4th of July

Once, when we were dating, we bought fireworks in northern Indiana (where I still was living) and set them off in the backyard. Our house was in a fairly rural area. Of course, our yard was lined on 3 sides with roads, one of them being the very high traffic and well patroled Indiana Toll Road.

Don't even get me started on the 4th side of the yard. We've been neighbors with the Newmans since before I was born. And no matter how great Ryan races in "The Nascar" as we call it, his parents still live close enough to me (now my folks) that I am embarrassed on a regular basis. Happy Wife has been embarrassing herself in front of the neighbors since she was Happy Baby (followed by Precocious Child, Misunderstood Teenager, Artsy College Student, and Fledgling Non Profit Employee).

Lost the bottom half of my swimsuit at the other side of their swimming pool during the first year of my teenager-dom? Check. Set off the fire alarms while cooking as a young adult, sending them running over to save myself and my grandmother from what they assume is a deadly fire? Check. I'll stop now since the checklist is never ending.

Oh, did I mention we're about 5 miles from the Michigan border? That would be where the fireworks are legal.

We lit about 5 things that 4th of July (3 of them sparklers, I think) and then were so sure we'd be hauled to jail that we just went back inside the house. We probably watched a movie and went to bed.

Now you know all of the awesome, awesome things we've done over the Independence Day holiday since we've been together.

We are going to start rectifying that this year. Something we never would have done possibly ever if we were not "dating" again.

I remember being a little girl and going with my parents and little brother to see the fireworks displays at night. There was always a blanket on the ground for us and some lawn chairs in a park, or on a lawn, or even on a football field. I really loved that experienec and felt like it was magical. I know we did it throughout my childhood.

There are lots of options in regards to fireworks displays around town. There are also fairs, concerts, and air shows. Thanks to a date early in our relationship at Six Flags, we won't be seeking out any festival for its rides (the horrors of that day live in infamy! I do not know why he continued dating me after that). Even Toad The Wet Sprocket is playing a show at 3 pm some afternoon at a random festival. What is there not to do is the better question. The hubby is even taking Friday off so we can have a 4 day weekend!

July is going to go off with a bang! This may be the biggest month for us in our plans. Mostly because it's my birthday month and there's already been a lot of "For my birthday, let's do X!" and it's not even July yet.

Wait until you hear about what we're doing on my actual birthday. I am WAY too excited. We're going to have to listen to NPR the whole drive downtown so that I don't explode (NPR makes me so sleepy... so very sleepy). Or we could watch something on National Geographic Channel like Man Made or Ultimate Factories. That ought to help quell the sprinkle of crazy and bring me down a couple notches. I can actually feel my heart rate slow whenever those shows are on the screen. I fear I am going to show up like I've had a pot of crack coffee and possibly upset the things I love so much. I wonder if anyone's ever been killed by... No. No. I don't think so. I mean, right? They're way smaller than most people. But we're also going to be outnumbered.

I definitely need to KEEP MY COOL. Heh, heh, heh. You'll see why that's so funny later.