The 4th of July!

Just like the past several Saturdays, when the kids woke up, I put in a movie and went back to bed. However, this time, I didn't sleep in as long.

We scheduled an early Quartet practice since it was the 4th, and we knew that we all had things to do and things going on. But we also really needed the practice since we were to sing Sunday evening! Practice went well, and we actually tried to go over each song in the order that we were planning to do the program. We hit a few rough spots, but for the most part, we were satisfied on our practice.

After the guys left, Lydia and I ran to the grocery store with the kids. We tried our best to hurry. But there were many food items that we needed to get. Malachi was so tired, that he fell asleep sitting in the cart. The poor guy had a red mark on his forehead from the cart handle!

Once finished with the shopping, we rushed back to the house to quickly drop off the groceries. Mysia had fallen asleep in the car, so we just left both them in there as we went back and forth between the car and the house. Then it was off to the in-laws!

Lydia's brother Titus was back in the states from his being sent over to Afghanistan. He was able to come home (Springfield) for only a few weeks, so the family decided to have a get together in his honor on the forth! It was figured it would be most fitting, since most of the family is off on the holiday, and it being a Saturday as well.

We spent several hours there. We ate, visited, and let the kids play. There was some rain earlier in the morning, so we was afraid that it would cause us to be inside for the entire activity, but the sun popped out and it was actually a little hot at times! I got the change to listen to some of Titus' stories, and we all got to visit with each other. Since Mysia didn't get much of a nap, she took one during our time there.

Toward the end of our stay, they invited everyone in to present Titus with a gift, and celebrate him being home safe. It was very emotional. He asked us to remember the family of one of his fallen friends that had died in his arms. Here we had the privilege to celebrate Titus's safety, and yet there were other families that would be able to share the joy, as their sons/daughters sacrificed their lives. It was a humbling thought. I'm proud that our men and women would fight for our country, giving their best to be sure us at home are safe.

When we returned home, after picking up the church van, I packed up the sound equipment for Sunday. Malachi was worn out, so he was put to bed. Mysia, however, wanted to watch fireworks, so we decided to see if any were on tv. Sure enough, Macy's had their Forth of July special being broadcast. Mysia was thrilled. So we celebrated our country's freedom together on the couch in front of our flat-screen tv, in the comfort of our air-conditioned home!

~Matt

(pictures taken are on my facebook page)