The 4th of July!

The Fourth of July is such a fun holiday! I love it for a lot of reasons the first of which is family, followed by great music, BBQ's (thanks Janice and Vince), freedom and fireworks! My sister and her family came up from Phoenix and my brother and his family are here for the summer before heading to California and we were able to play a bunch during the week. My nephews are so much fun and they're at such a fun age! My sister Amy, brother-in-law Greg, nephew Jack and sister-in-law Buffy went hiking to Stewart Falls on the 5th. I love that hike because of the scenery and the pay off waterfall at the end! I always take my camera when I hike it. It's the best hike in the fall because the fall colors are amazing! It's also fun to do at night when there is a full moon because the moon lights the path. You don't even need flashlights!

My only complaint is that my legs struggle....well my right leg. I few years ago I had a disc in my back fragment and it shifted out on my spinal cord and spinal nerves. My leg was completely numb for a week and I still have a little numbness in my shin. As a result it left me with permanent nerve damage in my leg which affects the motor functions. I don't really notice it with walking but I do notice it when I hike and when I run. When I'm hiking my leg gets tired really easily. I feel like I'm dragging it along towards the end. It did it on this hike unfortunately. When I'm running I notice it because I have a little drop foot. I catch my toe on things and about trip myself. I'm waiting for the day when I biff it running out to one of my injured athletes. I'll let you know when it happens! The following are pictures from the hike!