Independence Day

July 4, 2010

Alisha and Ashley had a busy 4th of July. We woke up early in order to check-in for the harbor cruise hosted by Make-A-Wish Foundation and Electra Cruises. Although there was a long wait until departure, the girls patiently waited in line and enjoyed the scenery prior to boarding the boat. The volunteer photographers took pictures and the girls were fascinated by the rainbow colored water - oil - next to the docked boats.

Around ten o'clock in the morning, Alisha announced how hungry she was. Luckily, the boat stopped in front of American Legion for breakfast. The American Legion is an organization for veterans who volunteered their serves to provide a wonderful breakfast for the harbor cruise attendees. Packages, ham, eggs, juice and milk were served. Face painting, temporary tattoos were offered to the children. Both of the girls requested for multiple tattoos on their arms and had different variations of the red, white and blue painted on their face to demonstrate their patriotism. Ashley loved the glitter applied on her face after the face painting.

Back on the boat, there was a band playing various types of music to keep the guests entertained while the children ran up and down the four-tiered boat. Lunch items consisting of hot dogs, macaroni & cheese, fries, chicken tenders were promptly prepared and served at 12:30p. Unlimited amounts of alcoholic drinks were available for the adults. Mom cannot hold alcohol, so her face was red after three small sips. For dessert, the kids built their own ice cream waffle cone or sundae with a variety of toppings to curb everyone's sweet tooth.

Alisha found the Make-A-Wish Ambassador dog, Doc Barker, sat next to him and played with the dog for ages. The original Ambassador dog, Barker passed away this past April to nerve cancer and Alisha was sadden by the news as Barker had soothed her in the past during other events while she was not feeling her best. After six hours of adventure on the harbor cruise, we disembarked and the kids were given a pack of cookies to celebrate the rest of the holiday.

Fourth of July marks the first of the five summer concert series we attend at the local amphitheater. We always enjoy the picnic on the lawn preceding the outdoor concert. The kids embrace the freedom to run around on the lawn and the notion of picnicking. This year, the Fourth of July concert featured John Denver's music along with the usual music performed by the orchestra to commemorate and show our gratitude to the service men and women. Ashley fell asleep before the firework as expected while Alisha stayed awake for the entire show. We are just thankful that Alisha can join us this summer for the concert series since she missed the last concert of the season last year due to the onset of her illness. Ever since last year, she along with Ashley had talked about the summer series and asked when it will take place. We all couldn't wait and are glad it is finally here. Happy Independence Day!