Independence Day

July 3rd, we went to the Air Force Base to eat, talk with friends, and watch the fireworks. It was Zachary's first go with fireworks, so we were curious to see how he reacted. Mostly, he watched wide-eyed:
To give you a feel for the scope of our small-town fireworks, this was the finale:
July 4th, we waited for Zac to wake up...
...then headed up the North Shore for some hiking. We've been dying to do a hike our friends told us about a year ago. We followed their directions only to realize they were a little incorrect in their directions, and we had already done the hike. It was raining where we were, so we went down to Princeville for some exploring.

We found 2 different paths, and spent time at both beaches. When we left in the morning, we took boogie boards, backpacks, and everything but snorkel gear. Of course it was the snorkel gear we wished for at the beaches.

A lot of people say this is the best snorkel spot on the the island. The current was really strong, so we both swam close to shore. The water was unbelievably clear and warm! We're coming here next week to try the snorkeling.

Later that day, we went to Will and Karen Summerhay's house for fireworks and dinner.
We had to take a picture of his daughter wearing a BYU shirt (they are hard-core Utah fans):
Karen's famous 4th of July cake:

We are so grateful to live in America! There is so much conflict in our nation (and the world) right now, but this holiday was a nice time for reflections on our freedoms.