Celebrating Independence

I think our country's independence is too important to try to celebrate in just one day, which is why I really liked the 4th of July falling on a Sunday this year. It felt like we had the whole weekend to celebrate instead of trying to cram everything into just one day. We did much more to celebrate the holiday this year than we have in years past--probably due to the fact that there was a whole weekend to do things.
 I tried to play a lot of patriotic music--Boston Pop's "America the Beautiful" CD is one of my favorites, and the kids and I had a lot of fun making flags (like the one in the picture above) and marching around to "Stars and Stripes Forever."
The highlight of the weekend for Eliana and Seth was receiving an invitation from a friend of ours who was hosting a special 4th of July celebration for several Preschoolers and Kindergardeners. The kids had a wonderful time hearing patriotich stories and songs, doing crafts and games, and discovering sparklers!
Another special event that Chris and I always look forward to is the annual 4th of July gathering with a group of friends that we used to hang out with before we all had spouses and children. We usually only manage to see these people once or twice a year, but it is always a lot of fun to reconnect, catch up, and feel old together as we exclaim over how much everyone's kids have grown up since the last time we saw them.
But the real highlight of the weekend for me was getting a date night with my husband. On Friday night, Chris surprised me by announcing that he was taking me to the Orchestra the next evening! The music was fabulous: the all-American patriotic anthems as well as some less traditional pieces thrown into the mix. And the real treat was hearing Gospel artist Robert Robinson sing "Battle Hymn of the Republic." Jaw-dropping and Riveting are two words that well describe his performance. I think the whole audience was on the edge of their seats, just waiting to jump up in applause at the end of the song. He had a voice and style that made me want to fly out of my seat and yell, "WOOHOO!" But, being the quiet and conservative person I am, I restrained myself so as not to cause embarassment to myself and my sweetheart sitting next to me. The whole event was excellent and the time with my husband all to myself was much treasured--a very special way indeed to spend a holiday weekend!