really ready to see the hot air balloons. They set them off in the infield of the grandstand. I just think they are so neat and fun to watch. I even entered a raffle to win a balloon ride.. I think I lost, as I still haven't gotten a call. Riding in a hot air balloon is on my list of things to do before I die. So they had liftoff and then the Ohio National Guard band played. It was very patriotic and I especially enjoyed the kettle corn Joe's mom bought for us.

Hot air balloon liftoff!

Debi (Joe's mom) and I were super excited about the hot air balloons! Oh.. you might of noticed.. I got my haircut! The balloons then came back for a glow session. They fired their balloons back up and it looked like they were glowing with the fire inside of them.

This was my favorite - it was the Ohio State balloon! Someone got engaged on it that night, too! All in all, the day was so much fun with Joe's parents and with all the festivities! So, that was Saturday...

After church on Sunday, we (along with Joe's parents) headed to a park called Carriage Hill for an ice cream social and hiking.

Hiking at Carriage Hill...

The hiking was fun... but all the ice cream was gone! I was a little saddened about it. Carriage Hill has an old-fashioned candy store, so we got some good candy instead. To end our July 4th festivities, we went to the fireworks with Joe's mom. We found a perfect spot in a field next to the fairgrounds. They lasted for about 45 minutes, but the finale was a little lame. It was still really fun and I got a few neat pictures of the fireworks!

Hope you all had a great 4th of July! We know we sure did... can't go wrong with family fun!