James Family Fifth of July Celebration

My family decided to wait until the Fifth of July to get together to celebrate the Fourth of July this year. This worked out great for Joel and I, as it gave us one day at home after our trip to Arkansas before we had to pack up and head north. Jackie and I had the day off work, so we headed up together earlier in the day. Joel and Chris worked that Friday, so they came up together later in the day. This was my first time crossing the new temporary bridge that replaced the collapsed span of the Skagit River bridge.

Coming up to the bridge. We were a bit nervous to cross a temporary bridge.

Getting closer...

I was suprised to see the temporary bridge was paved. The temporary bridge starts where the shorter side walls begin.

Before we knew it, we were over the bridge. It went so fast. I can't imagine what was like for the cars that fell in.

Everyone gathered at my parent's house in Lynden where we enjoyed some barbeque for dinner and good old quality time with family. Joel and I invited over our friends Mark and Amy Thayer to join us for the show and it was fun to see them again. I brought with me the kickball I had recently purchased and it didn't take much to convience the younger kids to play and they helped me convince the older kids to play too. We split up into teams and it wasn't long before the fun started! I hadn't played in so long and we all had such a good time.

Remember the fire pit you can see here in the lower right hand corner of the image...

We played until it was too dark to see the ball... the winning team cheers!

I told you to remember that fire pit in the first picture because my cousin Dave did an amazing thing. He was out in the center field when I pitched the ball to Joel. Joel had big dreams of a home run kicked to right field, but the ball went left and Dave went for it. He literally dived head first, arms streched out infront of him to catch Joel's ball. Dave caught the ball mid-leap and came crashing down on top of the ledge of the cinderblock fire pit. I watched his body land, bounce, and then come to a stop. There was blood and no movement for a while, but after a minute Dave stood up, ball in hand. It was AMAZING. When Dave commits to something, he gives it his all. After counting his teeth and getting an ice pack, it was back to the game. He even dropped the ice pack at one point to catch another ball! He is a MACHINE!

Once it got dark, it was time to set up our chairs for the fireworks show. Everyone brought over some of thier favorite fireworks (some of us brought a lot of our favorite fireworks) and it makes a pretty big pile. The "firework officals" in the family get all technical about these fireworks. There are tables set up, pipes screwed down to the table, connecting fuses, and an over all plan for the show. I just sit in my camp chair, with one of mom's quilts and my beer to cheer on the guys. Let me tell you, it was a breath-taking show! They did a great job!

Everyone getting settled for the show.

We are ready!

 





Halfway through the show I went to get pictures of the operations side of the event.



 

It was just constant fireworks for about thirty minutes. My cousin who attended the Bellingham Fireworks Show said we blew the city's performance out of the water! Let me tell you, the James Family knows how to celebrate!

If you don't believe me, here some video proof!

We all had such a great time that we just might celebrate the Fifth of July more often!

Hope everyone had a fun and fantastic weekend!