A Bangin' Fourth

We had an adventurous Fourth of July weekend, to say the least.

Not even six hours into our holiday at the lake,  we were all seeing fireworks.  And unfortunately, I'm not talking about the good kind of fireworks.  The little series of unfortunate events got rolling when a pipe busted at our lake house, spewing & gushing water all over the place {and I do mean ALL over the place}.   Next up, the pontoon boat, after unloading it into the water, decided it didn't want to start.  Turns out, the battery had keeled over dead & we needed a new one {and just for the record, yes we did start the boat  prior to dumping it into the water & of course it started up just fine for us then}.  Then the tipping point, the final straw, the last knock came & it sent us running for the hills.   Just minutes before walking out the door to go & see the grand display of fireworks over the lake,  Jared & I simultaneously got whapped with some crazy stomach bug that bound us to the bathroom & subsequently sent us packing up all our stuff & cutting our trip short .

Lovely, eh?

Good thing the story isn't finished there.  Because even with all of the initial bumps & bruises we encountered at the beginning of our weekend, our Fourth of July holiday still turned out to be pretty awesome.

After our adventurous thirty six hours at the lake, we packed up all our stuff: wet bathing suits, damp towels, coolers, bags of snacks, & of course the nasty bug who'd taken over our bodies,  & we made our way home to our own beds.  We spent one day resting & refueling, & then we got up & got on with the show.

Because there was no way we were gonna let a rotten day & a half ruin our entire four day holiday weekend.  Nothing was going to stand in our way of a bangin' {just a little pun intended} Fourth of July.

And bangin' it was.

We watched as Meatball had his first real experience in the lake that we love so much.  He drove the boat like he'd been doing it for years, he swam like the little fish we know he is, he snoozed in my arms while the gentle rocking rythm of the boat lulled him deeper & deeper to sleep, & he ate every single snack in sight.  My boy knows what lake livin' is all about.

We witnessed as our little firecracker  discovered his full fledged passion for fireworks.  I should have known with him being the little "Evel Knievel" that he is, that fireworks were going to be right up his alley.  He had a hay day snapping those little poppers down onto the drive way, & he squealed with delight when Daddyboy would shoot off the loud ones!  

{Jared's face, haha.}

We set up camp on our front drive, we visited with neighbors, & we stuffed ourselves full of the most American food we could get our hands on--hot dogs, s'mores, & bomb pops.  

We proudly dressed in our red, white & blue {yes I color coordinated the whole fam.  I'm cheesy like that} & we counted the blessing that it is to live in the country that we do.  A country that was fought for, a freedom that was paid for, & a home that is guarded & shielded by so many brave men & women still to this day.  It's an honor to be called an American, & I'm thankful for the reminder every year come this time.

And once the evening grew late & the little guy went to bed,  Jared & I tossed a blanket onto the lawn, doused ourselves in bug spray, snuggled up together, & watched the neighborhood sky burst with color in every direction we looked.  And if the showers of fire falling from the sky weren't enough to keep us ooooing & ahhhing, the crystal clear night sky & all of the twinkling stars that lit it up sure did the job.

Now, everyone knows that a fireworks show just isn't complete without a great big grand finale, right?  Well  let me tell you, nothing, not one thing, compares to the grand finale of our Fourth of July weekend.  There I sat on our blanket stretched across the ground, laughing so hysterically it's a wonder I didn't pee my pants, as my husband lit off a firework called  "the strobe light" & proceeded to dance in front of it.  Boy's got moves.  Seriously, some of the stuff he was busting out I'm pretty sure I've NEVER seen before.   You don't get that kind of finale at the big shows.

So the little adventure our weekend plans decided to take us on?  I'm good with  it.

Because those little adventures sure did make for a pretty Bangin' Fourth!