This year's fourth of July was quite entertaining.

It started with the fireworks show at Todd's high school. Each year they put on a big show and vendors of good food and children's games fill the running track. 

Only Bonnie and I were able to go this year. We had fun walking around the track and seeing who we knew and deciding what goody we were going to treat ourselves with.  In the end Bonnie chose a frozen banana on a stick dipped in chocolate which was very good (she let me have a bite.)  I ended  up with a chocolate ice cream cone.

After several laps around the track, several of our friends showed up and we sat with them to enjoy the show.

On the actual fourth, Todd and I were going to take the kids down to Lincolnton for their parade and fireworks, but as our neighbors were leaving town they stopped by and offered all of their fireworks that they had stored in a barrel.  Last year at their 4th of July party, a family member brought a huge box of fireworks but due to the downpour of rain they never were fired and have been sitting over there ever since. 

My neighbor offered them to us and, of course, my nine year old sprinted over to his house to retrieve them.  Needless to say, the boys could not wait for their daddy to come home from work so shoot them off.

At some point in my old age, I have become very cautious.  I remember shooting off fireworks as a child but, of course, what we had were these little Black Cats and some chasers.  Oh yeah, and don't forget the smoke bombs and black snakes.  Nothing really major. 

The stuff that my neighbor gave us was nothing of that sort.  I am talking about huge boxes full of 20 to 30 aerial fireworks.  Rockets that look like they can break through the atmosphere.  This stuff was huge.  It was on the same caliber of what we saw the night before at the high school.  Fear of arrest for illegal contraband, grass fires, house fires pierced my conscious.  At one point in our private celebration I went inside so that the boys could have their fun without mom stressing out in the backyard.

The boys, (all three of them) had a blast, but next year I think we will just stick to letting the professionals do it.