Fourth of July has come and gone....again. I am thankful for a day that has been set aside to remember the cost of the freedoms we enjoy. This year we stayed home....again and were blessed to have Mark off for 4 days. We got to enjoy having our hubby and Daddy with us from Friday before til the Thursday after the holiday. It was WONDERFUL!!!
We had a pitiful little car wash to raise money for the kids, Nathaniel and Ian to be able to attend Jr. Camp. They each made a whole $10!!! They washed their parents' cars and then four other cars of church members. The poor little guys so on the corner for hours, yelling for people to come and get a car wash, but alas, noone ventured our way. Thankfully, the kids were completely relying on the car wash for their funds. They are all going and looking forward to the week away at camp! Justin has been sooooo jazzed that he has been packed for 2 weeks!! He has to keep wearing the same clothes every few days because everything else is ready for camp! LOL
Back to the Fourth. We slept in and then Mark went to work in the fireworks booth that Lighthouse Christian Academy runs every year. The girls and I made salads, fruit, and a flag cake then got ready for the celebration at the church. After Mark came back, showered and took a short nap, we headed to the church at 4:30. I immediately went to work making sure the instruments were set up for our Jazz ensemble and groups that were going to sing.
The celebration started at 5. The church provided the tri-tip sandwiches and members brought the sides and desserts. There were quite a few people who attended and we had a huge tent set up on the parking lot with gigantic "air conditioners" set up to keep us cooled down. It was a HOT day!! The music entertainment started at 6 and we had the Rialto Youth Chorale, Lighthouse Voices, a trio, a duet and the Jazz ensemble who played and sang. Everyone did a great job and I personally had a wonderful time playing the jazzy renditions of classic church songs like Amazing Grace, The Blood, I Feel Jesus, Dance Like David, and other songs. We also had patriotic songs like I Still Do, God Bless America, America, and others.
At dusk, we started the fireworks display. There was a cordoned off section of the parking lot and everyone brought their chairs over to watch as some of the men set off a $500 box of fireworks purchased by the church. After all those were set off, the area was opened to parents and their children to set off their own small fireworks. Justin got to set off around $15 worth and LOVED every second!!
Then, it was over and everyone quickly helped to clean up and put away the tables and chairs, instruments. etc. It was a wonderful day spent with family and friends. By the way, while the celebration was going on, the customers from the fireworks booth were invited to join us. We had several families sit down with us and enjoy the food and fellowship. I hope that they come back and decide to make ILC their church home!!!
Thank God for the men who fought and are still fighting for our freedom. God Bless America, land of the free and the brave!
