The 4th of July.....
The 4th of July has turned into this holiday that I just dont care about anymore. Nothing against the good ole US of A, I just dont have the fun that I used to on this particular holiday anymore! When we were kids, the 4th of July was this awesome day that consisted of getting up early and going to the DP parade (which now sucks major ass). Sometimes the weather would be great..... sunny and hot which meant that we would get there early so our parents could get a nice spot in the grass and us kids would find a spot on the curb so we could run out and grab all the free candy and mini flags that people passed out (or sometimes threw at us). If it was rainy and humid, we would go anyway, and get drenched as we laughed at the marching bands that passed us..... to this day, I think marching bands are the stupidest thing (sorry if any of you were in a marching band). One year it was raining so hard, that the channel 7 news people interviewed us and put us on the news as an example that "even though it was raining cats and dogs, the parade attracted a decent crowd".
We would bring the dog and dress him up with red, white, and blue ribbons on his collar..... and it was usually my job to make sure he didnt get a little rowdy. I would wave to all the people that I knew in the parade, and then when it was over we would trudge back to the car, eating most of our free candy for lunch on the ride home.
All that excitement, and the day was just beginning. Some years we would BBQ at either our house, my aunt and uncles house, or our grandparents house. We would start around 1pm, and us kids would be playing outside, drawing with sidewalk chalk, playing tag, or playing some stupid game that we made up and thought was awesome at the time. Then we would eat dinner, have ice cream for dessert, and we would all just sit out on the patio. This was the time when us kids would start getting ansy, just like on Christmas when you're waiting to open presents...... only we couldn't wait to go to see the fireworks.
The snacks would be packed, the blankets under our arms, and we were loading the cars. Sometimes, we would all be talking, or arguing, or laughing...... it didnt matter. It didnt matter because once that first firework exploded in the sky, everyone shut up, and for almost an hour there would only be the "ooooooo"s and the "aaaaaahhhhh"s. Once we would all get back to the house, my dad and my uncle would continue the show in the street with the fireworks that they always got in Indiana on their way back from the Indy500 the previous May.
My favorite 4th of July was when we all packed up the cars and headed up to Twin Lakes, WI for the day to visit our great grandma. She lived right across the street from the lake, so we would all go swimming, and then hang out on her little "almost never approached" uphill street. That was the day that I had my rollerblades and I went to the top of the hill and just coasted down with my arms in ski-jump position. I flew dont that hill, terrified that I would hit a twig on the street and I would tumble down, but super excitied that I was going so fast. It was such an adrenaline rush that my cousin Tim decided to borrow my skates and try it for himself. When it came to my younger brother, we all knew that his feet were too small to fit in my skates, and that he would probably fall, but we alerted the parents, and let him do it anyway. The parents knew he wasnt going to make it either and they kinda postioned themselves down the hill just in case. Sure enough, my uncle Tom was the lucky recipient as Steve started to tumble. No worries though, there just minor scrapes and bruising.
The fireworks that year were the best I can remember. First, before it got dark, we drove to the other side of the lake, where the beach was so we could watch the water ski show. Then as it got darker, we drove back to our little pier and we watched for an hour and a half as they shot off fireworks from a platform that was in the middle of the lake. That was the best 4th of July ever.
Now, the parades in our area are super lame (it must be a kid thing), our parents dont even want to do anything, and us kids are usually off doing our own thing. The fireworks at Melas park only last for like 15 minutes, and its not even worth going because there are so many people! Last year Brenna and I just went to a movie and then called it a night. I hope that next year I am in the mood to do something awesome on the 4th, so that this holiday is no longer a major letdown.
We would bring the dog and dress him up with red, white, and blue ribbons on his collar..... and it was usually my job to make sure he didnt get a little rowdy. I would wave to all the people that I knew in the parade, and then when it was over we would trudge back to the car, eating most of our free candy for lunch on the ride home.
All that excitement, and the day was just beginning. Some years we would BBQ at either our house, my aunt and uncles house, or our grandparents house. We would start around 1pm, and us kids would be playing outside, drawing with sidewalk chalk, playing tag, or playing some stupid game that we made up and thought was awesome at the time. Then we would eat dinner, have ice cream for dessert, and we would all just sit out on the patio. This was the time when us kids would start getting ansy, just like on Christmas when you're waiting to open presents...... only we couldn't wait to go to see the fireworks.
The snacks would be packed, the blankets under our arms, and we were loading the cars. Sometimes, we would all be talking, or arguing, or laughing...... it didnt matter. It didnt matter because once that first firework exploded in the sky, everyone shut up, and for almost an hour there would only be the "ooooooo"s and the "aaaaaahhhhh"s. Once we would all get back to the house, my dad and my uncle would continue the show in the street with the fireworks that they always got in Indiana on their way back from the Indy500 the previous May.
My favorite 4th of July was when we all packed up the cars and headed up to Twin Lakes, WI for the day to visit our great grandma. She lived right across the street from the lake, so we would all go swimming, and then hang out on her little "almost never approached" uphill street. That was the day that I had my rollerblades and I went to the top of the hill and just coasted down with my arms in ski-jump position. I flew dont that hill, terrified that I would hit a twig on the street and I would tumble down, but super excitied that I was going so fast. It was such an adrenaline rush that my cousin Tim decided to borrow my skates and try it for himself. When it came to my younger brother, we all knew that his feet were too small to fit in my skates, and that he would probably fall, but we alerted the parents, and let him do it anyway. The parents knew he wasnt going to make it either and they kinda postioned themselves down the hill just in case. Sure enough, my uncle Tom was the lucky recipient as Steve started to tumble. No worries though, there just minor scrapes and bruising.
The fireworks that year were the best I can remember. First, before it got dark, we drove to the other side of the lake, where the beach was so we could watch the water ski show. Then as it got darker, we drove back to our little pier and we watched for an hour and a half as they shot off fireworks from a platform that was in the middle of the lake. That was the best 4th of July ever.
Now, the parades in our area are super lame (it must be a kid thing), our parents dont even want to do anything, and us kids are usually off doing our own thing. The fireworks at Melas park only last for like 15 minutes, and its not even worth going because there are so many people! Last year Brenna and I just went to a movie and then called it a night. I hope that next year I am in the mood to do something awesome on the 4th, so that this holiday is no longer a major letdown.
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