Kaboom!

Did something a little different this year on the 4th. I checked out Kaboom!... An annual fireworks celebration at Fairplex park.  It's actually two shows in one.

The first part was a monster truck and motor-cross show. I'd never been to this type of show, so I didn't know what to expect.

I have to say, it was a lot of fun watching professional daredevils perform cool stunts using bikes and hyped up, over-sized trucks. I found myself jumping up and cheering with the crowd when the riders did mind-blowing turns on their bikes... high up in the air, no less!  And those guys driving the monster trucks can do some pretty cool things in those big-wheeled babies. Check out the video, below!

The second half, was an amazing fireworks display set to crowd pleasing music. Both kids and adults, were oohing and ahhing at the beautifully choreographed light show.

It turned out to be a pretty cool way to spend the 4th of July.  Lots of food, fun and fireworks! :-)

Here are some pics from the day...

The guys on the bikes did some crazy moves, but not one of them had a spill :-)

Monster Truck Mania!  Check out my video...

My joy moment today was doing something very different for the 4th of July... and enjoying it!

Cheers to the USA and to our troops!

Hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday.

Stay tuned :-)

Ms. Girl
http://huntforhappy.blogspot.com/

The Temple Grandin Story

Rainy day in Southern California today. For a change the weathermen didn't lie, LOL.  At least it was Saturday and I could do what people always say they'd like to do on a rainy day... get under the covers and watch TV.   The longer it stormed, the longer I could pretend I wasn't being completely lazy.

I ended up catching a great movie on HBO, The Temple Grandin story.  The true story of a woman who was born with Autism yet was also incredibly brilliant.  When Temple was just four years old, the doctors told her mother that her daughter had a mental illness and recommended she commit her to an institution.  Her mother declined and refused to give up on her. Instead, she decided to get Temple all the resources she could and pushed her to go to school, which later helped reveal her amazing gifts.  Incredibly, with a condition that can be extremely limiting, Temple acquired a Masters Degree, a Doctorate and made incredible innovations in the area of animal science. 

Her story is amazing and inspirational. Claire Danes, the actress who plays Temple, does a great job of illustrating her story and difficult journey.  Julia Ormand, the woman who played her mother, gives a passionate portrayal of a mother who will do everything to make sure her daughter is not treated less than. 

It's a wonderful story of a mother's love and a young girl's battle against the odds.  One of the things that gave Temple strength was advice from a mentor that she find the courage to walk through each door because she never know what opportunities might be on the other side.  Watching her story and seeing how she found the courage to walk through doors, during many trying circumstances was moving.

Her story inspired me.  With all that she had to overcome, many would have given up, she never did. Watching her story, made me realize I should never even let the thought cross my mind.   If I ever slip up, I will now think of a great woman named Temple.

Great story, great message. Not bad for a rainy day!

Stay tuned. :-)