Tag Archives: Coeur d’Alene American Heroes Parade

Independence Day Weekend 2026

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The 2026 Independence Day weekend is now in the books. This year’s holiday brought beautiful weather and a semiquincetennial (happy 250th birthday, America!). With the Fourth of July falling on a Saturday, it meant that many people were given Friday (July 3) off. Sid and I both were afforded this luxury. Here is how we spent our three-day holiday weekend…

Blurry Fourth of July photos are the best photos, right? Let’s take a look at how we spent the Independence Day weekend.

Friday, July 3

We started the Fourth of July weekend off by visiting the Southside Aquatic Center. One of Spokane County’s swimming facilities, it comes complete with water slides, a lazy river, and water structures to climb on. We spent every minute of the three-hour session enjoying the water and sun. With Beau considerably taller this summer than last, he was able to go down the slides for the first time.

Beau excited after going down one of the Southside Aquatic Center water slides. This is the first year he can actually use them.

Later that night, we headed north to a community called Colbert where one of my childhood best friends (John Toguchi) owns some beautiful property. On this particular evening, he offered some Fourth of July magic by hauling out one of those large outdoor screens and showing the 1996 blockbuster “Independence Day.” A popcorn machine was on-site along with soda and candy. Because I had Sloan and Beau, I thought we would catch maybe 45-60 minutes of the movie and then go home. Boy, was I wrong. Sloan was so engaged and mesmerized by the movie that we stayed for the entire 2.5-hour runtime. We didn’t arrive home until 12:30 a.m.

My friend John plays with Sloan and Beau as we await for the sun to go down. You can see the move screen in the distance. Sloan absolutely loved “Independence Day.”

Saturday, July 4

As per our relatively new tradition (three years strong, baby!), we started Independence Day 2026 by driving out to Coeur d’Alene, ID, for the city’s American Heroes Parade. I must say, I think this year’s parade was the most enjoyable one yet as the kids sat relatively still and the patriotism was in abundant supply.

Beau and Sloan pose for a photo at the 2026 Coeur d’Alene American Heroes Parade. It was the third straight year we attended the parade.

Later that day we went over to my parents’ house for their traditional Fourth of July cookout. We played sports, ate steaks, sipped beverages, and celebrated America.

Of course we had to pose for a family photo at my parents’ house. Happy 250th birthday, America!

We then made a return visit out to John’s property for his private fireworks show. He had a setup that would earn him the immediate respect of any professional pyrotechnic. The show was incredible as it was choreographed to music and the fireworks were literally exploding just above our heads. After going to a park the past three years for a public show, this year’s experience just packed more intimacy and a bigger BOOM. As we made the 40-minute drive back home, we watched fireworks light up the sky around us.

Sid and the kids enjoy the fireworks. Sidney would eventually have to take Beau about 10 feet back because the close proximity of the fireworks scared him just a little.

Sunday, July 5

The last day of our Independence Day weekend started with 9 a.m. mass. It was the debut of Fr. Curtis Seidel at St. Mary. The gospel was Jesus’ invitation to follow him and receive rest (Matthew 11:25-30). Fr. Seidel used the passage to reflect on his 12-year priesthood and relate that things have always worked out better when he trusted in the Lord as opposed to tackling projects and assignments by himself.

Not a church photo but it does foreshadow the rest of the day (Sloan would help bake a cake…this is her topping it).

Back at home, I took Beau down to the pickleball court and rallied back-and-forth. It is nice to see Beau’s skills continue to improve. After I finished some yard work, Beau joined me back outside for some front porch sitting as he received some screen time and I read my book.

Beau plays pickleball with me on Sunday. He is becoming a decent player.

Later that evening, the kids helped me bake a pound cake. We then capped the weekend with an outdoor cookout…have I mentioned that the weather was beautiful? 😉

We had a back yard cookout on Sunday night.

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Thank God for this country and a wonderful weekend. I am excited to continue this month of sun and relaxation. Don’t Blink.

American Heroes Thursday Rundown

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We are now in the second half of Thursday Rundowns for 2025. I hope you have enjoyed this year’s posts thus far and if you haven’t—I doubt you will like this one 😉. Alright, let’s get started.

Moving Moment – On Independence Day morning, I took my kids to the Coeur d’Alene American Heroes Parade that is held every Fourth of July. With the parade occurring just five days after the ambush attack on firefighters just outside of town, you figured the community would use the event to honor the two individuals who lost their lives. Did they ever. The parade’s opening was dedicated to John Morrison and Frank Harwood. Two riderless horses representing the lives of Morrison and Harwood led the procession with firetrucks and firefighters following close behind.

Two riderless horses pass from our vantage point at the Coeur d’Alene American Heroes Parade.

Backdrop Photos Back – With the arrival of summer, Sloan and Beau returned to St. Paschal’s Educare, a daycare center we have enrolled our kids at the past few years. Everything from the hours to the food to the values instilled are great, but what I really enjoy are the monthly photos they take of the kids in front of fun backdrops. The classic Fourth of July backdrop from last year returned this week. I always get a kick out of the faces that Beau makes. Thanks, St. Paschal’s!

I love the monthly photos that the staff at St. Paschal’s EduCare take of my kids.

Frozen S’mores – While we are still on the topic of Independence Day, I wanted to tell you about the dessert Sidney made for my parents’ Fourth of July cookout. She brought frozen s’mores to the party! She got the idea from a friend and then replicated them perfectly for Friday. The dessert is refreshing with an interesting frozen texture. Chocolate pudding, marshmallow crème, cream cheese, and cool whip form the layers of goodness stuffed between the two graham crackers. There is still plenty of time to make these for your next summer BBQ so tap here if you want the recipe.

Sidney holding a plate of her s’mores dessert.

$5 Meal Deal – The latest trend is for Fast food restaurants to offer some type of meal for $5. After years of increasing prices and shrinkflation, I think we all deserve it. But the university I work at has actually offered a similar deal way before fast food restaurants embraced it. Earlier this week, I forgot my lunch at home so I went to EWU’s PUB (the student center) for the $5 meal day that is offered daily. For just 20 quarters, I got a cheeseburger, tater tots, and a 24 oz. drink. What a treat!

This was my lunch on Monday…EWU’s $5 meal deal.

Memorable Photo Shoot – On this date in 2016, I wrote about a photo shoot that ended up being worth every penny. While on our honeymoon, the DreamArt Photography rep stationed in our resort sold us on a private photo session to commemorate our time in Cancun. I went back and forth on whether to bite the bullet, but I thought the shoot would ultimately be a timeless souvenir. I am so glad we did it. The photos turned out great at the time and I love them even more now. In fact, I might love them a little too much—one of the photos is still my profile photo (yeah, I should probably change that).

I loved how our honeymoon photos turned out.

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That will do it for now. Please pray for the repose of the soul of Rob Heacock. He died unexpectedly this past weekend. I got to know Rob through my involvement with our St. Mary Knights of Columbus Council and was saddened to hear of his passing. Don’t Blink.