Happy {late} Fourth of July!

It's technically the 6th of July,

but I couldn't get my act together enough to tell you Happy 4th until now.

We LOVE celebrating Independence Day and this year was no exception.

Celebrating the freedom of our country with friends and family is just the best way to do it!

Friday night we accompanied a slew of friends out at McFee park.  Dinner was potluck style.  Bathing suits were worn for the water park festivities {of course, only the children participated}.  We had such a fun time getting in some adult conversations while wrangling children and snuggling the baby.

The picture above is courtesy of Kate, who being a good blogger, brought her camera.

Thanks sweet friend for the photo!  Kate is about to deliver Baby #2 on Friday and we can't wait for another little boy to love on.

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After the friend celebration,

Mr. Connell and I headed out of town on Saturday for our own little getaway.

We had tickets to a small concert in Nashville.

You may have heard of them...  U2!

Mr. Connell purchased two tickets for us back in November on the very day they were released.  A few weeks ago, we decided to make a stay out of it and booked a hotel about 5 miles from the concert location at Vanderbilt Stadium.

The whole day was a blast! 

We got to Nashville early enough to take an afternoon nap {even with my car ride nap earlier}, tour Lipsomb College where Chris went for a semester, shop a bit at Green Hills Mall, and have dinner at Panera.

Once we got to the concert, it was even better...  our seats were on the end of the aisle, which we both loved!  I'm not crazy about crowds {ahhh, yes, a wee bit caustrophbic - thank you, Mother!}, so seeing that our seats on the end of the bleachers was wonderful.  It was hot as hades out there, so we rejoiced for the small people beside us and the shade that soon covered us!  By the time the concert got started, you couldn't see a single seat open in the whole stadium.

{Opening band - Florence and the Machine}

U2 was phenomenal!  The acoustics {that's a word my husband would use} was perfect, so luckily I didn't need my ear plugs that I had forgotten back at the hotel.

We sang along, rocked the air guitars, and jammed to the music all night.

Only once did I think I might pass out, so I went and splurged $7 for a chicken tender meal.  I think by the end of our U2 experience we spent $10 on food + $12 on water + $40 on a souvenir t-shirt.  ALL.WORTH.IT.  {Esp the food and water part}

My favorite part of the evening?  When Bono stopped and sang Amazing Grace sans instruments.

Picture this:  all of the lights are dimmed except soft glowing shades positioned in a circle around the stage.  No music... only the sound of a man's voice over the speakers.  Then...  45,000 people joining in to sing it with him.

I had goose bumps and didn't even have a voice to sing it due to the lump in my throat.  Hymns will get me every time.  Oh, how I hope that was pleasing to the Lord and that it sparked the hearts of everyone there. 

Overall, it was one of the best concerts we have ever been to!

We finished the evening by using our GPS to find a Krispy Kreme.
Only it didn't take us to a Krispy Kreme restaurant...  it took us to a Krispy Kreme distribution center.  We found ourselves in the middle of Nashville's industrial park at midnight.  Such a bummer!  The TomTom regained our confidence by getting us back to the hotel afterward though.

Chris ate some of my crackers and we headed to bed...  happy from a fun day together!

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Sunday morning with bags packed,
we headed back home to go to my parent's house for a lovely family dinner.  Dining on all the yummy food the women prepared and watching the neighbors shoot off fireworks {prior to dark}.  I always love when family gets together to share stories and talk about life...  It was a perfect Sunday night.

Monday was just as fun!  We had a nice lunch with Chris' family and ended the night with some friends {a few of them from that first photo} to watch the fireworks they had.

Such a wonderful long weekend and a beautiful celebration of what this country is all about...  the freedom to be with those we love and do the things we enjoy!

Hope you all had a great Independence Day!