Independence Day

The 4th of July was a big day for our little family. Last Saturday on our way home from Oakland, we stopped in Fremont to look at a couple of Toyota Corollas Jordan had found on the internet. He is the official 'researcher' in our family and he does a GREAT job. We ended up putting a $1,000 deposit down on a 2008 Corolla with 10,860 miles on it. Probably as close to a new car as we'll ever get. This car also cost more than both of our other cars put together. Yet we still got a smokin' deal and are thrilled. As soon as the guy who sold us the car saw we were from Utah, he asked if everyone in Utah is as cautious and does as much research as we did. He said he would like to take Jordan with him when he goes to buy cars. :) Like I said Jordan is really good at researching! On INDEPENDENCE day we went to finish paying for it (ouch!) and brought it home. Jordan will use it to drive to and from work and McKay and I will have our Ford Contour (the car I bought after graduation) at home. Yeah!!! We are independent again! It seems like forever since I've been able to go whenever I want and not have to walk there and push the stroller! Now I just have to figure out where I am going... The Corolla is supposed to get about 28 mpg in the city and 40 mpg on the highway so we will definitely use the Corolla when ever we are all going somewhere together.

Santa Clara has a huge 4th of July celebration in Central Park, right by the library about 1/2 mile from our duplex. We made it to the last event of the day - the fireworks show. We walked over to the park around 8 pm and found a spot on the grass. There were people EVERYWHERE. We asked some of the people around us where the fireworks are and they said they had sat in several different places in the park every year and had not ever had a problem seeing. As we sat down, Jordan was sure the fireworks would end up being behind a tree in front of us. Sure enough, the fireworks started and we all (including the family we had spoken with before) jumped up to run to the side of the tree. So our blanket sat empty while we stood and watched the fireworks. McKay enjoyed the show, though at first he wasn't too sure about the noise. As long as we kept reminding him how pretty the 'lights' were, he was okay and seemed to enjoy it. The grand finale was AWESOME! There was so much smoke in the air we couldn't see the fireworks and it looked like a huge forest fire. We even felt the ash falling on our heads. I think every inch of that park must have been covered with people because when we went to leave with the masses... WOW! They closed down the major streets around the park and everyone was walking down the middle of the road. It was quite a sight. I felt a little bad for the people stuck in their cars but the feeling passed. People around us got a kick of Jordan's white knuckle stroller driving and McKay enjoyed the ride. And of course it was nice to get home and head to bed... what a day!