Thursday, July 28, 2011

Land of the FREE

Independence Day is one of my favorite celebrations of the year! Something about the patriotism mixed with all the excitement of summer leaves me BURSTING with happiness. I feel such a deep sense of tradition  when I think of this holiday, and am so grateful to have an American heritage.

Jake and I were able to get out of town for the 4th and have some good ol' country fun. We headed up to his parents for the annual festivities in Mink Creek. There was quite a crew staying at the house already - Family, Friends, and few faces that just showed up for the heck of it.

The weekend began with hay hauling, target shooting, and the usual Free Farm entertainment. The party at the park started Saturday morning and was a huge success. We enjoyed a delicious lunch followed by some patriotic music, mechanical bull rides, paint ball, snow cones, and a slip n slide ---
 
 It was nice and warm in the afternoon so I gave the slip-n-slide a try. I was seriously impressed by the speed one could reach on their way down!

Just as we were about to leave the park, Jake got roped into calling out BINGO numbers. He's just that guy - the one who is always willing to help where help is needed. And I sure do LOVE him for it :)  Well, there was a whole table full of prizes up for grabs, so I snatched a Bingo card and joined the game. Jake and the other guy did a great job keeping everyone involved and the time went by pretty quick. But  I began to be a little discouraged when I realized some of the ladies around me had won multiple times and there I was empty handed. Oh well, only a few things left and then we could go.... the little girl next to me got the pink hat she had been wanting, so that made me happy. Only the grand prize left --- and I marked the numbers on my card. The first few numbers called were right there in a straight line on my card, and there was MY BINGO! I won a brand new CampChef dutch oven! Wahoo!  There were some funny comments about the fact that Jake was the one calling numbers and we happened to win the grand prize - but it was all in good fun. Glad we stuck around :)

When we got back to the house, there was a group that had gone out for a horse ride, and then Jake took a group shooting. His .50 cal has made him quite popular these days!  It was a beautiful afternoon - although I had to stay inside when my allergies became too much to handle:
 
 I know, it's a gruesome sight. I apologize that this has been documented in a place so public. But I just have to come to terms with the fact that this is what I look like during the season of pollen.

That night, we enjoyed an outdoor barbeque and some delicious dutch oven potatoes (not cooked in our newly acquired dutch oven, but provided by other members of the clan.) It was long since dark when we finished eating and you know what that means------- FIREWORKS! Jake brought quite a few and another family had a good assortment as well. With all forces combined we put on an awesome show!

Following the show, the adults went inside and the yearly bottle-rocket war commenced. We provided some eye protection, and Jake supervised so that the younger crowd could stay out late and bask in the splendor that is the pyro-battle. A little strange for us to be outsiders rather than participants, but it was awfully fun to watch.

I love that we have the freedom to do these crazy things - To celebrate and show allegiance in any messed up way we choose."When I count my blessings, I thank God I was an American child...."

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