What a fun Independence weekend we had! Saturday afternoon we went for a quick stroll around the Woodland Park 4th of July Celebration, managing to snag a free popcorn and snowcone before the lightning and hail set in.
Afterwards we headed to my parents’ house, where we had planned a cookout before the Cripple Creek fireworks show. But after another hailstorm that was possibly the craziest I’ve ever seen, we decided to stay indoors for the rest of the evening.
After a great morning at church on Sunday, we headed to the Picture Show theater with my parents and brothers. Only $1.50 a person! The adults and Hud-boy saw 17 Again and my little bros and Calla saw Monsters vs. Aliens. I know, this is completely unrelated to the birth of our nation, but it was a great afternoon! 
Word of advice: if you see 17 Again, brace yourself for the return of Matthew Perry at the end. It’s a little painful after watching Zac Efron for an hour and a half. Just sayin’.
Sunday evening we enjoyed the Symphony Above the Clouds in Woodland Park (the “City Above the Clouds“). We had rain for much of the morning and afternoon, but it stopped in time for us to set up our folding chairs on the football field and listen to the CO Springs Philharmonic Orchestra at 8500 feet.
So we didn’t get any pictures of the symphony, but we took lots of pictures of some really cute kiddos!
Toward the end of the performance the fireworks show began, complete with a Howitzer cannon.
I was happy to see our kids enjoying the fireworks, rather than covering their ears and screaming (like I’m told Daniel and I used to do).
Despite the inclement weather, we had a very enjoyable Independence Day weekend. Thank you Lord for the blessing of freedom!
-Abby
