Independence Week

Usually we celebrate Independence DAY...but in our new hometown we celebrate the 4th of July for an entire WEEK.  And what a great week that has been!  The kids and I ventured to Village Park in Kannapolis for a concert by the Charlotte Symphony, and it was fantabulous.  I made the kids get there REALLY early, but we were able to get great seats right upfront.  There were 15,000 people in the park for the concert, and about 14,900 of them were behind us. :D

Not only did we enjoy a good show, but we also learned the value of a symphony playing in the park:  free tickets (that would have normally cost a fortune if we saw the same symphony downtown), and we also got to enjoy a picnic together in the fresh air together.  And as Anna demonstrated in the above video...you can't get your groove on in the symphony hall like you can in the park.  :D

 After the symphony, Kannapolis put on a fantastic fireworks show.

Watching fireworks is cool.  

But watching your kids watch fireworks is priceless...

But of course, anyone who knows Faith, North Carolina knows the Faith 4th of July parade.  It's one of the biggest in the state...actually one of the biggest parades ANYWHERE.  It was awesome!

 The parade lasted TWO HOURS, and there were people as far as the eye could see.  

 John's favorite part of the parade was when the Confederate soldiers actually shot their black powder rifles.  LOUD!

 The Daughters of the Confederacy had a float that showed all the flags that flew over the Confederacy.  Cool piece of history.

 And at the end of the parade, Tim was priveleged to be asked to do the invocation for the 4th of July ceremony. 

Tim was also privileged to be asked to do the prayer for the community choir concert that happened at our church.  Tim and our family felt so welcomed into the Faith community this July 4th.  You shared your celebrations with us, you included us in your festivities, you fed us, and you loved that we were celebrating with you.  The huge patriotism of Faith was one of the first things we heard about this town when we considered coming here...but now we are learning about your huge heart. We love our new community of Faith!

My dream is of a place and a time where America will once again

 be seen as the last best hope of earth. -Abraham Lincoln.