Today is Jeanne’s Birthday. It is one of those milestone birthdays. However, I am not going to share which milestone, but let’s put it this way she is going to be old enough to have a drink.
The next few days are going to be pretty busy on the social front. Of course we are going to be taking Jeanne out for lunch to celebrate her big day and then tonight we will be gathering to watch the fireworks to kick off the July 4 Holiday.
Butte always has a great fireworks show, that can be seen from all over town. They set up just below the Big M and the fireworks are launched out over the city. It is just a beautiful show. People come from all over the state just to watch the fireworks. This year the show will even have music that is choreographed to it (if you download a app).
My sister Colleen is also scheduled to arrive in town sometime today as well. She and her two fur babies made it to Buffalo, Wy late last evening. She got a late start out of Lakewood. She had a very long day yesterday. I am sure it was a emotional day for her as well.
As of yesterday she officially started a new chapter in her life. Her divorce was finalized earlier in June. She is in the process of selling her home (they have a signed contract) in Lakewood, CO. It was a very nice home that she really liked, so I am sure departing was tough. She has obtained a math teaching position (once everything is approved by school board) at Butte High School. So it is both a exciting but also emotional time for her.
Then of course tomorrow will be the parade and various gatherings/parties. On the sixth our nephews (Jon and Richard) are holding a memorial service for Jennifer’s brother Mike who passed away last August 30.
I will be honest, this is going to be a tough holiday for me. This was one of Jennifer’s favorite times of the year and one she always looked forward to. Being the first one without her will be very weird.
Prior to retirement, we tried to be in Butte around this time period. There were a few years we were not able to, but they were in the minority. She always liked to talk about the Fourth of July parties at her Aunt Helen’s house and how this was big day because when she was a child they would get their own big bottle of pop to have. She would talk about how she would backwash into her pop so no one else would drink it on her. My how the times have changed, kids these days get pop pretty much on a daily basis. When we were young getting pop was a big treat.
She loved to go to the parade and see all of the people in the parade, even if some years the parade was more a display of the local industrial equipment (cement ,wreckers, garbage trucks, snow plows and fire trucks) than of floats. She loved a good parade. We would usually go get her Mom and bring her to the parade down by Safeway. Her Dad never went to the parade, he was just not a parade guy. He said he had seen and been in enough parades during his military service and he did not care to see anymore.
In Butte everyone has “their spot” to watch the parade. For most years ours has been near Safeway, we did a couple of years out by Silver Bow Pizza because we had out of town family staying in the Hampton Inn. However most years including this year we will be by Safeway.
I will get through it, but it is going to be very weird few days.
Well enough for today, got a few things to do before I head to town to celebrate Jeanne’s big day.
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