I absolutely love the 4th of July!  This year we combined Henry's birthday with a pre-fireworks BBQ with friends...so red, white, blue and teenage mutant ninja turtles. Land of the free!

We enjoyed a ward breakfast at the bishops, fun BBQ and party with friends followed by fireworks - where we lucked out with a not to busy or loud spot with an easy exit. Jackpot!  

Celebrating Henry's 4th on the 4th was a hit!

Best friends are just better than anyone can describe. I absolutely love our annual get togethers with the Colgroves!  My kids look forward to it all year, as do I!

We had a blast boating and swimming, meeting baby Alice, getting shaved ice, watching movies, eating Sweet Tooth Fairy and reliving our college days. 

Can't wait until next year!

Following our navigation fiasco from the airport the day before, Saturday night we studied and studied the maps to figure out how to get to church on time. 

Lucky for us, we made it thanks to taking the coastal road. Follow the beach!  That along with using the iPhone in airplane mode with wifi turned on and having cached the maps the night before. Whew!!

Once we got to church, Abby turned to me and asked if I wanted to go get investigators (sacrament meeting is last). Ummmm, sure!  So off we went on what would be a two hour, sweaty, long, tiring, raw Salvador experience. We walked miles in the heat through neighborhoods and ghettos, knocked on several people's doors who Abby had once taught when she was serving in that area. 

We came back to church a ball of sweat but with a 9 year old with us, totally worth it. I will never forget walking down the dirt road in the 9th picture down, and suddenly two young boys, mostly naked, come down the road riding a white horse bare-back. It was a stark reminder that I was in a completely different place. I would give anything to go back and break out my phone to take a picture but at the moment I just stared and watched this magical (no it wasn't a unicorn), foreign, strange, childhood experience unfold in front of me. 

Abby and I returned back just in time for sacrament meeting. Following church Abby went out to the cars and got all sorts of American treats to hand out to people. Beef jerkey, peanut butter, Oreos, and candy. 

Abby had arranged with a women in the ward who is a caterer to have our group of 8 over for lunch that afternoon. Such an authentic, incredible highlight of the trip. It wa a Brazilian feast!  Complete with bananas growing in their yard. The language barrier somehow vanishes with good food and good company. 

After being stuffed with unknown yumminess, we stopped by another church building on our way home. It turned out to be a missionary hot spot and Abby said many farewells to various missionaries she had known and served with. 

The last stop of the night was dinner at the mission presidents apartment. Abby was released by our stake president at home over the phone (awesome!) and we had a great final, closing night to her mission. 

We all went home emotionally, spiritually, and physically exhausted but filled. Is that not the essence of a mission??

After spending way too much time at Target today, these two were begging to go to the toy section. We compromised with sunglasses. We pretended we were movie stars and pirates. I'll let you guess which is which. 

" In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun, and - SNAP - the job's a game!"  Mary Poppins