4th of July - Boom!

So yeah...America celebrated Independence Day - the Fourth of July. It was everything I thought it would be, minus the cookout because no one in my family had a grill (we all live in apartments). But we made hamburgers and brats in our oven so hey, it was still yummy. Somehow Cara and I were placed in charge of the 4th of July plans. Actually, Cara said it was all on my shoulders. When we called family members to see what they were doing for that special day they all said, "I don't know, what would you like us to do?" So that's why we (correction, me) were left in charge of the festivities. We first thought it would be cool to go to the beach, but then we realized our family members were not like our NZ friends and going to the beach for a holiday seemed like a foreign and odd concept to them. So we decided maybe a cookout on a park grill would be great, but then it got to be too complicated, and people didn't really seem flexible about if it rained on that day or going out early to insure we claimed a park grill so it was finally settled that everyone should come to our apartment. 4th of July came and we spent a relaxing morning doing nothing. Family members arrived around 3pm bearing gifts of food and drink. (Hey if I'm gonna plan a family get together we're making it a potluck!) We cooked, we ate, we talked. We had three times as much food as we really needed. It was fun. Later that night we went to see fireworks. We left later than planned (about half an hour before the show was supposed to start) so naturally, parking was an issue. After driving around in circles for 20 minutes we decided to watch the fireworks at a less crowded and further away location. That turned out to be a GOOD plan. For those of you who aren't familiar with the 4th of July fireworks, they tend to happen simultaneously in various towns, cities, and their suburbs. It's possible to catch two maybe even three shows all while staying in the same seat. We watched one show for half an hour and then our city fireworks show began. It was kind of funny to hear and see both shows going off at the same time. The finale of our show was MUCH better though. I forgot how long fireworks shows can be in the US. Our show lasted about 45minutes! We saw some new fireworks like one that formed into a heart shape, but the screamer ones (they sound like bombs dropping through the air) were missing this year, oh well. The finale was amazing!! There were so many fireworks that went off that it looked like the city was being attacked. Lights, explosions, and smoke were everywhere. And of course, the token car alarm went off and fire engine screamed down the street. Ah the familiar memories. After the show we were wide awake so we talked (Me, mom, Cara, my brother, and his wife) for another hour and watched some TV before we finally went to bed. 4th of July, it was everything I'd hoped it would be. Next year maybe I'll go watch fireworks on other days besides just Independence Day. After all, for Americans, Independence is way more than a one day celebration!