July Happenings

Tim and me and our "cheesey" 10th Anniversary shirts!

I keep thinking that maybe in one more day, I will have time to update my blogs. Every day ends, and I find that I still have not had time to sit down and write something!

We had a very nice 4th of July weekend with family! We were coming off a week of being sick with a summer cold, and I was not sure we were going to make it to be with them, but everyone was feeling relatively well by that Friday. We went into Nashville, and we got our first look at a new condo that my brother and parents went in together and bought. The neatest part about it was that it had a view straight across to the Cumberland River and the Tennessee Titans' football stadium, where they stage Nashville's fireworks show!

Doug and Micah check out the view!

The "Cousins" pose in front of the infamous "Batman Tower!"



The kids tried to scare me to death climbing on these big rocks near the edge of the roof! Here, Micah gets his picture in with the great backdrop!


Sarah and Hannah on the 4th--2008!

And I even managed to get one pic of "Uncle Sam!"

Next year, we likely will not have that wonderful view, as they are building some buildings between the condo and the stadium, so we decided to take advantage of being able to see the show from the air conditioned- condo! It was so pretty! We started out inside, but we quickly moved out on the balcony (and tested its weight limits!) to be able to take in the whole sky! They say that Nashville's fireworks show has grown to be the second largest in the nation, second only to Philadelphia! We felt very privileged to be able to be right there and not have to fight the crowds and traffic we could see below us. This was our daytime and night-time view:


The kids had a great time with their cousins, their Aunt Steph and her sister, their grandma Meme, and Uncle Doug, our host! We grilled hamburgers on the 6th floor balcony and took in the beautiful panoramic view of Nashville! It was a gorgeous day!

We remarked that it was ironic that we could practically spit off the building and hit the area where a direct ancestor of ours, James Robertson, established Nashville down there on the banks of the Cumberland River! Robertson arrived in Tennessee just one year after we became the United States of America, drove his cattle across the frozen Cumberland River, and erected Fort Nashborough right there where these fireworks were going up! Present-day Nashville, and this country, have come a long way since then! 5 generations later, we stood looking at this beautiful show, trying to comprehend the sacrifices so many have made for our freedom. Robertson lost two brothers and two sons defending this piece of land on the Cumberland. So many have given so much to keep this great country free, and some continue to give all. Tim's brother, Kevin, is probably headed back to the Iraq region next year, unless something "gives" before then. These times give us good chances to discuss with the kids how freedom is far from free!

The Grand Finale!