Independence...

...what does it mean to you?

This is one of my favorite holidays. Summertime is here in full force, which I love, high temps and all! My favorite thing about the 4th, of course the fireworks!! I just can't miss them, its simply not an option. I hope to share with you sometime this weekend a childhood memory of how I did miss the fireworks once and was scarred for life.

Fireworks are just a great symbol of patriotism to me. When I see them, I am immediately reminded of the National Anthem, "the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there."

The 4th is also a time when I think about our freedoms and independence. The greatest freedom we have is the freedom to worship our God. In this great country, and yes it is great, I can leave home and travel to a church to praise and worship my Heavenly Father anywhere, anytime. I can tell others of my faith in Him, publicly, even on Facebook, I can share my beliefs on the clothes I wear, my jewelry, with a fish on my car and a cross on the rear-view mirror, all with no fear of being persecuted by my government.

This year in particular, I recognize that it is to our soldiers that I owe this freedom. They are in other countries, countries where Christians are persecuted and killed, fighting for my independence, my freedoms, the greatest of which is to worship and praise my Savior.

To all soldiers and veterans, I say thank you. Thank you for giving me and everyone of us the freedom to know and worship the Almighty Creator.

I'm excited that I will attend a festival to honor Veterans this weekend as I pursue the "American Dream", yet another great thing about this country. My friends and new business partners at Anytime Fitness in Starke invited me to be a part of their booth at the VetFest Musicfest in Waldo this weekend! I can't think of a better way to celebrate my independence, helping my friends as they, too, pursue the "American Dream" and helping others find or regain their health through nutrition and exercise! Together we are going to lower the obesity rate in Starke and surrounding areas!

The Vet Fest Musicfest will be held on July 2-3, 2010 at the Classic Cafe and Dixieland Music Park in Waldo, FL (Friday starting at 2 pm and Saturday starting at 10 am and lasting till 11:30 pm both nights! There will be 2 full days of Live Entertainment, Food and Drinks, Fun, and so much more. Don't miss this amazing time. Proceeds will benefit the Major Alan Rogers Scholarship Fund at the Santa Fe Community College. Major Alan Rogers was a classmate of my husbands.

Anytime will be offering some amazing pre-opening deals at the festival:

No registration fee

Your choice of either FREE months at the end of your membership agreement
Or
Unlimited FREE tanning for the duration of your membership agreement

The membership agreements are either 12 months or 18 months.

If you go with the 12 months membership then you get 2 FREE months at the end of the term.

If you go with the 18 months membership then you get 4 FREE months at the end of the term.

Also, the first 100 members will get a FREE Anytime Fitness T-shirt.

So come out and support our veterans, enjoy some great live music, and stop by to see us!