A 4th To Remember...

This 4th of July was a very memorable one. Stephanie Janes and I spent part of the day watching episodes of "The Muppet Show." It was a great blast from the past. I remembered several things I liked about this show from when I was a kid. I always loved the Muppets - Sesame Street made sure of that! Steph and I also observed the time-honored 4th of July Nelson tradition of going to a movie matinee. We saw "Kung Fu Panda" and absolutely loved it! That movie is definitely going on my 'to-buy' list.

But the highlight of the day, or evening rather, was hiking up Lone Mountain to watch the fireworks with a bird's-eye view of the valley. It was a pretty good little hike, but the view was entirely worth it! My friends Steph Janes, Tanya Robinson, and Jennifer West came too. It was amazing to see all the fireworks going on all over the valley. It was like little splashes of color popping up here and there. I tried to get some photos, but they didn't turn out too well. I'll post a few anyway...

Stephanie loves to laugh...

Fireworks at Red Rock Casino

Tanya, me and Jen at the top!

Nice view of the Vegas valley.

We took watermelon, popcorn, and some yummy bread to the top with us and had a nice evening 'picnic.' There were quite a few other people up there and someone had even brought a guitar, which was a nice addition to the ambiance.

Thursday night, the 3rd, our Stake had its annual 4th of July Fireside and the Stake Center Choir and Orchestra performed. My favorite part of this annual program is when we sing the Tribute to the Armed Forces - a medley of the various Armed Forces songs. Everyone who served in that specific branch of the military stands up during their song. It's amazing to see just how many men and women willingly give so much of themselves to protect our rights, privileges, and freedoms. I am so grateful for those who serve in the military and who are dedicated to the cause of freedom. What a wonderful 4th of July!