I hope everyone had a fun and safe 4th! I always feel like summer officially starts after the 4th. W WA weather can be so unpredictable, and it doesn’t really get summer nice and stay summer nice until after the 4th. Although today it’s low 70’s and overcast, so clearly I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Our 4th was spent at my Aunt and Uncle’s vineyard in E WA, and it was very summer hot over there. They were hosting a family reunion the Sat after the 4th, which means they were going to miss out on time to work in the vineyard. We opted to help out by staying the week, work in the vineyard in the mornings, and spend the afternoon’s staying cool and prepping for the reunion.

I love helping out in the vineyard. Growing grapes is no joke, it takes a lot of work! I’ve planted and harvested and done a lot of the tasks between planting and harvesting. I learn something new every time, and it just makes me appreciate every bottle of wine I open that much more. It also makes me appreciate crop workers. It’s hard work, and it’s not work I’d want to do regularly. I’m thankful there are those that are willing to do it.

Most of the pics from the week are not of people. I really only snapped a few random pics here and there. The rest of the time my phone was the DJ for the festivities, and I was way more focused on spending time with people I love, and don’t get to see often, than on taking all the pics/having my phone in my hand.

The family reunion was the thing I was looking forward too the most this summer. It made my heart happy to see Sky having fun with her cousins and experience sleeping in a tent for the first time. She loved it, and I’m thankful her older cousins included her in the fun (so thankful some were willing to drive 12 hours to be there!). Now I feel like any fun I have the rest of summer is a bonus. And, we have plenty of fun left to have!