"How De Do Dat?"

Happy Independence Day!!!!!

We spent ours a little quieter than usual.  The last few years Mark has saved up and bought ALOT of fireworks.  And by "ALOT" I mean I don't even want to know how much he spent because I know it was an obscene amount.  We usually invite some friends over and have a big BBQ and then head out to the Culdesac at dusk to start the show.  Last years was the biggest ever and the most organized.  We made homemade root beer with dry ice. yumm!!! and Mark set the fireworks up in the culdesac in a spiraling pattern.  He had his propane tank on a little dolly with the torch attachment.  He started on the outside of the spiral and slowly made his spectacular, sparkly way to the center where, of course, the "BIG ONES" waited for the grand finale.  Even more neighbors came over for the fireworks and contributed some of their own.  Our friend, Darren, acted as pyrotechnic wingman, following Mark and kicking over the dead fireworks and even helping to clean up afterwards.  It was quite a show.  This year we didn't have the extra cash to put on quite the same show so we decided to forgo it altogether and try one of the local city shows.  We spent the day quietly as a family.  Mark wanted to try a new brisket recipe he's been salivating over for some time from his Texas cookbook (thanks mom and dad!) Did you know Brisket is kind of pricey? We paid about $18 for a 4.5lb slab but compared to what we spent on fireworks in years past... we figured we could handle that.  Do you know how long brisket cooks? The recipe called for 7 hours in the oven and an hour resting before you eat it so this was an all day thing.  Mark marinated it the night before and started it in the oven before I woke up.  This was not a tomato-based saucy recipe, it had some spices and liquid smoke and it was SOO good.  Here's how we filled the 8 hours of cooking/resting time....

The first item on the Day's agenda was to watch "Independence Day".  To get properly pumped up to appreciate our freedoms we need to imagine them being stolen by Aliens. We then played some board games and watched Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds".  Mark, feeling hot, asked the kids if they wanted to turn on the sprinklers.  What a silly question! They were off and running to get their swimsuits on before he finished his question.  Whilst outside enjoying the cool water, Mark and the kids invented a game, their own version of the "tough guy club" I suppose.  You sit in the chair while the rest of them advance on you with the hose on full blast with the fierce nozzle on. The test is to see how many seconds you last. 

Here's the final score: Carly 50 seconds; Rachel 63 seconds; Jacob 33 seconds, 

Samantha Grace 1 second; Mason 12 seconds.  Mark was the hose holder; his tough guy status apparently not in question.  

My score?  Oh, well, you see, I needed to remain dry so I could document the fun for posterity.  And as I remain the CEO of the "Smart woman Club" I am forbidden to participate in any "Tough Guy club" activities or forfeit my membership.  My contribution to the day was to give Patriotic Pedicures and Manicures for all the girls.  Mason felt left out so he got a clear coat and a star sticker on his big toe. I thought they turned out very cute.  Usually, my "just this side of OCD tendencies" would rule out an asymetrical pedicure like this but I got the idea off a FamilyFun email and I did just what they suggested. I kept my trusty bottle of remover close at hand.. .just in case! Surprisingly, I found it charming and kept it just as it was. The girls were very excited once they saw my toes and we had fun designing their own nails. 

We had the best dinner ever when Mark's brisket was done.  We served his masterpiece with Baked potatoes, Cucumbers, watermelon, corn on the cob. mmmmm... mmmmm... mmmmm. We all ate too much and then cleaned up and got ready to go to the fireworks.  We arrived about 7:30. We found a good spot close to the bathrooms, close to the exit. We played catchphrase and talked about past years. We remembered the story of When Rachel was visiting Yucca Valley over Independence day many years ago with her grandparents and her Aunties. After every firework she would ask the question... "How de do dat?" 

 The fireworks began promptly at 10pm. 10pm also being the exact moment Samantha and Mason HAD to go to the bathroom.  ARGHHH... we wait 2 1/2 hours for it to start and have to miss the beginning to go potty!!  Being there reminded me of going to Yucca Valley High school and laying on a blanket on the football field every 4th of July.  I haven't been to a fireworks show like that in a long time and I really enjoyed it.  Samantha kept exclaiming "It's Gorgeous Mommy" "did you see that? It's gorgeous mommy!" over and over.  Mason squealed like he was scared but he was grinning as he ran and crouched behind Mark's chair.  He needed a little reassurance so he sat with Rachel as Samantha was already on my lap. 

 I found myself saying "OOOOHH!" and "AAHHH!" without thinking.  There's something about the surprise of the fireworks, the anticipation when you see & hear the spark hurtling up, the exploding POP, the color.  The unexpected explosions that catch you off guard because they didn't ascend with any fanfare.  It's really entrancing and  I sat in the chair, straining my neck, wishing I was laying on my back on the blanket like I always did as a kid. I laughed at myself as I wondered along with the memory of a 3 yr old Rachel  "How de do dat?" How do they get the powder to explode in shapes or whiz about after the initial explosion like fireflys... How? I am in awe.

We saw people leaving halfway through the show and wondered.. It's only a 30 minute show!!! If you're going to drive here, find a parking spot, haul all your junk, find a spot, wait for the show to start... why leave after 15-20 minutes and miss the grand finale.  I mean, there's always a grand finale. A grand finale is just a given when fireworks are involved.  The show did end at 10:30 and we, feeling very smart for parking right by the gates to the field and getting a grassy spot on the field not far from the gate, grabbed our stuff and were in the car, belted in and in the queue to exit by 10:44.  We weren't very far from the exit but may I tell you that it took us 45 minutes to move one car length.  Once we moved that one car length it was only another 1o minutes or so to the freeway so we made it home before midnight. Just. That long wait kind of took the bloom off the rose.  We weren't expecting that! Would we do it again? I think so- but we may consider parking on the road and walking further in.... My only complaint about the program was I wish they had had someone sing The national Anthem or another patriotic song just to start us off with, to remind us what we were celebrating. Our country, Our freedoms.  I am grateful for these blessings.  Happy Independence day everyone!