Wordful Wednesday: Air Show!

Sorry no pictures today... experiencing a temporary glitch, I hope!

This past Saturday, my Dad was in town for a visit, and we had tickets to the local air show. We arose in the morning, and did not shower with the intent of sweating with a large group of others from our hometown out on the airport causeway. We wore our good, supportive shoes, light-colored shirts (from AWA VBS!) and comfortable shorts. We wore hats and visors to keep the sun from our eyes (hopefully!).

As we arrived at the air show, we waited in a long line of cars to travel into the airport and eventually park. After parking, we gathered our Red Rider wagon and loaded it with our camp chairs, big and small. We had armed ourselves with binoculars and a fanny pack, which was loaded with sunscreen and a few other essentials. We trudged on in to the airport, slapped a few security bracelets on our young ones and promptly got separated.

It was partly my own fault. My hubby said that my Dad and some kids would be by the crazy colored CAR and I heard crazy colored --- something. I saw crazy colored port-a-potties, so I figured that's what he meant. WRONG. We waited. We waited a little more. We found a booth that was giving out free water, and took advantage. We walked around some, but I knew my hubby, Dad and kids would not have gone far from me, my oldest and youngest daughters. After walking around "one more time," we found them. We found a spot and set up our chairs near some planes to view, and within earshot of the announcer. After an hour of arriving there and enjoying some daring planes, we decided to buy lunch.

Lunch in and of itself was a chore. You see, three kids wanted hot dogs. My hubby and I went and stood in the hot dog line. It was not toooo long. We ordered, waited a few minutes and were given three burned hot dogs. All of the hot dogs were the same way. Okay... the kids will eat them up anyway. We delivered them to the kids and my dad, and went back to the lines. We bought my dad a cheeseburger and brought it to him with a drink. Then we bought Rebekah a small personal pizza. All of the lunch lines were not too long until we stood in the Navajo Taco line. We stood in line there, to get lunch for Joshua and I for five- ten minutes without moving in the line! We nixed that idea and decided to get chicken sandwiches. One problem-- chicken was gone (it was only 12:30!) so we both opted for rib sandwiches (think McRib type with a decent squirt of BBQ sauce!). We got more waters, cokes and finally sat down to eat. After a few minutes of Mallory nagging, we found a freebie dog tag necklace from the Marines for her, since her brother had gotten one. All of this was in between watching planes and helicopters fly around us.

The kids wanted to walk around to see more of the sights in the air show and go inside some planes. I was still kinda tired from standing in the lunch lines! The rest of the crew left me and went to see some other sights. After resting on my own in the heat, and applying more sunscreen, I ventured to some shade in the shadow of an airplane wing. After setting down again, my hubby and Dad came over and we moved our chairs to the shade.

After setting in the shade near some old cars to view, I relaxed a little more. It was nice to be out of the sun. Joshua took our kids and walked down a ways where he saw some friends and more airplanes, touring some with the kids. My Dad came back after a few minutes, claiming his back hurt, and found respite in a camp chair. The problem with the shade was that we couldn't hear the announcer anymore. We didn't know what was going on as much, but we knew the Blue Angels were to appear around 3:00. The kids were getting tired. I was getting tired. After a few trips to the bathroom, Daddy bought some iced orange juice to share. A refreshing treat! Then finally vrooom.... the Blue Angels were firing up! Oh the excitement! Then they took off... swooooommm! After another minute, "Where are they?" Then a vrooooosh!! Over out heads in surprise! So exciting! Within the first few minutes, each of the kids said, "THIS IS AWESOME!" We enjoyed the Blue Angels for over 45 minutes, and "They rocked!" as Mallory wrote in her journal the next day. Suddenly all of the waiting, enduring and perservering was worth it.

We enjoyed our freedom that in our country we can have incredible planes that can fly like this, in an air show for fun, for us, Americans. We thanked God for our country and the great land we live in. We were proud to be Americans.

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.


Galatians 5:1
It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.


Galatians 5:13
You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh ; rather, serve one another humbly in love.