Happy 4th of July!!! Ok - 5th of July!!!

Our town collects pop cans from donations to help pay for the annual 4th of July fireworks display. Last year we donated all of our cans, then happened to be out of town when they shot them off. Apparently it's like Trick or Treat night. We celebrate our Independence Day when the mayor announces that we do. So we were gone and missed it.

This year, we never got around to donating our cans. Mainly because Meri was saving them all year to buy herself a laptop which she accomplished. So we didn't get back in the habit after last summer, so we didn't contribute at all to the celebration. Except to clap and cheer with the rest of our town on Saturday night after a wonderful 25 minutes display and finale of fireworks.

On Saturday night, our mayor declared, FIREWORKS! We had a bonfire in the pit and enjoyed some toasted marshmallows with my oldest sister and 4 of her 9 kids. A couple girls were on the trampoline enjoying the display in between in the air summersaults. A couple girls stayed inside and napped on the couch or played on the computer. My hubby and a couple nephews manned the firepit after Tammy and I moved to the deck so we could see the display better.

Robb and the boys played Truth or Dare. At one point during the fireworks, my nephew Thomas came up on the deck and threw a marshmallow at me... No one said a word. I threw it back down over the railing. Another time, I heard them cheering Stephen on as he did a cartwheel in the dark on the grass. We've got 3 dogs... NOT a good idea... But the best dare was when Robb dared Thomas to sneak out under the trampoline and push up on the girls from underneath! One of his sisters knew immediately it was him and started screaming for him to stop. Lots of screams that night! Tammy and I enjoyed the display a lot. It's so nice to enjoy them with someone who appreciates them! And not having someone says, "I'm getting eaten up, let's go in!" or "Is this the finale? Is THIS the finale?" We oohed and aahed at the appropriate times and found we enjoy the same styles and are impressed when there is a heart or a star within a circle one. How do they MAKE those!! As a kid, I remember seeing one shaped like the flag and was VERY impressed that someone could make it do that!Watching with Tammy reminded me of when I was young and we'd climb through the cow pasture across the road from our house to the top of the ridge, so we could watch the display behind the far Woolco store that was about 4 miles away. You had to be careful of animal traps, cow pies and sticker weeds while lugging snacks and lawn chairs but it was so worth it!

At the end of this years display, there was tons of honking in the distance and cheering from all over town. I live in the best town in the world!

I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day!