The end to the suspense

So now I'm sure you are all excited to hear what happened on Sunday. Well, you have to wait. Just kidding!

Sunday we went to church as usual. But, you already knew that.

Then, of course, a nap. YEA!! Naps are wonderful!

Sunday evening was a lot of fun. Katie went to stay with her Grandma while Ben, my Dad, and I went to Union Station for the anual Memorial Day concert. We stopped at HyVee and picked up some chicken and stuff and had ourselves a nice picnic in front of Union Station. The weather was very nice without too much heat and a nice breeze.

We got there while the symphony was doing their sound check, so we heard the concert twice. I'm not complaining! This year was broadcast live on KCPT and will have a repeat broadcast on July 4. I don't think we were ever filmed, but it was still pretty neat. The concert was very good. I knew several of the songs they played. The songs were all patriotic in nature, so they all get recycled from group to group. I think I probably have performed about 1/3 of the songs they performed. On a side note, it is very interesting how different conductors interpret the songs differently. You get a faster section here, a crescendo here, etc. I really enjoyed the new conductor for the KC Symphony. I was able to follow him exactly from the audience. Sometimes you get someone who is world renowned (is that a word? I think you know what I mean) that is so difficult to follow. It makes me wonder why they are so great. Anyway, I really enjoyed the music this year.

THEN, the best part. They played the 1812 Overture. You know, the one with the CANNONS. I LOVE THE CANNONS! Dad and I decided to get closer to the cannons during this song. They were on the hill between Liberty Memorial and Union Station. So we went over to the street corner just below where they were set up. I forgot where the first cannon was supposed to be in the song and it fired and I about fell over. WOWSER! What a rush. I could feel the concussion in my chest, my pant legs were fluttering with the vibration, and it was so very loud! I looked at my dad and we both just said that was awesome! We were totally amazed. There were five of them lined up on the hill, so all in all, we probably heard and saw the cannons go off about 15 or so times. That was cool.

We made it back to our seats and watched a wonderful fireworks show that was coordinated with some recorded music. That was so good. It wasn't just shoot off everything at once either. I thought each shot was deliberately planned. The company that did the production was very good. I was impressed. Then, more cannon!

Next year, we will probably bring Katie. I think she'd really enjoy it. We'll just have to cover her ears for the cannons though. But, a good time was had by all.

It took us some time to get back to the car and then another 40 minutes sitting in the parking garage, but we all had a great time. Come with us next year!