Independence Day 2021

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On the Wednesday before the 4th, we were invited to attend a church potluck and fireworks display on our mountain. I’m pretty sure this night made the boy’s top ten list for the year, probably top three. They got to shoot off fireworks for the first time and then watch a really fantastic fireworks display up close and personal. Not to mention all the delicious food, as well as getting to play hide and seek and tag and basketball. It was a perfect summer evening.

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I am so thankful for this small town we are a part of. The friends, the kind people we continue to meet, the traditions, it all makes me so grateful.

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On the day of the 4th, we had a fun afternoon tubing down the lower Ocoee with some of our friends. It was a really relaxed float trip, but still lots of fun. I have to take a moment to say that I am so thankful to live in a country that, though imperfect, continues to strive toward its original goal of freedom for everyone. I am grateful for the freedom to worship how we choose and the freedom to spend an afternoon with our friends when co^id still has much of the world locked down. A place where everyone is free to have opinions and to openly disagree with one another. It’s by no means a perfect place, but a place that continues to try to be better on behalf of all.

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After our tubing excursion, we came home and crashed for a bit before meeting up with friends for a neighborhood firework display. Both Chattanooga and our little suburb cancelled official fireworks shows again this year, but even so we still had a great time celebrating with our friends. 

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Our 4th of July parade that our small town puts on was back this year. It’s small and just our community, but we always enjoy it. Fire engines, kids on bikes, local clubs and churches. It’s a sweet way to celebrate the 4th (on the 5th 🤪). Randomly during the parade, Daniel turned around because he thought he recognized a voice behind him. It turned out to be one of his TAs from Tennessee Tech from 19 years ago! They both recognized each other and spent part of the parade catching up. They both work for TVA and had a lot of work things in common. Such a small world!

Our July 4th, 2017

Do you have a favorite holiday? I think Independence Day might be one of mine. It is definitely in my Top Three.

I love seeing the awe in my kid's eyes as they experience fireworks. I love local parades, BBQs, fresh watermelon, corn on the cob, yummy desserts, and time with family and friends. And I like that there doesn't need to be a lot of effort in order to have a fun celebration.

This year July 4th fell in the middle of a rainy spell that didn't feel like it would ever end. The morning of the fourth, the rain wasn't letting up so our local parade was cancelled. We were really looking forward to the parade, so that was a bit disappointing.

Daniel's dad and his wife dropped by for a quick visit while we waited for the sun to come.

By lunch the sun was shining so we went to our annual local Shriner's BBQ to meet up with friends. The kids enjoyed the bouncy house and getting animal balloons without having to deal with a crowd. We also let them ride their bikes for a bit.

After lunch we came home and Daniel worked on car projects and we waited for night to fall. We hadn't made plans with friends (something we typically do) and I didn't want to cook. I figured we would just grab pizza locally, but our pizza place on the mountain was closed.

We called around and realized that pretty much all of our favorite local places were closed for the holiday. It wasn't shaping up to be all that I expected. We finally figured out that Lupi's Pizza was open downtown, so we headed down the mountain for pizza.

While we ate, the sky opened up and there was an absolute downpour. I begin to think we were going to miss fireworks this year (we had skipped the downtown fireworks the previous night because I was dealing with some back pain from our kayaking trip).

Thankfully the rain stopped and we headed home to wait for the sun to set so we could see the fireworks. When we arrived at the high school, there were less people than usual and we didn't run into any friends like we normally do.

Jack and Isaac had fun putting together glow-in-the-dark bracelets and necklaces while the sky darkened. I'm glad we brought our camp chairs because the ground was soaking wet. We even laid down a water-resistant blanket and it sopping wet when we left.

The fireworks started and Isaac was completely mesmerized. Shouting out in awe with each explosion. Jack is five now and thinks he is too big to sit in our laps while we enjoy the show. I was crying a little inside about him not wanting to sit with me (other than for a photo).

Isaac's excitement about the fireworks made the day. It helped wash away the things that had me down – the missed parade, forgetting to make plans ahead of time with friends, Jack's lack of needing his parents. Adulting can be hard sometimes, even on your favorite holidays.

The following night we went to the annual bike parade and ice cream social at our church.

We enjoyed lots of homemade ice cream and visiting with friends before letting the kids loose in the parking lot.

Our boys had a grand time pedaling around the parking lot, burning off their sugar rush from too much ice cream. I think they had a great July 4th (kayaking on Monday, fireworks on Tuesday, bike parade and ice cream on Wednesday) even if it wasn't exactly what I hoped for.