Light the corners of my mind

Ah memories.

I actually don't have very many memories of my chilhood before I was about twelve. I'm not really sure why that is or if it's normal.

But I do remember a few things about 4th of July as a child.

I used to love playing with sparklers at night, and how they seemed to leave streaks of light behind wherever you waved them. I thought it was so cool to be able to write my name in the air.

One year my family all got up before dawn and went to the beach to watch a fireworks display from the sand. I remember that it was a little foggy, but the fireworks were still impressive to me! The fog made them look like fuzzy bursts of color in the sky. And when the show was over and the sun started coming up my parents took my two brothers and me to McDonald's for breakfast. It's funny, the details that stick, huh?

We used to go camping at the beach for a week or two every summer, and sometimes it would be over the 4th of July. Fireworks were (well, still are) illegal, but we were rebels and my dad would always rustle some up and hope we didn't get caught. There was one year though, that we did get caught! Everyone was down on the beach lighting them off when the rangers showed up. I think the adults must have had a few drinks because my mom and her best friend started singing the theme to Jaws when they saw them approaching us. They thought they were hilarious! Maybe the rangers did too, because they ended up letting them off with a warning. That probably wouldn't happen nowadays!

This 4th of July is going to be a BUSY one. Hubs and I are starting the day off at the annual street fair downtown, then heading over to his family's beach house for what could be the last 4th of July bbq we'll ever have there, since they're planning on selling it. A couple friends of ours live in the same neighborhood so we'll probably cruise around on our bikes for a while. Then we'll head to hubs's youngest brother's housewarming party before going to another beach and ending the evening with a big (illegal) bang! Just carrying on the family tradition :)

Oh and the boss just popped by and said if everything's done we may get out of here around 3:30! Fingers crossed...

Happy Independence Day!