So, Jon and Melissa, Jeff, Rachael, Alina and I, went to Randy Whites for dinner where we stuffed ourselves beyond comfort with some quality BBQ.  After that we spent the next few hours playing Yahtzee and The Game of Knowledge (which is a game “for kids and their parents”) were we each one of us revealed that we should have continued playing a game of chance rather than a game of knowledge.

We left our house about 9:00pm to find some seats in a field or parking lot near where the fireworks were going to go off at 9:45pm.  After traveling for what was just about the longest 3 miles of my life we arrived in a good parking lot just as the fireworks began.  The “oohs” and “ahhs” lasted for 15 or 20 minutes.  The fireworks exploding in the air to the background music of somebody’s car stereo crooning patriotic music in an operatic style. 

But, cheesy music aside, it was all worth it to see Rachael’s expressions.  You see, it was the first time that we took her to see fireworks, so she had to get over her initial fear that they where “going to get her”.  And once she did, she decided that she really “liked the blue ones”. 

It was a good time while it lasted.  But, when it ended, it was miserable.  We had to drive home.  And, so did everybody else.  And because Frisco has every road under construction and no road finished, our drive home became the longest 3 miles of my driving life.  I know, with absolute certainty that we could have walked the 3 miles faster than the hour and a half that it took us to drive it.  Getting home just before midnight was ridiculous, but I have never appreciated my soft bed more.

I’ll tell you what though, celebrating our country as everybody watches the same fireworks and everybody is equal in their participation and admiration of the display of patriotism stands in stark contrast to what people do when they get into their vehicles to drive home.  The people who were, not five minutes before, engaged in a community celebration of our nation, now had become a bunch of selfish and arrogant individuals, cutting each other off or not letting other people merge.  It sure is interesting that America is celebrated in community, but the minute that the show is over, the only American that matters is “me”.  I sure enjoyed the united America better than the driving one.  I guess our unity lasts only as long as the show is entertaining. 

Anyway, it was a good time, but next year I will figure out a way to avoid having to sit in traffic with all of those angry Americans again.

The movie finally started, but was the slowest movie I think that I have ever seen. I ended up falling asleep after about 15 minutes because it was so boring. I slept for about 15 mins or so, and the decided to get some coke and popcorn to try to keep me awake, but that didn’t work either. The movie had gone on for an hour and 15 minutes without anything happening and so being as tired as we were we left and went to bed.

Not much too exciting, but at least it was together.

Rachael also had a taste of something else new: beer. No, Alina and I are not bad parents, we did not give it to her nor would we ever (as we never want her to drink anyway). I usually would never criticize technology or video games more specifically for much of anything, but in this case it was motor biking on playstation that distracted my cousin (who set a beer down next to him) long enough for sneeky Rachael to get in and out of the room with a full can of beer. As she was trying to see what it tasted like, she dumped it all over herself. We don’t think that she got any into her mouth, but she sure needed a clothes change and a good long bath at home to get rid of the smell (which is sad because nothing smells better than a clean baby, it’s a shame to ruin that smell with alchohol wich I just can’t stand).

Anyway, aside from the alchohol, we all had a fun time.

While there she got a hold of one of those listerine pocket pack tabs. At first we thought se was just being fussy, but when Alina noticed her breath it all made sense. Poor girl, those things are strong.