4th of July

This year our Fourth of July had a bit of a weak start. We had plans to see the Kingwood firework show with some friends who last minute totally bouged out on us. For their safety we will let them remain nameless, but you know who you are! :) (Disappointment #1)

Regardless, we headed up to Kingwood to watch fireworks as a family. We set up our blankets and chairs as we sat around with treats and enjoyed family time for a couple hours as we anticipated the show. We had heard great things about this particular neighborhood display. The firework show began... and then 12 minutes later (+/- a minute) it ended. No finale (that I could tell), nothin. It was just done. People all around us started folding up camp, but not the Washburns! We were positive it was not over. Maybe there was an intermission?!? :) Nope. Even our kids were let down. It certainly was no Oak Hills firework show! (Disappointment #2).

With three kids in tow and lugging enough crap for 50 others we see a couple of families from church. We realize we were sitting within feet of each other the whole time and did not know it! (disappointment #3) We chatted awhile and then said our goodbyes as we parted our separate ways to our cars.

As we drive home the kids were complaining (okay mostly just Connor) that the show was lame, and he never got to light off any fireworks of his own. The whining/crying got persistently worse as we had to drive past four different firework stands on our route home. Finally, we stopped off at the very last stand before our neighborhood (and break the Sabbath) to buy some firecrackers for the kid.

Before Seth and Connor even made it back to the car I received a text message on my phone from one of those church friends we saw saying (jokingly) something along the lines of, "Did I just see the Washburns walking away from a firework stand with about $100 worth of firecrackers in their hands?" Yes, yes you did. We had been caught red handed! I would like to say disappointment #4 right here, but the probability of them driving by at just the right time to see us with all the other thousand+ people who were a the show that night, in the dark and with all the traffic... it was just SO our luck! I found it quite comical and it was probably the highlight of my night?

We drove back into our neighborhood, where fireworks are not allowed, and worried that we were going to get slapped with a several hundred dollar fine every time we saw a car drive down the street. Lucky for us, both times it happened to be our neighbors who came out and joined us. The adults all sat around and chatted as the kids ran around unsupervised and lit illegal firecrackers until midnight. It turned out to be a great night after all!

God bless America!