24th of July: Parade and Home Fireworks

Here is Utah the 24th of July is about 20 times bigger than July 4th. Every year Salt Lake has a huge 2 - 3 hour parade and a whole week of events leading up to it, along with a whole day of events. Ben and I went the first year we were in Utah, all our roommate went out the night before and slept on the sidewalk to get good seats to watch the parade. We also got to see President Hinckley in the parade. That is how huge the parade is. This year we decided to go. We did not sleep on the side walk - all me paranoid, but I did grow up in Africa. We got there 2 hours before the parade started and lucky us we found a good spot to be at. I thought the parade started at 8am so we got there at 7 but it really only started at 9. Cynthia got bored near the end of the parade, but it we still had a good time!

1 hour before the parade stared. Looking south on 200 East.

Looking north on 200 East. People have lined both sides of the street. They brought their tents and everything. It is really something to see if you are ever in Utah around that time.

The Ames Family! Cynthia was more concerned about life around her than smiling for the camera.

Just like the July 4th parade. Cynthia made friends with the people sitting next to us, who fed her breakfast with their kids. She got to sit on dad's, mom's and some of the kid's laps throughout the parade. But she preferred dad's lap because she kept going back to him.

Elder Henry B Eyring and wife.

Cynthia after the parade at home in her parade outfit. She would not wear her hat the parade and a kid on the one side of us had the same and tried to steal it when the parade was over.

Ben surprised me and bought $4 worth of fireworks for evening. We got sparklers and some other kinds that spin on the ground. Cynthia did very well playing with the sparklers. Notice in the video above, she tried to blow the sparkler out. She is so cute!

It was great day!