and I thought fireworks were illegal here!

Bob has gone to bed, and I am sitting here alone listening to all the fireworks explode, it is non-stop, some of them are pretty big, no, extremely big...and I thought fireworks were illegal here!  I can tell people are trying to be sneaky, noone is lighting off a bunch all in a row so the police can't find them. 

I remember someone (Mr Yeager) calling the police on my kids when they tried to light fireworks off.  The officer came and told them where they could go to light them off legally, should they have any more they needed to light off.  Off course they denied having any more....

Listening to the fireworks brings back memories of July 4th's gone by and the stress of allowing my kids to light off fireworks.  I love to watch them, and the boys really loved to light them, but I was always afraid one of them was going to blow their fingers off like my cousins neighbor did when we were kids.  Thankfully they all made it to adulthood with all of their fingers intact.  Unfortunately some mom is not going to be so lucky tonight, my heart goes out to her, wherever she is.  The closest our family ever came to that was when we were kids.  My mom and dad had a barbecue and my dad blew a whole in the top of my mom's tupperware caketaker....oops!   That was 4 decades ago.   I also my aunt being drunk and crying and singing that night, I hadn't really seen someone drunk before, so it left an impression....but I digress. 

I love the big fireworks display Lacey has every year on the 3rd of July.  What great planning, everyone is free on the 3rd of July.   It used to be called South Sound Center, now it is Target Center.   I just call it awesome.  They do a really good job and it just warms my heart to see all of the people in our community turn out for a local fireworks show.  I've been doing that since I was a kid, haven't missed many, so when Bob and I went last night, alone on the Fourth of July for the first time since right after we were married and started having kids, there was  flood of memories then also.  We may not have always been the same place on the Fourth, but it hasn't been just the 2 of us together. 

I was planning on going to visit my mom in Allyn and  help her in her icecream shop (Kayaks n Kones) and watch everyone set of their fireworks there on the water but I am not quite recovered enought yet.  Sorry mom, none of my family will be there to set your neighbors yard on fire with fireworks this year. 

It's a strange tradition, blowing things up on the 4th to celebrate the greatness of our country, but it kind of makes sense.  As I sit here I picture people in other countries hearing what I am hearing and NOT knowing that it is just fireworks.  I am so grateful that I live in a free country where I don't have to worry about bombs in my backyard.  When I hear explosions I think fireworks or Fort Lewis practicing, not "where are my kids?"  I am very grateful for those that serve our country and for the sacrifices they and their families make so that I can listen to fireworks and be unafraid.  So tonight I say THANK YOU!!!!!!  seems inadequate, but it's the best I can do and HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY EVERYONE!