4th of July-ish

We had a great summer with lots of fun activities! We had the first Rush Reunion with Brett's dad and some of his siblings and all their kids. After being married for 11 years, I have still not met a lot of these people. We sure had fun, though and I have realized that I am surrounded by wonderful, amazing people!

Connor and McKay hamming it up.


McKay serenading one of Brett's pretty cousins, Jessica. He was smitten by this girl from the beginning. After he sang to her he said, "I usually sing for money." She paid him like $1 in change. He was thrilled. I was totally embarrassed.

Kenna in all of her cuteness!

The whole family. This is not the best shot of everyone, but it's the only one we got of us all together. We had a great time!


4th of July HOA Celebration

Every year, our neighborhood HOA does a 4th of July flag raising, a little program and a breakfast. This year, Connor's den was in charge of the flag ceremony. He had the honor of carrying the flag to the other scouts and then helped raise it. It was a great experience for him and his friends.

This year, a good friend from our neighborhood, Master Sergeant Scott Evans also did a flag retirement ceremony. It was amazing. I had never witnessed a flag retirement. It was very spiritual and emotional. I don't think there was a dry eye by the time he was done. We began with the scouts. They had about 10 flags from the neighborhood that were ready to be retired: worn, torn and tattered. So, the first step is to cut them up. Yes, cut the flags. It was hard to do, even to a tattered flag. First you separate the stars from the stripes. Then you separate the red stripes from the white. Here are some of the scouts working on getting the flags ready.

Here the scouts are letting each person who wanted to, take a piece of the cut up flags. Then, each person was allowed to put their piece of flag into the fire.

It was an amazing experience. It made me realize how much we love our flag and what she stands for. I was so glad my kids had the opportunity to learn about the flag. We had a nice discussion about it later and the flag now means much more to them. I am so thankful to live in America. I love her. I am free.

Here are some of the words of the ceremony if you'd like to read. This is not exactly what Scott read, but close enough.

"I am your Flag. I was born on June 14, 1777. I am more than just a piece of cloth shaped into a colorful design, I am the silent sentinel of freedom for the greatest sovereign nation on earth. I am the inspiration for which America patriots gave their lives and fortunes, I am the emblem of America.

"I have led your sons into battle from Valley Forge to Vietnam. I have been there though the Civil War, Two World wars, at Gettysburg, Flanders, Korea, the Gulf War, all of them. I was there with George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, and I here with you now.

"I have flown through Peace and War. Through strife and Prosperity, and amidst it all, I have always been respected. My red stripes symbolize the blood spilled in defense of this glorious nation. My white stripes, the burning tears shed by Americans who lost their sons in battle. My blue field represents God's Heaven under which I fly, and my stars, clustered together, unify the fifty states as one for God and Country.

"I am "Old Glory" and I proudly wave on high. Honor me, respect me, and defend me with
your lives. Never let our enemies tear me down from my lofty position, lest I never return. Keep alight the fires of patriotism, strive earnestly for the spirit of democracy, and keep me always as a symbol of freedom, liberty, and peace in our country.

When comes the time when I am old and faded, do not let me fly in disrepair, rather retire me from my duties only to replace me with a new flag so that I may continue to symbolize our country. With this, renew your commitment to what I stand for and pledge your allegiance to me one final time:

"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for
which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and Justice for all."

"As you can see, this banner of Freedom before you is worn, tattered, and soiled from use and age. Her broad stripes are no longer a fiery red & pure white, but faded and worn out. The stars and blue background are no longer vivid reminders of our blue skies and great land, of the purity, vigilance, and justice she should represent. She has flown proudly over the years and has done her job well, but now she must be replaced with a new flag to properly represent this great Nation of ours.

"The flag of our Nation should always be a strong, vivid symbol of our land and fly brightly in our minds. Our flag is a symbol of our people, our freedom, and our strength. So it is now that I commit this flag, which no longer can fulfill these duties to the fire so that we may replace it with a new flag to properly symbolize our Nation. May the spirit of this flag be born again in the new flag we will now fly."