July 4th

After really enjoying the fireworks and Brad Paisley show at BYU last year, we (Gary, Jena and I) decided that it would be fun to go again this year and take Gary's mom.  When they announced that the Beach Boys were going to be there, we knew this was the year we wanted to go back.  We got the tickets months ago and made our plans.  We decided that we would stay at a nearby hotel in Orem so that we didn't have to fight the crowds all the way home late at night.  We packed our bags and headed out.

On our way down, we could see the flames from a wildfire above Alpine, Utah.  Smoke was billowing in the skies.  It reminded us of all the fires which were burning through the dry western US.

We stayed at the LaQuinta Inn in Orem and settled into our rooms and played some games to start our get-a-way.  We had dinner at the Peasan Bistro in Orem which my nephew and his wife had introduced us to a couple of months ago.  Then we headed to the stadium at BYU. 

It was a fun crowd but a bit older group there s year.  That makes sense of course with the Beach Boys as the main performers.  The show started off with a flyover of Air Force jets and a miltary flag ceremony.  I cried a bit as did many people around me.  It was great to sing our national anthem in such a large group.

During the opening prayer, the person asked that the weather might change and that there might be rain.  Immediately I thought, "Not now, after the show."  The entire area had been praying for rain to help with the fires.

Gary and I like the Beach Boys.  When we were teenagers, they were still on the radio although not as big as other groups at the time.  Gary and I actually saw them in 1978 shortly after we were married.  They happened to be performing at an amusement park in Kansas City, MO, where we had gone for a weekend trip.  I remembering thinking they were old then (remember I was 22 at the time).

To see them 34 years later was just a fun experience.
(picture from the internet--we didn't get that close.)

People were singing along with most of the songs, there were fun videos with the songs, and they did a fun concert.  The teenager sitting next to me had a beautiful voice and knew almost all of the songs she sang with.  Then you could see old couples (translated in their 60s and 70s) hugging, kissing, and singing along too.  Gary's mom said there was a couple in front of her in their 60s who were clearly having their own romantic flashbacks.  Each song seems to be meaningful for them.  She said they were almost as fun to watch as the concert.

The show ended and then we settled back in for fireworks..........and they were fabulous!  I grew up with "stadium" fireworks in our local high school stadium.  I loved them in the air and also on the ground.  I don't know if they still do that in Richland, WA, but the show at BYU is one that shouldn't be missed.  Like Gary's mom said, "I am so glad that I had a chance to see that in my lifetime."  They were shooting off from everywhere in the stadium and above it.  The music was great as well. Well-worth the cost for us this year. (And they took 30 minutes or so, not 10 seconds as happened in San Diego this year.  That would be so sad...and loud.)

We headed to our hotel and woke up to rain.  Perfect!!!!!

Now I needed to show Gary's mom the fireworks in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year---I think that would complete the series--hometown tradtion, stadium, and from the water!  Any other types?

Happy Birthday, America.