Fireworks Show

Ok, tonight I discovered one thing that I miss about Pennsylvania that I never really thought about before.  Fireworks shows!  Maybe it is not so much that I miss this about Pennsylvania as much as it is that I live in a small town and the next town over while larger is still not that big.  So tonight is the first time we have ever went to the city sponsored fireworks show.  First time in the last 15 years, since we have lived in this area.  We have always had our own out here at Jane’s.  And it was always pretty good for a amatuer show.  Of course we usually spent between $200-300 and that would get us between $400-600 worth of fireworks and here in Missouri you can buy some pretty big stuff to shoot off.  However, this year we decided not to do our own show at all.  Money is an issue for all of us right now.

So we went to town to watch the show.  And while I am glad that I got to see fireworks, I will say that it was kind of a letdown for me.  Here is the rundown of our night

8:14 pm- leave our house in Atlanta
8:36 pm- arrive and park at the Macon Fairgrounds
8:58 pm- 10 minute warning shot fired
9:11 pm- the show starts
9:31 pm- the show is over
9:36 pm- we are exiting the fairgrounds
9:54 pm- we arrive home

So as you can see the time we spent driving to and from town and waiting for the show to begin was longer than the actual show.  The finale of the show here was what typically led up to the finale of the show we usually watched in Pennsylvania.  Oh well, it was kind of nice to just get out!  Even if Micah did sleep through the entire show!

Here are a couple of pictures for you though.

Rachelle and Sarai watching the show

Josh with a piece of firework that hit our van rght behind us

one of my favorite and best shots

Micah earlier in the day being silly

Josh grilling in the rain

random fireworks shot

Happy Independence Day!

Hope you enjoy your Fourth of July with your friends and family!  Be safe while you play (whatever you are doing)!  And remember to thank those men and women who have served and still serve our country today.  Because we all know that freedom is not and has never been free!

Here are some songs/videos to help you celebrate the 4th of July. These are some of my personal favorite USA songs! Enjoy!

Photography Tip

I love to take photos! Of anyone and anything!  Rarely do I leave my house without one of my cameras. Actually I only have one camera, the other belongs to my 9 year old daughter who at a very early age developed her mothers love for photography.  She has said for years now that when she grows up she wants to be a animal photographer!  But that is a bunny trail!  Anyways, although I love taking pictures I am no where near a professional like my sister and brother-in-law or our youth pastors wife.  Check out their websites and see some amazing work.  But I do think I can take pretty good pictures when i set my mind to and decent ones most of the time.  I think this true with the majority of scrappers, we are just amatuers doing what we do best: documenting our families lives.  Our skills in photography are developed over the course of years and often by trail and error.

However, there is one thing or event that I love to take pictures of and try to get great shots of each year and FAIL!  What is that you ask?  Fourth of July FIREWORKS!! I love fireworks but most of my pictures, to put it bluntly, suck! Ocassionally I will get a good one and close to never get a great one!  I have tried a lot of different tips and usually end up with bad pictures still.

So when I found these tips, I thought I would share with you. Go read them and gear up to take some (great) fireworks pictures! And come back and link them to me so I can see your works of art!

Photographing Fireworks

Greatest Father’s Day Gift

Although, I know that my husband loved the gifts that the kids got him. What man, especially one who loves the outdoors as much as Josh, would not love to receive a couple spinner baits, some worms and hooks as a gift?!?!  He did love them.  But on Sunday night, he got the greatest Father’s Day present anyone, especially Josh, could ever ask for.

Daddy, Sarai and Micah examining one of the spinner baits they got him for Fathers Day

He got to baptize his own daughter!

Josh baptizing Sarai

Our church had it’s Baptism at the Lake on Sunday night. There was a great turnout for the picnic and the food was so yummy! There was even a smoked hog for us to enjoy!  But the best and most amazing part of then entire night was that 20 people professed Christ and followed in Believers Baptism! AMEN! And one of them was our daughter, Sarai.

The yummy smoked pig!

About 5 months ago Sarai accepted Jesus Christ as her Savior in Kids Cove Worship (the childrens program at Macon FBC; its amazing!).  Since then we have talked to her about baptism and what it means and why she should do it off and on.  She had never really been excited about it or said “lets do it” so we didn’t push.  Josh didn’t really push her that much either because he was hoping that we would be in our new church and that he would be able to baptize her himself.  But since we are not close to accepting a call yet and they were having this one now, Josh asked her and she said that she would likt to go ahead and be baptize.  So we called the church on Thursday and let them know that she wanted to be inlcuded.  Josh was a little bummed because he didn’t think that he would be able to do the baptism.  In prior discussions with Pastor Tim they had concluded that it would be better if Tim led the baptism and Josh assisted. And Josh was ok with that.  However when they got into the water Sunday night and it was Sarai’s turn, Pastor Tim told Josh to just go ahead and do it.  What a surprise!  Josh was so excited and I cried!  Enjoy the pictures!

Daddy, Sarai and Micah examining one of the spinner baits they got him for Fathers Day

Josh baptizing Sarai

The yummy smoked pig!

Happy Father’s Day

This post is a little tribute to my husband, Josh. He is one of the best father’s I know and I am so thankful that the Lord has allowed our lives to be spent togther and has blessed us with two little miracles in our children.  So Happy Father’s Day Josh! I love you more each day!