A Very Happy 4th of July!!

I had so much fun last year having a 4th of July party that I decided that I would host the 2nd Annual 4th of July party this year. The one thing I didn't like last year was that it was inside (I don't really have a "yard", and my deck is tiny!). This year, I decided to try for an outdoor BBQ. After a 20 minute call with about 6 people, I finally found out that I was unable to have the party in the park that I wanted to have it. I decided to have it in the Amsterdamse Bos, which is a really big park that I run at a lot. The biggest difficulty was that the parking area was about a 15 minute walk from where we wanted to have the picnic - we had a TON of stuff to bring in! So, we had to drop all the stuff off as close as we could, then carry it the rest of the way. What a workout!

Okay, I lied. The biggest difficulty was finding ice cubes. I think that people don't use ice cubes here - seriously. I went to two different places, and neither had ice! Now, considering I had about 75 beers that were NOT cold, I was mildly freaking out. I called a few places, and finally found a place that was open. Leslie and Erik were there by that point (and thank god for them - they were a lifesaver!), and so we drove to the place and picked up 6 bags of ice - for 18 euros. Holy smokes! Leslie couldn't hold back - she asked the guy what the heck kind of ice cubes they were for 3 euros a bag. Well, evidently, they were German distilled springwater. Well, thank GOD we had high quality ice cubes for this posh party! ;) I'm just glad we found some!

We got to the park a little later than I was hoping to (ice cube debacle, plus a not so nice encounter where KP's short fuse temper caused her to get into a fight... uh-oh), so the beginning was a little stressful with trying to get everything set up. But, we finally got everything set, and the disposible grills were lit. Ah, yes, the disposible grill. Possibly the best invention ever. Do these things exist in the US? I never had seen one... it's basicially a little tin pan with briquettes inside, some kindling, and some starter blocks. You light it, let the charcoal get hot, grill, then throw the whole thing out. It was genius for this day, because I had so much other stuff to bring home. Can't wait to do it again! :)

Last year, I had everyone bring beer from their own country - this year, I had everyone bring a side dish or dessert. Luckily, I have a bunch of great cooks for friends. Oh, and in case you were wondering, Saturday was not just Independence Day for America, but Independence Day for me as well - from my diet. ;) Never in my life has a beer tasted SO GOOD! :) (and the strawberry shortcake, rice krispie treats, potato salad, etc.)

I realized at the last minute that I had left all of my "play stuff" like frisbees, footballs, etc, back in storage in the US, so I tried to think of some other things to do. Childhood games came to mind, and, yes, all of my friends, willingly, and competitively accepted challenges to the egg race and the 3-legged race. It was SO much fun! :)

There is a Dutch word that doesn't really exist in English - "gezellig" (gutteral gha-zell-igh) It means "cozy", but with people. This day was definitely gezellig, and no one really seemed to want to leave. We stayed until the sun went down (which in N. Europe is close to 11pm right now). What a wonderful 4th of July! The only thing missing was the fireworks, but we had a red, white, and blue sunset, so I'll call it complete! :)

The cake that I made, that my mom always used to make - complete with funfetti frosting (yes, I finally found it, Al - good hiding place!)

Alex getting the disposible BBQ's going

haha - "American food" from the international store

Karyn (one of the three Americans there) & Alex

Erik (one of the other three Americans) & Leslie - without them, there is no way I could have come out of the day sane! They were great!!! :)

Get ready for the international egg race - Greg (France), Kevin (Scotland), Fabio (Italy), Alex (Italy), Claudia (Belgium) - what a mix! Oh, and Claudia won! :)

KP goes for the egg race - I lost!

Nice action shot of the "winner of winners" egg race - everyone wanted to keep doing it! :)

3-legged race with Steven & Anthony in the lead (notice KP with Belinda WAY in the back - I couldn't stop laughing long enough to run!)

A gezellig night

It's Amsterdam! Lots of people just rode their bikes here! Not an option for me with all the stuff!

Good times, good friends! So thankful I met lovely Claudia at RoPa run! She's becoming a very nice friend!

Hope everyone back at home had a fun and safe 4th of July!! All my best!! :)