I don't know if I was feeling overly sentimental or what just before we left Texas, but whatever the cause, I  purchased two Texas Flag folding chairs for our balcony (ours look slightly different than the one pictured right).  The moment those chairs came out of the truck, our son ran up the 1.5 flights of stairs to the condo and placed them on the balcony.

Well, as we all know, Tuesday was Independence Day.   A guy Erik works with told him about a great spot from which to catch the fireworks display.  So, we loaded up our chairs (six of them total), some dinner, drinks and blankets.  I didn't feel we needed blankets but the kids suggested that we might get cold.  I laughed thinking, "um, it's like July - we'll likely be sweating", but I said they could take their blankets nonetheless.  We arrived on the grassy hill just before dark.  A pleasant breeze caught our hair and waved it about.  The freshly mowed lawn brought back memories from childhood of those summer evenings playing with the neighborhood kids.  Our kids ran around playing with some other children (apparently this was a well-known spot lol).  We proudly set up our Texas Chairs and got a few looks.

Once it was as dark as it would likely get, Erik had the kids come take a seat.  By this time, the nice breeze actually had a bit of a nip to it and I began to think blankets weren't such a crazy notion after all.  All bundled, the kids waited patiently.  Just as we were beginning to think we were in the wrong spot, the first rocket flew into the air and with a loud bang, the show began.  The crowed cheered!  "I see one, I see one," Jewel (2) shouted with each burst of color.  The children oo'ed and ah'ed.  "That's my favorite," chimed Kate (6).  "Oh did you see that one - it was huge," exclaimed Lee (8).  "Are they on fire Daddy," asked Ann (almost 4).  Behind us I heard a child ask when the "grand finale" was, I smiled remembering asking the same thing as a kid.

Then, with a rapid series of pops, bangs, bursts and smoke, the show ended.  The crowd cheered again, a few yelled "Happy Birthday America" and we began to disperse.  The walk back to the van was pleasant.  "This was a good idea," I smiled to my husband (who beamed at the praise).  In the end, it mattered not whether we were Texans or Kansans or whatever, we were Americans sharing a glorious moment in time with other Americans.