A Johnson Fourth...

This 4th of July didn't go anything like I had planned, but it was good all the same. My sister Bonnie and her husband John had their first annual 4th of July breakfast and I was really sorry to have missed it. However, I was able to get 2 of my kids there, thanks to my other sister Lynn. It sure is great to have family to help out. The girls had a fabulous time playing with their cousin Lola and the rest of the kids that made it there. What a nice change for them to not have to be stuck in the house waiting for their dad to get home from work.

My initial plans were to leave work as scheduled and get the girls and take them to the fireworks in downtown Asheville, but toward the end of my 12 hour shift, I began to feel rather warn out and was starting to get a headache. Not only that, Sara also had a massive headache after her exhausting visit with family. She had gotten up much earlier that usual and I think she just needed some sleep. Anyway, I pretty much decided on my way home, that I would simply take the girls to get some ice cream and then maybe we could just watch a movie or something low key, but they were pretty disappointed about missing fireworks. Sara had taken a nap and was feeling much better, so at the last minute, after a suggestion from the girl and Cold Stone Creamery, we decided to head out to Black Mountain for the fireworks show at Lake Tomahawk. We had never done that before and it sounded like a managable alternative to the chaos of downtown.

It was not quite dark when we got to the lake so we decided to take a walk on the trail and enjoy the fresh air. It was very nice. I was able to show them the exact spot where their father proposed to me over 20 yrs ago. It was nice to be able to share this bit of history with them. After our lap, we went back to the car to get some blankets to sit on and headed to the shore to get a good spot to see the show. Unfortunately, we were not able to see much of the fireworks. They were kind of hidden behind the trees, but we could definately hear the echoes of them bouncing off the surrounding mountains. It was really cool. We did get to see a few beautiful sparks occasionally. Most of the people who were sitting by the lake waiting for the show had decided to leave once they found out they weren't going to be able to see much. We were some of the last ones to leave and we made it to Main Street just in time for the Grand Finale.

It was a rather long show and definately different from what we are used to, but it was fun. On the way to the car Sara said that if she were asked what her favorite parts of summer vacation were she would have to say, "going to Dollywood and spending the Fourth of July with her Mom". I think she is so sweet. She is growing up so fast, it's sorta scary. There definately are times when I just love spending time with my girls.

For example, I took the two of them hiking on Wed. We went to Craggy Gardens. It was about 3 pm when we started our trek up the mountain. That made it very nice because it was not too hot. We got to the top in about 45 minutes. Of course, we made several stops to take pictures and to catch our breath. It was refreshing to be in the mountain air. Once at the top, we found a nice tree to sit under and spread out the blanket we brought and enjoyed a snack. What a relaxing day. The trip down was much easier. Our bellies were fuller but my backpack was lighter, so that was good. For our next hike, I think we will do Dupont State Park. I would like to see Hooker Falls this time. Maybe we can do that on this coming Wed.

I will try to post pics soon from our recent hike. I am much too tired to do it tonight. It is late and I really need some sleep. Good night.