Friday Fun Day My Turn... And A Giveaway Of Course.

Friday, July 1, 2011
Hi Everyone,

Above is my project for The Quilted Fish's Creative Consultant Team this time around... Sweet Liberty Table Runner. It is super fast and easy and I know you can have it whipped up on time for Monday with ease.

The Giveaway this week will make you the envy of your friends. I am giving away a Fat Eighth Pack of Little Apples. I got this and another pack (you get to see that next week) in the mail as samples this week. The actual stuff doesn't come for a month or so yet.

The Rules:

Leave one comment telling me your favorite 4th of July memory. If you are outside of the US then tell me your favorite holiday story of any kind.

This is open until next Friday July 8 as usual.

The newsletter went out last night (I messed up one of the pictures...oops) people seem to like it anyway :)
150 comments on "Friday Fun Day My Turn... And A Giveaway Of Course."
  1. Wow what a fabulous giveaway! Thanks!

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  2. We used to go to fireworks at my Aunts house. They had them in a stadium where they held contests for the adults and the kids before the fireworks. The prizes were watermelons. I remember one year our race for the girls in my age group was running on your hands and feet.. I WON!! YAY! Let's hope I win again :)

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  3. My favorite 4th of July memory was last year when my husband and I went to St. Louis and sat on the steps under the arch to watch the fireworks.

    Thanks for the giveaway! I'm brand new to the sewing world and I love all the fabrics available - the possibilities are endless it seems!

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  4. I love the little flag runner!!! My favorite memory would have to be of going to see the huge fireworks show with my aunt and uncle when I was little. They belonged to a country club and it always had the best party on the 4th.

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  5. I'm in Caada so it's Canada Day here today! :) My favourite memory would be the first time I went to see the fireworks as a teenager at Disney! Pretty cool stuff!! :)

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  6. My favorite memory is going to date me because this no longer happens today (or hasn't recently). Anyway, it's being on the beach right on the edge of the water with family at dusk setting off fireworks. Best memory ever!

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  7. We spend every year with my youngest daughter and her family. They have four children, the oldest a girl now almost 19, then three little boys 8, 5, and 3. Plus her husband's sister lives with them and has a 2 year old son. They love the fireworks, we buy lots of fountains and set them up in the street to watch. Can't be more fun watching it unless it is watching their little faces.

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  8. That table runner....so stinkin cute =D And the fabric giveaway....*drool*
    You are too sweet!!

    A couple of years ago my husband and I went down to the river to watch the fireworks. They light them off of barges here in Pittsburgh. They were so pretty!!

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  9. My favorite 4th of July memory was last year. NASA Houston had a Force on the 4th event with Star Wars and we went as a family. We all wore matching Old Navy flag shirts and had a blast. My husband is a big nerd and my daughter had a blast too. Someone gave lightsaber lessons and there was a group that did martial arts tricks. Very fun! After I got the pictures back, I decoupaged them on a TV tray so we can always remember it.

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  10. I remember 4th of July parties at friends of my parents, a different house each year, lots of running around with other children.
    This year I'm having a friend over and we will talk quilting, fabric and more.
    Your giveaway, as always, is lovely. The fabrics would add a spark to my older dull fabrics. Thanks!

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  11. My favourite holiday memory is when I was about seven and on holiday in Somerset. I started to suffer with hayfever - it was really bad and I spent a lot of time laid on my bed with a damp flannel over my eyes. Suddenly the sky turned black and there was a huge thunder storm - the pelting rain cleared the pollen and as all the other children were running inside I ran towards the playground swings! Thank goodness for antihistamines ;o) Thanks for the giveaway!

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  12. My favorite holiday is while I was at the beach. I like playing with the sand and making sandcastles. But the best thing is it rained after that, while I was still playing. I get to feel the rain on my cheeks and everywhere actually and we don't have to go into the shelter as we are already all wet through.

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  13. When I was 11, we moved to California for several months because my Dad was in the military. On July 4th that year, we went to several attractions and wound up in Barstow. I remember the fireworks and the pictures my Dad took of them. I believe that was the first time I'd ever seen a fireworks display and it was wonderful!

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  14. I spent 35+ years in Alaska, raised three children there and we never enjoyed fireworks on the 4th of July - it was too light. The big thing up there was the midnight baseball games.

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  15. Oh my goodness!!! Holding my breath for this one!!! :)

    My favorite memory about the 4th of July is wrapped around my daddy! He was a jolly fella who really liked to entertain folks, so he would get a little carried away buying fireworks. Our home and one other in our neighborhood would have a competition....it got pretty intense some years! ;) I remember the pop bottles all lined up and everyone timing themselves to light theirs all at once for the finale! Lots of fun! (and clean up the next morning! lol!)

    Thanks for another amazing giveaway! And love your table runner project!

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  16. Not got a 4th July memory, how about a 1st July memory..... I got married!!

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  17. Just had to stop by and say again how cute your project is and can't wait to see the Little Apples fabric line!!
    Love fireworks over the water - either a lake or the Pudget Sound!
    Happy 4th of July!!

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  18. My favorite memory is fireworks in Moab Utah. The town is surrounded by canyons, and they set the fireworks off of one cliff over the town. any spot from town can see them perfectly. BUT the best part, was the HUGE boom sound and the echoing from the canyons. It really gave me and my mom chills as we realized those booms were like the sounds of canons firing to give us freedom.

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  19. During my college years I spent one Fourth of July in Washington D.C on the plaza. There were concerts, picnics and of course fireworks and TONS of people. What could be more appropriate for the fourth than to be in DC? Probably it would be too crazy for me now, but something worth doing once.

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  20. I love that table runner! and of course the Moda Apple pack! mmmmm!!!
    My favorite memory for the 4th is when me and my husband just started dating.(high school sweeties and been married for 27 years!) It wasn't really funny at the time but we laugh now about it..He was lighting some fireworks and one wouldn't light.Well...it was and he didn't know it and he bent down to light again and it went off in his face..he didn't get burned really but his eyebrows and eyelashes were gone! I guess he closed his eyes just as it went off..thank goodness.But we laugh alot about that one..and word to the kiddies..and grown men..be safe!!! = p

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  21. I loved when our whole neighborhood would get together and spend the entire day together with BBQ's and fireworks

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  22. My favorite 4th of July memory was at my aunt's house. She has 4 boys so needless to say come firework time it can be a free for all but they mean well. Plus watching them is the best comic relief of the summer.

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  23. Love little apples!

    My favorite 4th of July memory is going to the fireworks with my cousins as kids. My cousin Jacy's birthday is the 4th and my aunt and mom told us that they were going to write her name with the fireworks in the sky that night, so the three of us would spend the evening staring at the fireworks trying to see "Jacy" written out! We never did, although my mom and aunt always assured us that it was definitely there ;)

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  24. My favorite 4th of July memory has to do with fireworks too. I lived in the avenues of Salt Lake City growing up. On the 4th we would walk up to a children's hospital half a block away, and sit on the lawn. We could see the entire Salt Lake Valley and we would watch the fireworks. There would be as many as 5 different shows but the ones at the baseball stadium were the biggest and closest. If we got bored we would roll down the hill or start freeze tag or other wild games. It was marvelous.

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  25. One of my favorite 4th of July celebrations was a few years ago when our DS had about a half dozen of his college friends down for the weekend. It was wall-to-wall people, but we had such a great time! I love having a houseful of family and friends!

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  26. LOVE the prize! When I was a teenager I loved running around the neighborhood watching all of the fireworks shows with my friends! We also did sparklers in someone's driveway that Fourth, and watched the big fireworks show from our deck. So much fun!

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  27. My favorite 4th of July memories are of going down to the lakefront of Lake Michigan and watching them shoot the fireworks off by the marina. So beautiful over the water! And of course being little and using sparklers! Thanks for the chance to win such a fabulous giveaway!

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  28. I don't know that this is really my FAVORITE Fourth of July memory, but it's always a memory that comes to the forefront when the 4th of July rolls around. When I was about 12 years old, my younger brother (he was 9 years old) was lighting firecrakers and throwing them in the yard. I don't know exactly what happened, but he lit the firecracker, and just simply did.not.thow.it. And it exploded in his hand and we ended up in the Emergency Room. Now he has three kids of his own, and we always hear that story when the Fourth of July rolls around because he's so paranoid about his children lighting firecrackers. So am I.

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  29. Love the table runner. My most memorable 4th was when I was about 12 (?) and we were camping in Ole Forge NY - the firework display at night on the water for over an hour was just spectacular - and a memory I will always keep.

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  30. I live in Singapore but basically from India...My unforgettable holiday was when we went to Bintan, Indonesia.

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  31. I remember as a child sitting on the front porch roof watching the fireworks that were being shot off at the park.

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  32. Ahhhhh what a fabulous giveaway - love this fabric, would love to win some before it comes out! :)

    4th of July... hrm... I don't really like fireworks but all the combined memories from my childhood of cookouts and running around in the backyard and jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler going... good times :)

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  33. I REMEMBER MY SISTER+I WATCHING DAD SHOOT OFF ROMAN CANDLES+THEN WE COULD DO OUR SPARKLERS FOR THE 4TH OF JULY! THEN YUMMY TREATS TO EAT!
    THANKS FOR SHARING!

    jldouglas@wispwest.net

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  34. Hot dogs, watermelon, fireworks and family. Different states, different times, but always fun.

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  35. I can't say that I have a favorite holiday because I like to celebrate them all in each different season. Thanks for the chance!

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  36. Love the runner and love the newsletter.

    My favorite 4th memory is going to DC to see the fireworks in the pouring rain. The rain let up just in time for the fireworks, and then started up again as soon as the show ended. It was a wet, soggy, but wonderful day.

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  37. My favorite 4th memory is the year my best friends Scott and Steve(twints) came from PA with their mom and dad to attend our annual 4th party when I was 18. We spent the whole time playing in the lake and eating great BBQ food.

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  38. My favorite 4th of July memory is swimming at a lake in Northern Wisconsin and the water was actually warm that day.

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  39. Two years ago when my son saw fireworks at home for the first time - think he was 2 1/2.

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  40. SUPER fond memories of going with our neighbors to their local restarant, watching fireworks for the roof of the building, then coming home to go swimming in their pool! great times!
    thanks for a chance julie! i love your flag quilt! im making one too, but it wont be done in time for the 4th!

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  41. oooh=love the giveaway!
    my favorite memory of the 4th is nursing my newborn and watching the fireworks out the hospital window.

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  42. One year, I was probably 16, I was in the Northeast for the 4th of July - and wow do they throw a party! I remember eating lobster out on the lawn, and they even had eels (ick!) We ran around with sparklers until late late late, and drank birch beer, which is kind of like clear root beer. Fireworks over the water to top it all off, along with homemade ice cream. Perfect 4th of July!!

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  43. Last year we stayed up late on the fourth with some dear friends and played games outside while watching the fireworks. It was awesome :)

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  44. My favorite memory was just a few years ago when my mom and step-dad came up for a visit and we packed a picnic and went down to the river to watch the freworks across the water. My not-so-wee-babes were the perfect age, not to young (so that they would be scared), but old enough to have fun playing with sparklers, and still in total awe of the incredible fireworks display (they "wowed" every single one)!

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  45. Well, July 4th is my mom's birthday, so that's the way we always celebrate it! We always have watermelon and desserts, and usually grill out too.

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  46. One of my favorite July 4th memories is sitting on the grass at Citrus College with my friends Gilda & John & their (then) 4 year old daughter, oooohing & aaaaahing at all the fireworks. Nothing like spending time with some of your family-by-choice! :D

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  47. Going to see fireworks at the county fairgrounds where I grew up and burning sparklers with my sister - those old wire ones that you don't find anymore.

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  48. My favorite memory of a 4th of July has to be this one:
    Couple of years ago, during one of hundred visits to Cleveland Clinic trying to find out why I was so clumpsy, falling al the time, I was diagnosed with ALS. My daughters prepared a surprise family reunion for me, the only problem was that my son was deployed and there was no way of knowing when would he be home... or so I thought.

    My brother (a Marine!) and his family drove from Virginia for the weekend... my mom (she still doesn't know why I am so clumpsy... Thank Goodness), flew in from Florida.

    On the 4th, with the grill going and all my loved ones around me, my heart was sad as I could see my son, so far away, in harms way. I feared I would never see him again... the fear didn't last long though... he made it back a week before the 4th and his CO ordered him to "get your arse home to your mom... that's an order!"
    All my family chipped in money for a last minute (and horribly expensive 4th of July flight).
    I was attempting to flip burgers on the grill when he, standing behind me, said "Happy 4th of July mom... I love you"
    I can't remember much after that, except that it was, by far, the best 4th of July of my life.

    Sandy

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  49. On the 4th of July I love to watch fireworks with my kids, listening to the ooohhhh aaahhhhh makes me laugh. Your table runner is very cute, will have to give it a try. Thanks

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  50. As a kid, we would decorate our bikes for a neighborhood parade.

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  51. My favorite 4th of July memories are of picnics with my parents, my aunt and uncle and my grandparents every year!

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  52. My favorite memory was when I was younger and my Uncle bought tons of fireworks (and I mean the big cool ones) for the kids. We watched as they popped them and it was a great night.

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  53. I'm in the UK so no 4th of july celebrations!
    As a child November 5th was always my favourite as I loved (still do!!) fireworks!

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  54. My favorite 4th of July was when my girls were young and just experiencing sparklers. The wonderment in their eyes as they held the first one was priceless. Thanks for the opportunity to enter another one of your great giveaways!!

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  55. Growing up my family always went to the same friend's house for the 4th of July picnic. They had a great view of the fireworks from their back yard! For many years we spent the holiday there, until their pine trees grew too tall and obstructed the view, LOL.

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  56. My favorite 4th memory is picnics at my parents farm-all the relatives would be there, kids would climb trees and play games, food was abundant, and fireflies at night.

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  57. When we would ride to the fireworks in the back of my uncle's pick-up. What excitement!

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  58. Ooooh, another cool giveaway. You are sooooo generous!

    One of my favorite memories is watching fireworks with my parents, sister and grandma just a few years ago by the river where my grandma used to live. I had never seen them so close up before and it was so nice to spend that evening together as a family. She lives closer now, so maybe we'll watch them again together this year.

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  59. Great giveaway prize! My fav memory is when we used to go out in the boat and watch the fireworks when I was a child

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  60. My favorite memory still happens every year, a small town parade led my the fire trucks with sirens blaring. Little kids catching candy and beads, soldiers marching. The whole town is there. Wonderful.

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  61. Love your table runner! My favorite memories are going to the fireworks in the field at the elementary school in my neighborhood. It was always a fun night! Thanks for a chance at your awesome giveaway. :)

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  62. Favourite Holiday Memory is going camping in the summer holidays with my dad. We used to rough it big time. Tents, campfire, great food and damper made in the fire.

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  63. Playing with sparklers with my cousins was so fun!!

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  64. My favorite memory of the 4th was a recurrent memory. My family used go the beach every fourth of July, and my brother and I would sit on our parents laps and watch fireworks over the ocean. Seeing the double fireworks was always amazing!

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  65. Happy 4th of July from Down Under! I love your table runner. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  66. My favorite memory is when I was around 10, we went to the local fireworks show and we got the perfect spot to lay back on the hill and see all the fireworks. No ducking to see around tree limbs, no buildings in the way, the perfect view!

    Sandy A

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  67. I have lots of memories of taking in the fireworks with friends and family :)

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  68. My favorite is watching fireworks with my Dad, sitting on the ground between his feet and putting his knees on my ears, so I could enjoy the fireworks without hearing all the loud noise.

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  69. I had a great Canada Day today. Two of my DDs and my two grandkids came out - returning to their roots of Canada Day in a small town. Parade, food, games and spending time with other people in town. We don't have fireworks because it doesn't get dark, but I hear they are having a movie in the pool tonight. I might has to go check it out.

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  70. I remember going to see Fireworks at a local department store, Hills, with my parents. The fireworks always seem so big and amazing when you're a kid!

    Thanks for a lovely giveaway!

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  71. My favorite 4th of July was when I was thirteen because my cousin had a family reunion at the park and I met cousins I didn't know, had a great time with water balloon fights and then at night we laid blankets out and watched the amazing fireworks display. Of course there was a ton of food to die for!
    esterling1923 at gmail dot com

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  72. The bicentennial festival in NYC in 1976 - the tall ships, the music, the food, the festivities, and, of course, the fireworks that night. VermontPines@aol.com

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  73. My favorite 4th of July was going to a huge Parade in Provo, Utah. We would shoot cap guns and light snakes. (Not the real ones, mind you.) We would have a great lunch and then wait for the fireworks on the front lawn of my grandmothers home! Good times!

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  74. Hi, I am a kiwi, so we don't celebrate the 4th of July but in November we celebrate Guy Fox, when we have fireworks. My greatest memory of this is watching my son (aged 4) holding a sparkler and the wonder in his eyes! Then holding his hands over his ears because the fireworks were so loud but he didn't want to miss out!!
    Michelle

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  75. Maybe when I was pregnant with my daughter and my son was 4. We watch fireworks at Townlake in Austin.

    They were indeed beautiful.

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  76. I don't think I really have a favorite 4th of July memory. But I always look forward to chomping into nice cold watermelon and handfuls of cherries.

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  77. Thanks for the great giveaways...
    Well, I do not celebrate 4th of July in our country. I checked back this year calendar as well as past years.. It's all fall in my working day. So, I am working on 4th of July for 3 years continuously...

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  78. My ex-boyfriend owns a large farm. we would sit outside and just look out over the horizon; there was usually about 7 or 8 fireworks shows going on at once. It was truly amazing!

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  79. I think my favourite holiday memory is from a school holiday a couple of years ago when I took the boys to the Antarctic Centre here in Christchurch and we all went on the Haglund ride. The look on youngest lad's face was priceless; he didn't want to get off. In the end we went on it 3 times.

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  80. My favorite 4th of July memory is watching my dad light the fireworks in the parking lot for all the neighborhood kids. There would be several cones of bright colors, snakes, twisters, a smokey cloud of haze in the air and lots and lots of sparklers!

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  81. There seem to be quite a few New Zealanders posting comments :-). As they've all said we don't celebrate here .... we do however love our English Heritage so celebrate lots of "British" Holidays like Guy Fawkes (celebrating the failed attempt t0 blow up the British Houses of Parliament) and Queen's Birthday. i think the worst thing about holidays in NZ is that we have no holidays through winter (between the 1st monday of June and 3rd Monday of October).

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  82. We of course liked the newsletter! thank you for taking the time - love the tutuorials. Be still my heart... little apples! thanks for counting me in - my family always gets together for a bike ride, picnic, baseball game and then the fireworks! Have a great day! thank you!

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  83. My favorite memory is the birth of my son who is turning 28 this 4th of July.

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  84. My favorite holiday memory was of New Years Eve 1990. My son was born! He will 21 this year and is getting married this month. Also, he recently had the most beautiful baby girl ever!!!

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  85. My favorite memory is taking my oldest to see the fireworks. We were all sitting in a friend's back yard talking and having fun. When the fireworks began, my daughter went hysterical (she was so frightened). I had never even considered the fact that she would not know what they were. After a lot of coaxing, she realized there was no real harm and then loved looking up and seeing the fireworks (never leaving my side or letting go of my arm).

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  86. My favorite memory would be the summer when I was 12. I was able to attend a REAL 4th of July celebration (paid exhibit) with my cousins. We laid in the grass on quilts and looked up at the stars and the fireworks and talked of the all the possibilities of life as we grow up. I still think of it almost 50 years later!

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  87. When I was growing up we would shoot off fireworks in front of our house, and one year my brother chose a tank-type that my father lit for him. Somehow this tank ended up aimed at Dad and it drove right up his leg! I still remember Dad hopping & hollering & trying to get it out of his jeans, and thinking how funny it was to see my normally strict and serious father moving so quickly. He was fine and came back up to the house laughing about having a target on his pants. Dad's gone now, but that memory will always be with me.

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  88. Very nice giveaway. I'll be spending the holiday with family. Barbeque with son/dil and daughter/sil and granddaughter. We're cooking out and just enjoying time together. Thanks!

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  89. I'm not sure it was my favorite for the dog part of the memory.

    Every year one of our neighbors (who was an old family friend) would host a big barbecue. All the families that had kids in my suburban track came, along with a lot of families that didn't. So, basically I could to hang out with all of my friends, run around, swim (they had a pool) and eat way more food than I probably should have. (The mom was a great cook.)
    Anyway, the dad and the older boys used to get fireworks (somewhere on a family road trip down south, as they were illegal in NY). This one year, when they set them off by the pool (always a clandestine affair as the cops would patrol the area following the sounds of fireworks), the family dog (who everyone thought was locked in the house) grabbed a lit one and ran. What followed was mass hysteria as the dad tried to lure it away from the dog, children screamed, parents tried to decide quickly what to do with the now screaming children....luckily, the dad got the firework away from the dog before it exploded and threw it in the pool. I don't think they ever had fireworks again after that at their Fourth of July BBQs.

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  90. My favorite member is of our Canada Day which is July 1. We had a big barbecue for the whole neighborhood,friends and family with games,and hot dogs and all good things to eat. Then we piled all the kids into back of pickup and went a couple of block to a big fireworks display. What a great day ,I miss those things now.

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  91. July 1st is a big holiday here when all of our families gather for the parade in town then the barbecue, then take children big and small to fair grounds and then at dusk, we all watch the fireworks. great fun and beautiful weather. thanks for the chance to win..lindacrosby(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  92. that is so super cute my friend

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  93. My husband loves fireworks, so we attend at least one show to celebrate July 4th. Many years, neighboring towns have had them on different days so we have seen multiple shows. My favorite memory is the Bicentennial celebration of 1976. We moved into our first house that weekend and managed to drag ourselves to the fireworks that night even though we were exhausted. It was a great show and at the end, the crowd started to sing "God Bless America." We haven't missed the show since, but that spontaneous outburst of song has never happened again.

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  94. Awesome giveaway! My fav memory of July Fourth is from the last few years. We belong to the historical society in our tiny town, and we gather at a house built in 1856 and watch local fireworks. But before the fireworks, we toast our Revolutionary War ancestors by name...it is good to say their names out loud and remember them - they did so much for all of us!
    Thanks for the chance to win!
    Jacque in SC
    quiltnsrep(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  95. Love the giveaway!

    My favorite memory of the 4th of July has to be sitting in a boat in the middle of the lake watching the fireworks.

    Or maybe the big family reunions we had with my father's side of the family.

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  96. This is just memorable to our family. Two years ago, we took 4 grandchildren to Dollywood for a few days. We spent Canada Day (July 1) in Dollywood and walked around all day with our flags, then we drove back a few days later and celebrated July 4th back in Canada. My grandson still thinks that was very funny!

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  97. I know most people will be saying fireworks, but truly, my best 4th of July memory is the one time I spent it in Washington D.C. The celebrations were awesome and the fireworks are genuinely the best I have ever seen! Such a great light show!

    Great giveaway, thanks!

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  98. My favorite holiday memory of Independence Day was the first year we lived here on the lake, took our pontoon out to the middle with friends and watched fireworks coming from every side. Everyone kept saying "look at those" and "look over there" so it seemed we were turning in circles for the entire time! So much fun!

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  99. Last year we went up to a friend's house in Arnold. It was a lot of fun we went to a pancake breakfast and watched a cute parade. The rest of the weekend was spent sitting around and stitching.

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  100. My favorite memory is of going to see the fireworks at Shore Front Park on Ling Island. Everyone went there, we all played at the park and then sat on blankets to watch the fireworks.

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  101. Walking home from the fireworks display in the dark on the 4th of July. There were so many people there to celebrate that the crowd surrounded me all the way home (even on the bike path through the woods). It was like that every year since I was about six, and I loved it. I knew where home was, and I was allowed to go by myself. It was great!

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  102. I'm in the UK so no 4th July story here, I love holidays, camping by the beach and no rain please! Thanks for the chance to win

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  103. I grew up in Southern California, and we used to set off fireworks in the street in front of our house. We'd set up a ladder, put the fireworks on them, and retreat to the safety of the front lawn to watch them blaze. The great part was that all of our neighbors did the same thing, so it was like a huge celebration, shared by everyone on our block (which sometimes felt like our whole world). My aunt and cousin lived on the same street, which made it even more special. I think about those celebrations every 4th of July. I've had Independence Days that were more fancy, but never more fun.

    wordygirl at earthlink dot net

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  104. I guess my favorite 4th of July would be my very first one. 14 years ago I was taken to Bremerton for a suprise relaxing weekend and got to watch 3 different firework displays with my new hun, we just spent our 14 the one together today.

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  105. I remember sitting on the front porch with my brother - we sat and lit about a million little firecrackers and threw them in the yard. My Dad woke us up early the next morning to clean the yard - it looked like it had snowed.

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  106. My family would go to Green Lake near Spicer, MN every July 4th. We'd bring a cold chicken picnic for supper, and spend the early evening swimming. Then we'd find a good spot on the beach to watch the fireworks. I have wonderful memories of it!

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  107. My favorite Fourth of July memory was when I took my grandsons to see fireworks for the first time. They were 2 and 3 years old (now 21and 22). After a fun backyard cookout, I bathed them and put them in PJ's. Then, I drove to an area where we could watch the city display of fireworks from the car. They just grow up so fast. *Sigh*

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  108. What a great giveaway... My favorite 4th of July memory is when my kids watch fireworks for the 1st time, their little faces of surprise & exciment is one I will never forget : )

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  109. Great giveaway!! My favorite memory of the 4th of July are actually all of the 4th celebrations as a child. We spent most holidays at my grandparents house. But 4th of July was always the best!! We would begin the day with a cookout, usually hamburgers. I loved the way my granddaddy would make teeny tiny hamburgers served on huge buns :) We would also make homemade ice cream, where you would have to hand turn/crank. As the sun set, we would walk the couple of blocks down to the beach to watch the fireworks that the City "put on" offshore. Wonderful, wonderful memories!!!!

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  110. I have a wonderful July 4th memory of watching fireworks on the beach in New Hampshire... and just had my favourite Canada Day memory this past weekend with a great campout with family and friends! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  111. Great giveaway. My favorite memories of the 4th are when our kids were all home. Oh, the fun they had shooting off fireworks. Now that they are all grown, the holiday is pretty low key for dh and I.

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  112. My favorite Fourth of July was the first summer that I was dating my husband. He invited me to his house where his parents were hosting a big barbecue. We watched the fireworks up on the hill above their house in Burbank, CA.

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  113. That's easy - July 4, 2004! I had an amazing first date with my (now) husband.

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  114. I always loved catching fireflies with the cousins while we waited for the grownups to light the fireworks.

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  115. I live in Portugal so we don't celebrate the 4th of July but we have the National day of Portugal which honors all portuguese that live in Portugal and all over the world. That is my favorite holiday.

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  116. I like to watch the fireworks and listen to the music on PBS' A Capitol Fourth. Otherwise, we relax. I pieced together binding for a quilt top.

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  117. I love making ice cream and eating it with apple pie for the Fourth of July. I love holiday food:) I loved when our children were little and they decorated their bikes and wagons for a Fourth of July parade in the neighborhood. This is a holiday to celebrate!

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  118. My favorite 4th of July memory is the when we let the kids do sparklers for the first time. The amazement in their eyes...every mother's dream.

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  119. Favorite 4th memory would be making smores and having a bonfire with the kids in the backyard.

    Thanks for a fun giveaway!
    Julie
    wjtrout@paulbunyan.net

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  120. The 4th for me is the start of summer and many great family and friend get together.

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  121. Spending time with my husband.. who is finally home from the war! :)

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  122. Before we moved overseas, we all loved the 4th of July fireworks and every year my parents joined us for the fun. (We still celebrate-we now join other American friends for a BBQ-but its held on Saturday! :)

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  123. I think my favorite 4th of July memory is when a bunch of our friends went to a small town in NV called Caliente. A small town's celebrations are just awesome! Thanks for the giveaway!

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  124. This year was our best 4th ever. Friends and family on the patio and a little time in the boat. Laid back and PERFECT. What a cool giveaway. Thanks! :)

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  125. SPARKLERS! I have 2 brothers & 2 sisters. We were quite poor growing up but every 4th of July my Dad would buy a ton of sparklers & we would have a blast twirling & twirling. Thanks for the chance to win some cool fabric.

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  126. I'm outside the US now, but spent a few years in the US and loved the celebrations there. Such good memories of barbecues and summery goodness!

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  127. My daughter and I are going to make your flag runner this weekend. I know we missed the holiday, but it is so pretty, we are doing it anyway!

    My favorite memory is probably when I was in the Navy. I was in a 4th of July paradeclose to my hometown that my grandfather was able to attend. He is a veteran and disabled in a wheelchair. But when we were doing the pass and review, my dad helped him up out of his wheelchair and he stood so proudly. He passed away before I was commissioned, but I know he was proud of me.

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  128. This year was the best. I loved watching my little guys really notice the fireworks for the first time!

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  129. I am Canadian who now lives in NC. This was our first year that we were in the states for a July 4th weekend.

    We went to Geowoodstock (geocaching event) and camping with family.

    It was so much fun watching my son with both sets of grandparents.

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  130. My favorite 4th was the year my fiance and I were on vacation in the Gettysburg area and went to Lititz, PA for one of the oldest celebrations in the states. Great country fair feel, Amish families around, lumenaria lining the creek, and then, when it was time for fireworks, the skies OPENED UP and it just started pouring rain. We got drenched, but had an amazing, and incredibly memorable fourth!

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  131. There were four of us children and my parents would only let us have sparklers and these little black pellets that would turn into a snake when lit. We always loved the 4th of July. I guess we didn't know much about fireworks back then. :-)

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  132. My birthday is July 2, so for the 4th of July week both of my parents were off work because their company closed for vacation that week every year. We always went to Gatlingburg, TN and the Smoky Mountains. So I never spent my birthday at home. One year they arranged for all my cards to show up at the motel where we were staying. As a youngster I was very impressed that folks knew where I was!!

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  133. The 4th of July I will always remember is when hubby went and bought tons of fireworks. All our friends came out to the farm to watch. He had taken a wagon down to the field in front of our house and had all the fireworks on it in boxes. It was going fine until 1 of the young boys helping to light the fireworks dropped alive firecracker into 1 of the large boxes of fireworks and roman candles and big fireworks start shooting up all around them. you could hear the boys yelling duck.1 of the guys had been in Vietnam and he said he thought he was back there for a moment. They all ended up under the wagon.

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  134. My favorite 4th of July moment is a bit tragic and a bit funny. We were visiting my grandparents in Indiana and I was in 5th grade (28 years ago maybe?) My step-dad was in charge of fireworks and after a bit too much can to hand celebrating he decided that lighting individual bottle rockets was no longer fun and a better and faster plan would be to just light them all at once in one bottle and be done with it. Sooooo....he put all the bottle rockets in one bottle. Now...here's where folks in the family differ on the story...I've heard that he put a whole pkg in the bottle, I've heard 11, 16....who knows...but no matter the true number he put enough in there that when he lit them the force of the first few going off knocked the bottle over in the yard. Well, the bottle began spinning in slow motion as the bottle rockets were going off wildly. Family members were screaming and frantically looking for cover. Children were hustled into the garage,cars, the house, behind trees....all the while my step-dad stood out in the yard laughing. Until......the rouge bottle... now half full... spun his direction and began launching the remaining bottle rockets straight at him!! Lets just say they hit their mark a few times....and there is no polite way to say where. Step-dad hit the ground, a few more rockets hit him elsewhere before the troops (his hysterically laughing brothers) could run in to save him. Needless to say fireworks ended there! 911 was called and an ambulance showed up. Step-dad was injured, torn, bruised, and burned... in the nether areas... but recovered quickly. The story now is probably the most often repeated and laughed about story in my family. Maybe we have a sick sense of humor? Anyway, that is my most memorable fourth of July. :-)

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  135. My favorite fourth was when my kids were little. There is nothing like watching them through the eyes of a child. Everything is much more magical through their eyes.

    Debbie

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  136. i've only lived in the US for four 4th July holidays. my favourite so far was my second... my brother-in-law bought a plot of land to build his house on which was situated across the highway from the local fairgrounds. at night we gathered on his house foundation to sit in our camping chairs and watch the fireworks - we had front row seats! he even drove his truck almost into the 'living room' so we could have the radio accompaniment. it was awesome!

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  137. My favorite fourth of July memory is sitting on the beach watching fireworks with family and friends.

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  138. Well, this is kinda dorky, but the 4th of July after I got my first digital camera I was determined to get pics of fireworks. So I surfed the net for days to get tips and tricks. I went out and bought a tripod (which I have used about 3 times since - LOL) and then we went to the local FW show on the lake. I held my breath and crossed my fingers and felt like everyone was staring at me with the big ole tripod and stuff. You know what? My pictures were incredible and I was so inspired to improve all my photography. I also felt like I could do anything for few days there. It really is a great memory for me!

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  139. I think my very first 4th of July with parade and fireworks is my favorite one. As an immigrant I didn't really know what to expect, but loved every moment of it!

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  140. My favorite 4th of July moment happened 36 years ago. I stood at the hospital window with my one day old baby boy in my arms and watched the fireworks at the park across the street. Priceless! This year we celebrated as a family that has now grown to 20 people (4 sons, 8 grandchildren, assorted in-laws and family members)

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  141. Super fun giveaway! :)

    My favorite 4th of July memory was last year, getting to watch the fireworks laying on the beach. It was so cool and they lasted over an hour! Best fireworks I've seen in a long time!

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  142. When I was a kid, my mom would pile us all into the car and take us up to the lake to watch the fireworks and than we would have ice cream afterwards, that is my favorite memory of July 4th.

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  143. My fave 4th of July was last year with my (now) current boyfriend. We were just friends at the time and had known each other for 7 years. We went to Lake Tahoe for the weekend, we watched fireworks on the lake and went swimming on the beach and just had a great time. I believe this weekend was when we both decided we wanted to be more than friends, and we are still happily together now :) It was one of the best weekends ever!

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  144. Sitting on the beach in the dark with my two excited kids in my lap watching a very humble Canada Day fireworks display at our wee lake. All those oooo's and awwww's. It was the first time my kids had seen fireworks and to see them through their eyes was most memorable.

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  145. I love the newsletter - the tutorials are great! Great work, thank you!

    July 4th since having our little ones has been more about sparklers and parades, each year better than the last. I have to admit I get emotional every year we hear our national anthem... so thankful for our servicemen and country!

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  146. My favorite fourth of july memory was my first fourth in san francisco. It was hot down in the south bay and I didnt realize how much colder SF was, so I showed up after an afternoon of swimming in a halter and skirt. As we walked to the fireworks I slowly accumulated more clothes at the various shops, but no one seemed to carry pants. By the end I was wearing a SF sweatshirt, a skirt, neon green socks, and hot pink legwarmers. It was quite a site I am sure!

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  147. I'm in the UK but my brother's birthday is on 4th July so there is always a celebration for us. One particularly memorable year as a child we had a huge family gathering at our grandparents in Scotland. We had a beautifully warm day and a picnic party including Scottish delicacies of Cloutie Dumpling and Black Bun! I think the biggest treat for my brother was having a birthday cake from the baker's shop rather than being made by mum!
    I love Little Apples! Thanks for the chance to win :)

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  148. My favorite 4th of July was the year I lived in Las Vegas. We watched the fireworks all over the city from the top of one of the casinos, and it ended with fireworks right above us! Then we went and played some penny slots :)

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  149. My favorite 4th of July was when we lived in Bakersfield and we slid down the hill in the park on a block of ice.

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  150. My favorite 4th of July was in 1966 when I hooked up with my grade school/high school sweetheart and spent the day and evening with him. It was bittersweet to say the least!!

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