4th of july

amber n lenore
Originally uploaded by stayin' sucka free

this picture is from last year. last year, lenore was with us for the 4th; she got to go to camp with dan's parents. she sang karaoke with a little girl she made friends with, she roasted marshmallows with dan's mom, dad and her new little friend, and she went out on the lake in the boat.

she was sick as hell before and after that, because of her tonsils. this was a brief moment of fun for her, with her friend amber. dan and i went to pick her up at camp with our friend steve, and we spent the afternoon there before heading home.

later in the evening, we watched the fireworks, and had a great time.

the next day, we were in the ER; lenore had a fever of 104 that kept coming and going, and the doctor couldn't pinpoint anything. at this point, her tonsils were so big, they were almost touching her uvula. this would be the fourth doctor to tell dan and i the best remedy would be to remove them, but it wouldn't be til another month later that we were finally able to go through with it (for reasons i am not allowed to disclose).

this fourth of july, lenore was not with us. she didn't get to see fireworks, or go out on the boat, or play with her friends here. she is tonsil-free, which is in a way, a handoff.

i missed lenore, standing with dan on the beach last night. there was a light rain; warm and slow. there were many people standing right on the beach watching the colors appear in the sky. i took in the salty air, listening to the people around me, the ocean waves, and the pop and boom of the fireworks. i looked around and saw silhouettes against the bright flash of color. it was a night that lenore would have enjoyed, despite the weather.

next year, perhaps. until then, i'll remember the fun lenore had on this day with us last year. :)