Blood and Laughter

Just home from a near perfect 4th of July evening.
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Accepted the invitation to a relative's home, ~ cousins ~ a couple I'm quite fond of but haven't seen, for like, 30 years or so. [I know! Bad Dorko, bad!] There ended up being 10 of us all together; ages 6 to 70
We had the BEST time!!!
Lots of laughter and that good spirit that flows freely when all are relaxed and just enjoying each other and the evening together... Good family, good food, excellent Fire works.
Just enough of a breeze to keep the biting flies and mosquitoes completely away ~ yet not enough to screw with the heavy artillery. [or keep the fireflies from dancing round about!]
The fun had been "rained" out last year. My 'Blood' ~ bless their hearts ~ just stashed the charges in a garbage can in the garage and dugout all of that and a whole lot more out for tonight's events.
Ended up with the better part of a pick-up bed & tailgate section chalked full of fireworks!
+ Their place is a short way from the County Fairgrounds & the big show put on by the Optimist Club this year, we were perfect viewing distance for all that!
Mother nature lit up the sky (again this year), but it was only a few scant drops that fell on us. ...and...
That only served to further cool the evening and set a dramatic stage for shooting stars, and those celebratory bombs-a-bursting in air.
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I'm feeling SO very happy, warm and fuzzy, and TIRED right now.
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And blessed.
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Lord knows, how very, very blessed I'm feeling by all these marvelous gifts, I was able to note and receive this whole day long!
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I'm glad I remembered the throw-away camera in my car, and insisted they all line up at the end of the drive for the photo op! This prompted one of my younger cousins to get her digital and we were able to capture some fine moments with both. I was especially pleased and impressed that we took the time & the photos when she told of how they'd never had a photo taken of them all together like that.
She went on to say that she'd made plans, some time back, and all of that had fallen by the wayside when her husband was diagnosed with cancer. He had to have a section of his tongue removed, a portion of it that was deep within his throat. (I imagined what a trying time that must have been for them.)
Now here we all were!
Happy! Healthy! Having a good time, together! The 2 photos I snapped on the digital seemed to capture every inch of that ~ each one of them looking so relaxed. I could feel their love for each other, and for me, and it made me love them even more.
.... there's so much more ~ but I gotta go... [Winkin, Blinkin and Nod are calling my name...]
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What blessings couldja, didja count this day?
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Cheerios2U all!
~ Dorko