Great Balls of Fire!!!

Flaming ball of fire, originally uploaded by aseveremary.

Every Independence Day, we celebrate with friends from church. Usually we have a big potluck with a bounce house, cotton candy machine and more food than you could imagine. Around 5:30, we pack it up and head over to the local town celebration. Well, this year, our hosts had the nerve to take a family vacation. (We missed you Bernice, Terry and the rest of the clan.)

Those left behind gathered at a lawn just outside the local high school football stadium. The city hosts a great fireworks display and we spend a couple of hours hanging out before the show. It is such a nice, relaxing time. The kids run around like mad. The stadium is close enough so we can get our Kettle Corn fix, the fireworks are spectacular, and for us, it is just a 10 minute walk home.

My camera is new. I don't know an f-stop from an aperture so, although I thought I was being very clever in using the fireworks setting on the camera, I just got streaky pictures. A few ended up being interesting, like this one that I have dubbled "Flaming Ball of Fire." Original, eh?

To see the rest of my fabulous Independence Day photos just click here.

I hope you all had a blast. We sure did.

Lastly, 10 years ago today, my grandma died. Everyone loves their grandma and grandpa, but as I grew up and had more opportunities to talk my grandma about her life and memories, I began to appreciate her more and more. She was something special, I can tell you that. Orphaned at a young age, married at 14, a mother at 15, she had four children by the time she was 21. Nine years later, she had her last child, my Uncle L.T. She married a strong-willed man (understatement) and spent her life moving with him and the family back and forth, mostly between Oklahoma and California. Her life wasn't easy but she enjoyed her family and took solace in her assurance of meeting up with the Lord in heaven.

I have so many memories of her:

• driving an old blue VW bug with the grandkids piled in the back
• her loving to see just what was going on when the police were pulling someone over
• watching soap operas with her
• ice creams at Thrifty
• chocolate gravy (a family legend and story of resourcefulness)
• endless pieces of paper and gum and mints in her purse during church
• girdles and nylons
• almost losing her false teeth on the Pirates ride at Disneyland
• going to the Free Will Baptist youth camp at Camp Seely
• and so many, many more.
  

I love you Grandma. I wish you were here to meet Marley. She's a little pistol and I think you would disapprove and yet adore her all at the same time! I also wish you could see Colin and how he has grown. He is a perfect blend of Paul and me and has a sarcastic sense of humor and love for physical comedy (others, not his own!) You never really got to hear any of Paul's worship music. I think you would really have loved some of his songs. Mostly I wish you were here just so I could spend time with you. My one regret is that I didn't take the time to ask you more about your life and write it down. There is so much of your humor and perspective and just your story--your own story--that I missed and now that chance is gone. I'll have to catch up with you in heaven!

Thomas Louisa Reddick (Tommie Lou)
Born November 22, 1922
Died July 4, 1996