More Fourth of July Events

Well, we had a really good weekend. My best friend Kayte came into Columbia to see her hubby, Kevin--he's at school on Fort Jackson. On Friday we were going to go to the water park on Fort but it was too crowded. So, Kayte and Kevin found a pool there where we could all hang out. Civilians can go too. Who knew? It was great. The weather was nice, the wind was cool, the water was a little warmer than I would have liked, but the sun was shining! We swam, played with Kayden in the pool--that's their cutie pie. Anyway, we hung out for a few hours and then we (Erik and I) went back to our house to get ready for dinner. We met them again at Fatz and then headed off to Torchlight Tattoo--Fort Jackson's Fourth of July celebration.

Side note: I have lived in Columbia for most of my life (all except those 5 1/2 years in Georgia) and I don't remember ever going. Funny thing is, I knew they did this but we never did. And for several years, we were on Fort Jackson's back door.

Anyway...the fireworks were good. Nothing like Disney World's, but you know, it was good just the same. My sister and her family found us there and we all hung out with a few thousand other people. I caught up with 2 high school friends too, Sallie and Catherine. Both were there with their families/boyfriends. It was nice to catch up. Those 2 were really good friends back in the day. After the show, we parted ways and met back up on Saturday, the 4th. We hung out and cooked out, of course. Erik grilled a pork tenderloin and Kayte and I made the fixins. It was yummy. Never have done that before.

For my recipe sharing friend Merritt: It was so easy! I just sprinkled a 2 lb. pork tenderloin with grilling spices (McCormick) and Erik grilled it according to the directions on the package! We didn't do BBQ sauce, but you could add that towards the end. :) Thought I would share that!

Anyway, we hung out some more and played with sparklers. That was my limit! No fire in my yard! Erik and I watched a few fireworks from the front yard after our friends left. We clapped and yelled, "Woo hoo!!" It was fun, but I kept a close eye on things. My previous posts lets you know my thoughts on that!

All in all, it was a good weekend. I miss Kayte and wish she was closer. She is really one of my dearest and best friends. It's funny because we talked this weekend about people we see at reunions and how we say we will keep in touch and we just don't. That makes me sad. I guess you really have to be on top of it and put forth that effort. I am making a conscience effort to do that this week. I know that if it were not for Kayte in the fall of 1996, we may not be as close to this day. Thank you Kayte for calling me and wanting to talk to a camp person! I am so thankful I answer my phone! I love you!