Fun with friends on the 5th (yes, fifth) of July!

Every year I look forward to the fifth of July, with anticipation which equals that of a small child counting the days before her next birthday. I love the fifth of July in Woodland Park! The best event of the year occurs on the fifth. Symphony Above the Clouds. The Colorado Springs Symphony sets up an outdoor concert on the football field at the middle school. Churches and school booster groups set up food concessions. The United States Arm sends up several cannons and the men and women who operate those huge weapons. Add lights, public bathrooms, trash cans and many, many volunteers and you have the recipe for a lovely evening. Especially on a perfect Colorado day. We had a day like that this year. A high of 85 and expansive blue skies. That afternoon we hosted a barbecue with some friends: the Christensen family, the Billings family, and the missionaries. We ate on the back porch, the kids set up sports in the yard, played in the 'play'house, and jumped on the trampoline. And as the afternoon ended we packed one vehicle with oodles of lawn chairs, blankets, sweatshirts and coolers filled with water, soda and food. Holly drove it to the school while the rest of us walked. We claimed our patch of grass and were glad to be joined by many more friends as the evening went on. The music was great... particularly the medley of military songs. Tradition holds that you stand when they play the song for your branch of the military (both active and veteran). And the 1812 Overture is even more profound when you listen to it beneath a banquet of stars and hear it punctuated with a volley of actual cannon fire. Before the song ends the fireworks begin. The only negative to the start of the fireworks is that it means the fun is near its end. It was a beautiful day! And now the anticipation for next July 5th has begun!

top row: Greg and I, Shay and Alex Christensen, Alex, and Holly and Ron Billings.

middle row: RJ Billings, Tag Billings, Caden Billings, Holly and Tori Billings.

bottom row: Shay, Cary Shyanne, Tiffany and Alex Christensen, the missionaries, Shyanne, and Tag and Riley Billings.