Favorite Things Friday

4th of July FIREWORKS!!!!

Every year that we are in town, our family makes our way to Crockett Park every Independence Day, to join most of Brentwood in a day of blankets on the lawn with a bucket of Fried Chicken, watching the kids run around, tossing the football, and dancing to the tunes the local band is playing before holding our breath, as we sit in awe watching the most glorious display of brilliant color and design in the sky above.

You can’t help but tear up as you are reminded through the load “Booms”, and aftermath of smoke of what generations before us went through to fight for the many freedoms that we experience in our blessed country everyday. It reminds me of the freedom we are still fighting for. It reminds that Freedom comes with a price. “If there is no struggle, there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom, and deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning.“ Frederick Douglass

I love all of our memories from 4th of July pasts: As kids - bottle rocket wars in the street (I don’t recommend)…days at the Lake… days on the Beach in Florida with Ken’s parents and family… Ken’s Aunt Nancy & Uncle Steve joined us one year here…we joined them one year in Florida…evenings on my parents deck that sits on a hill and overlooks Nashville, and Brentwood, where you can see several displays at once… on the lake with Mom and Dad Johnson in the mountains in NC when we rented a pontoon boat and found a 40 ft. rope swing… at the Batizys lake house in SC after an entire day on the water, then watching all of my 50-something, Doctor Uncles lighting fireworks - acting younger than the 6-year olds watching with caution…so many memories!

If you are in town, come join us at the ball field at Crockett Park! Also, we always have a “5th of July” Cookout at our house where we shoot off 1/2 price fireworks that we scour the stands the next day for! Come to our house Saturday night for a burger, and to watch the “boy-men” blow things up - send me an email if you want to come! It’s at 5:30!

Have fun creating your own memories today!

Happy Independence Day!

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” Ronald Reagan

“It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either of them. “Mark Twain

“My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!” ~Thomas Jefferson