Happy 4th and some other stuff

Happy 4th of July (1 day early). I don't know if I will be able to jump on tomorrow, so I decided to do it today.

My family goes camping every year since I can remember for what we call the "Other Family Campout". It is my dad's side of the family and my mom's side of the family that gets together every year for the 4th to camp. I haven't camped with them for a while now, but would like to at some point. Instead, I go to where they are camping for a day trip on the day of the family party. Myself, and 3 of my cousins were born in June and July so when I was growing up and then when they were younger we had a family party to celebrate all of the birthdays. I stopped being part of the party when I was 20 or 21, (I guess I felt the need to grow up and that I wouldn't be looked at as "grown up" if I was still getting presents from my extended family for my bday. We really don't celebrate adult birthdays more than a card in my extended family). I still went for the family party though. We also used to have bocce tournaments, which was awesome. Now we just play bocce. I am going up tomorrow for the family potluck and party (although we aren't celebrating many birthdays this year). I am excited to go. I am going to spend the day and then come home after dinner. When we were really little, my cousins and I would play in the water and try to catch crawfish and build them "homes" out of rocks. Some of my favorite memories are from the Other Family Campout. I remember one year my cousin was born while we were all at the campout. (Well, she was born in the hosptial, but we got the call when we were there! By the way, today is her birthday... HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEIDI!).

Our area has one of the few remaining drive-ins in the nation, and actually the only one in the state. We used to have two in the area, but one was closed a few years ago (the one I grew up going to, sadly). Jeff and I are going to go to the drive-ins on Saturday night. I am so excited! :) I love going to the drive ins. We get a bunch of junk food and go and play games before the movies start. It is so fun. When I was a kid my mom used to make trail mix before we went to the drive ins. If I would walk in the kitchen and see my mom in there (which was a miracle to begin with because my dad is the one who cooks) with a BIG orange tupperware bowl (this thing was MASSIVE) I knew that it was drive-ins night! I hope that this drive in stays open long enough for our kids to make memories there and remember what drive ins were like because, sadly, they are dying out. Where else can you pay $7 a person for two movies that are out in theaters, not even old movies??? And you can sit in your own car and bring your own food!

So happy 4th of July everyone!!! I hope you all have a fantastic day making memories! Here's to hoping next year I have a little one to make memories with!

**EDIT** Someone anonymously left this website: http://www.driveinmovie.com/PA.htm in my comments that lists more drive-ins in PA. I don't know how up to date this website it or how many of these are still running, since it lists Columbia Drive-Ins and that was the one I grew up going to which is no longer in service. I just wanted to make a correction that the drive-in I *was* going to (Jeff found out he now has to work... bummer. Fingers crossed that he gets called off!) is not the only one in PA as far as this website is concerned, however I can't guarantee that this website is up to date or that many of these places are still around since articles I read when the Columbia Drive-Ins was going out of business said that there aren't many left in the country.