4th OF JULY 2009

We went to Everett, WA to spend time with family for the 4th of July. John and Kate came to visit from Utah and we were excited to see them. Unfortunately, I got Ashley's cold and didn't take a single picture of the holiday. UGH! It was quite eventful. We went to Wild Waves and had a TON of fun. The weather was perfect (not usual for WA). The kids stayed at Lance and Kristins and had the time of their life. Kristin made them M&M pancakes, they went frog hunting, Ashley drove the mule, they shot guns and played with their cousins. Jeff and I brought Zulla, our whippet along for the trip. We had quite the scare when we headed out to spend a few hours with our good friends, Greg and Melissa who came to visit Greg's parents for the 4th. They live in CA. During our 1st course (milkshakes and onion rings), we got a call that Zulla had went looking for us and was lost. We immediately headed out and started searching. I admit that I do love my dog, but I didn't realize how much until this particular incident. It was getting dark and there were fireworks going off all over the place (July 3rd). She was in an unfamiliar setting and in the middle of the woods. I felt so bad for my kids, Lance and Kristin and didn't know how we would go home without her. We searched until dark but came up with nothing. I waited for the sun to rise and headed back again for another search. Nothing. Jeff went out and searched again...nothing. Kristin put up signs around her neighborhood...(property there consists of fabout 10 acres each). Nothing. We didn't know what to do. We had tried everything and were VERY tired from such a long, sad night. We were heading out for one more look and my mom came running out saying they found her! She had found her way back to Lance and Kristins. It took about 20 minutes to drive out to their house, and when I arrived, she was SO happy! She had a few scuffs and scrapes, but she was okay! Everyone was crying! She really must be loved! The 4th of July turned out to be a GREAT day! We had a BBQ, shot guns, rode quads, ate some more, relaxed, ate ice cream and watched a fabulous firework show! I really wish I had taken a picture, but I wanted to put this down so we could all remember how much we love our dog!