Fireworks, Potluck, and One More 4th Together

Fireworks, Potluck, and One More 4th Together

🌼 Date: Saturday, July 4, 2026

⚡ Energy: Full heart, full plate, full campground

💝 Status: Celebrating the 4th with our camping family

🥰 Outlook: Traditions change, but the memories stay

Happy 4th of July!

Today was all about celebrating.

Celebrating the holiday.

Celebrating friendship.

Celebrating tradition.

Celebrating the fact that after everything this year has thrown at us, we made it to the beach, to the campground, to the picnic tables, and to another 4th of July together.

And honestly?

That feels like something worth celebrating.

We had a massive potluck dinner today with at least 40 people gathered together.

Forty.

People.

That is a lot of food, a lot of chairs, a lot of conversations, a lot of laughter, and a whole lot of “who made this?” happening around the table.

This is one of the things I love most about our annual 4th of July camping trip.

It is not just camping.

It is community.

It is people showing up year after year.

It is kids growing up.

It is grandkids running around.

It is friends becoming family.

It is everybody bringing something to the table, literally and emotionally.

There is something really special about a potluck on the 4th of July.

Nobody is fancy.

Nobody is trying too hard.

There are paper plates, serving spoons, folding chairs, red-white-and-blue decorations, campfire smells, beach air, and enough food to make you wonder if we are feeding the campground or preparing for a small natural disaster.

It is chaotic.

It is loud.

It is messy.

It is perfect.

This year felt extra meaningful because one of the couples in our group has retired and is getting ready to start a new adventure traveling around the United States.

They are going to explore the states, see new places, make new memories, and begin a whole new chapter.

And while we are so excited for them, it also means that after 20-plus years, this was their last 4th of July camping trip at the beach with our group.

That hit a little hard.

There were goodbyes.

There were hugs.

There were stories.

There were memories shared from all the years we have done this together.

And when you have been camping with people for that long, the memories pile up fast.

Kids on bikes.

Picnic tables pushed together.

Family-style dinners.

Beach days.

Rainy days.

Campfires.

Card games.

Crabbing trips.

Laughing until your stomach hurts.

Watching everyone’s children grow up and then watching those children start bringing children of their own.

That is the beautiful thing about traditions.

They hold pieces of who we were.

And who we are.

And who we are becoming.

But traditions also change.

People retire.

Kids grow up.

Families shift.

Dogs come and go.

Campers change.

Life happens.

Cancer happens.

Grief happens.

New babies happen.

New adventures happen.

And somehow, the tradition stretches to make room for all of it.

Today, as we sat together on the 4th of July, it felt like one of those moments where you can see the past and the future at the same time.

The years behind us.

The memories we already made.

The people we have loved.

The people we miss.

The chapters that are closing.

The new ones beginning.

That is a lot for one potluck table to hold, but somehow it did.

The 4th of July is about freedom, and today that word felt a little different.

Freedom to begin again.

Freedom to take the trip.

Freedom to chase a dream.

Freedom to start a new chapter after retirement.

Freedom to gather with people you love.

Freedom to laugh, cry, remember, celebrate, and eat way too much food in the same afternoon.

And for me, this year, freedom also means something personal.

Freedom from the daily treatment schedule.

Freedom to be here at the beach instead of sitting in another medical waiting room.

Freedom to sit with my camping family and feel like part of the world again.

Freedom to enjoy a holiday that is not centered around cancer.

Even though cancer still came with me, because apparently it has no manners and does not understand vacation boundaries.

But today, cancer was not the main event.

Today, the main event was people.

Food.

Friendship.

Memories.

Goodbyes.

New beginnings.

And one more 4th of July together at the beach.

I know our group will keep changing.

That is life.

But I am grateful for every year we have had.

Every trip.

Every laugh.

Every shared meal.

Every campfire.

Every person who has been part of this tradition.

And especially today, I am grateful we got this one more 4th together before our friends head out on their next big adventure.

So happy 4th of July from the campground.

From the potluck table.

From the beach.

From our slightly bougie camping setup.

From the people who do not let rain, life changes, or cancer stop the tradition.

Here’s to freedom.

Here’s to friendship.

Here’s to new adventures.

Here’s to old memories.

And here’s to one more beautiful, messy, loud, food-filled 4th of July with the people we love.

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One Badass Day at a Time