Ahhh, it’s been a nice, relaxing 5 day vacation. Hope you all had a happy 4th of July. Inspired by this sparkler shield, we came up with a new use for Koozies.
We also celebrated by watching the Charlotte Symphony, at the aptly named Symphony Park, followed by fireworks.
We had great seats right up front. Chad went early, as soon as the gates opened, to secure our spots with a blanket. When he arrived there were a sea of blankets with no visible spots. He kept walking up front, thinking surely there are no spots the closer I get to the stage. To his surprise there was one little grassy spot just big enough for our blanket. Maybe others avoided the spot because of the view of the trash cans. I happened to like the convenience. We didn’t have to walk far to toss our garbage.
The symphony played a patriotic medley throughout the night, along with some dixie land jazz, and some funky 70′s hits. My favorite part was when they played the different armed forces theme music and asked veterans to stand as they played their military branch’s song. I find it touching to watch the pride and honor on the older generations’ faces as they stand in recognition of their service.
It’s also interesting that I, along with a lot of people, know all or at least most of the words to every single patriotic song. Why is that? Did we learn them in school? Did our parents sing them to us? Did I pick it up watching The Lawrence Welk Show at my grandparents house?
Italian ice and popsicles kept us cool in the sweltering heat.
The kids stayed up until 10 which is a rare treat, I realized when my youngest said, “Whoa! We’re outside in the dark!”
We stayed through the first round of fireworks but left a little early to avoid traffic, because my son thought the fireworks were too loud and because we were worried about our dog, Maggie. Maggie has anxiety issues and the 4th of July is her least favorite holiday.
Today, it’s back to business. Gotta love a 2 day work week.
