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Saturday, July 4, 2009

~ Happy Independence Day ~


By Tina~in_ut

I can't stand the 4th of July. It's my least favorite Holiday. It makes me nervous to watch my kids lighting fireworks. The dog and cat go crazy. Someone always gets hurt. The neighbors think it's great to light illegal fireworks and I'm afraid they will land on my house and it'll catch on fire! I usually try to work on that day.


When Carol asked me to write this blog, I started laughing. I asked her if I should write about how much I can't stand it! Then I remembered one 4th of July that I just loved and had a wonderful time with my family:


When the twins were about 4 or 5 yrs old, my hubby had a conference in Alexandria, VA, and since his room was paid for and we could fly free, we all went with him. It was at the end of June and we decided to extend our stay to be there for the 4th of July. It was on a Sunday and, of course, we had to find a church to go to. I always thought that the National Cathedral was the Catholic Cathedral. I'm so glad it isn't, as that puppy is one ugly church. So off we went early to church at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. As my youngest said that day, over and over, "It takes two twains to get to the chuwch! The wed one and the gween one!" He had trouble with his R's and sometimes his L's. The basilica was enormous. There was so much to see after mass.


The entire time we were in D.C., it was over 100 degrees and much of the country was experiencing the same heat wave. Instead of going straight to the Mall after church to await the fireworks, we spent 6 hours in the Basilica visiting the 70 chapels, the cafeteria, and the bookstore. There we found THE most precious item for my youngest.....his Capitoh watoh bottoh (Capital water bottle). The kid was obsessed with going to the Capitol. We never could figure out why.


After that, we started off for the Mall. It was still early.....hours before dusk. On our way, we found that the National Archives was open. The kids were bored because it's hard to explain the importance of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights to someone so young. One thing they did understand, though, was that the air conditioning was on in the building!


We couldn't stall any longer, and off we went to find a place to sit at the National Mall and wait to see the fireworks. It seemed like we sat there sweating our buns off forever, but it really wasn't more than a couple of hours. By the time the fireworks started, my kids and hubby had their shirts off and we were all drenched. I forgot that the twins didn't like loud noises. I ended up with my youngest in my lap. There is nothing nastier than a kid drenched in sweat sitting in your lap!!!! He covered his ears the entire time and had that worried look on his face. The fireworks were spectacular. Of course, when it was over, my scared little child was just as excited as everyone else around him and back to his old self.


I don't think you can describe the experience of spending Independence Day in Washington, D.C. It's incredible, fantastic, over-the-top, and makes you proud to be an American. I can, though, describe what it's like for hundreds of thousands of your closest friends to head for the same subway at the same time! SCARY!! In all the mayhem, I ran into a co-worker, which was really weird. And while I was trying to talk to him, my youngest was pulling on my arm. He wanted to know if we were taking "two twains or just one!"


Happy Independence Day to all~


(and happy birthday to Tucker!) :D


117 comments:

Tina~in_ut said...

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Tina~in_ut said...

cool~

Tina~in_ut said...

wow....off to read the blog~

Tina~in_ut said...

wow...that's huge type!

Tina~in_ut said...

lol~

MEK in AZ said...

Happy 4th of July!!

Good Morning..

Tina - congrats on First thru five.

:-)

off to read the blog...

I hope everyone has an excellent day!
:-)

Tina~in_ut said...

cool....you can edit even after it's posted....THANK GOD!!! you should have seen how large the type was!!~ he-he~

good morning mek~

back to bed~ I need my beauty sleep~

MEK in AZ said...

Tina- yes, the print was HUGE - LOL

thanks for sharing your story..

there is nothing like an AMAZING firework display...

SO - was it one twain or two..
:-)

Happy Birthday, Tucker!!!

MEK in AZ said...

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I'm off to the dog park!!!

(p.s. - Mr. MEK can not even believe that I get up early to do this... )...

Lynn D said...

Morning Glories!

Tina cheaqted! She got first again!

Hi MEK happy Walkies!

No I have not started drinking yet. Tempting tho.

Tina I really am not fond of the 4th either. Every year living in the country we worry about someone setting our back 4 acres on fire. It drives me crazy.

I do have a few good memories from when I was a kid. My parents used to pack us up with blankets and a cooler and we would head off to Green lake in Seattle. The adults would scope out a spot and the kids would run around like little crazy people. Then it would get dark and I can remember laying on my little patch of blanket, back to the ground mesmerized by the fire works.

I won't go into the year I burned the shit out of my thumb with a sparkler!

I loved your memory. It would be wonderful to see the fireworks in our nations capital.

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY OWLS!

Tinkatia said...

Good Morning Owls. I just have one eye open. My MacBook is by my bed. I will be back when I am fully awake. I wished everyone a Happy 4th after midnight but I will do it again. Have a great one.

Tinkatia said...

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Good Morning Tina (first) and Mek (tenth) and last but never least Lynn.

Owls are busy or sleepy this morning.

Tinkatia said...

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Tinkatia said...

Loved your blog Tina. Have a wonderful day.

Tinkatia said...

I got in late last night and then couldn't sleep. I was excited to be home.

Tinkatia said...

We had a wonderful relaxing time at the Trout Farm.

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Tinkatia said...

Our trout farm is a beautiful 37 acres of trees with 3 lakes stocked with trout. It is nestled in the Sooke hills and reminds me of the Walton's. We have a 5th wheel that overlooks one of the lakes. I should have taken a picture. I hadn't seen it in 20 years but it remains pretty much the same, Nature's beauty. It is so quiet there. All one can hear are the birds and the odd loud raven. We had a wonderful July 1.and didn't miss the celebrations here in town. Apparently they got pretty rowdy this year.
Tango and Tia loved it there but I kept them on leashes as I was afraid they may chase a rabbit or squirrel and get lost in the woods. As they transform from city dogs to country ones I will slowly give them freedom. Speaking of my 'fur babies' I must feed them. I will try and catch up with comments today.

I missed you all. Once again. Happy July 4th.

Tinkatia said...

Hi Zona - Tell me all about your visit.

Carol - I sent out Happy 4th comments last night. When I came to your myspace the comment box came up with the word "submit". Usually once you click 'paste' it changes to "preview". On your site it wouldn't change. If I submitted it, it would submit only the code. Do you or anyone else know why that would happen?

Tinkatia said...

It's a beautiful warm summer day here. I must get out and water the plants on my deck. I will be back later.

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Sorry, once again I messed up the numbers.

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Now they are correct.

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East Bay J said...

Good morning!

Congrats on 1st again Tina, and on a wonderful blog!

I think 4th of July in DC would be spectacular...how lucky that you and your family got to experience that.

My favorite 4th was one year in Lake Tahoe. Every year the local fire dept. puts on a fireworks display from the beach. We watched from the pier and it was unbelievabe, and AMAZING.

We are headed out a little later for a holiday bbq.

Hi MEK, Lynn and Tinka!

I hope everyone has a nice day, and please drive safely!

We heard there will be lots of CHP checkpoints out later on.

Be back later!

Tinkatia said...

Good Morning East Bay J - I always love watching the American fireworks on T.V. They must be spectacular in person. Ours are never as long as yours.

Tinkatia said...

I have so much to do and no energy to do it.

Tinkatia said...

VIG - How are you doing? Did you have a good Canada Day?

Tinkatia said...

Shirley - What did you do for the holiday?

Tinkatia said...

I am up for a march. Anyone with me?

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I guess you are all having fun. See you later.

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kahonugrl said...

Happy Birthday Tucker. Hopefully Mom will let you have an extra walk, a bicsuit or two, a pat on the head, a scratch behind the ear, and be let out of the garage.


Seriously tho....

Wishing everyone a safe and happy 4th. Have your water hoses at the ready~

Just_Lin said...

Shoot, Kgrl! I was reading comments and, all the while, you were marching behind my back! LOL Congrats on your patriotic 69. I wonder...is that possible?

Tina I think you're cheaqting when you arrive first on your own blog. JMHO :D Congrats anyway and thanks for the great blog. You are a terrific story teller.

I also dislike July 4 because of all the illegal fireworks. They start days ahead and continue long past the 4th. Granted, they are pretty to look at exploding high in the sky but I worry about the fire hazard. Then there are the a-holes who are always setting off M80's which are nothing but a huge boom and makes me feel like I'm in a war zone. Many animals have been injured on the 4th because they are so freaked out.

When my kids were really small, the City used to put on a spectacular fireworks display at the beach, shooting them over the water. It was really beautiful with the colors exploding in the sky and reflecting off the ocean.

Tinka Welcome home. I'm glad you had such a nice time. And congrats on 25 and 50, too! You are getting very good at marching to both at the same time.

Just_Lin said...

Neil Diamond is performing with the Boston POPS tonight.

Just_Lin said...

Did I scare everyone away? I'm going to get a complex.

Zona said...

Hi J/L! :D

TINA: Gret blog today..as always. I can really identify with the drenched parts.. ;)

I like when you share your travels with us..very cool..hot, but cool..if ya know what I mean. ;)

Thanks for the blog today TINA..and Happy Birthday Tucker..you sweetie.

Zona said...

TINA: Congrats on being FIRST firecracker today.. ;)

MEK: I haven't been outside yet, is it hot? ;)

LYNND: My fave part of the fireworks show was always sayin'..'OOOOOO'...'AHHHHH'.. how 'bout you? ;)

TINKA: I'm glad you had such a wonderful time..Tango and Tia too! :)

EBJ: I have always wanted to see fireworks over the water..it must be just beautiful.

KGRL: So..was that an oooo ahhhh kinda 69 for the 4th? :D

J/L: Fireworks are illegal here too, but we always see and hear them all over the neighborhood. A couple years ago one hit my neighbor's dog. Crazy.

Zona said...

Happy 4th of July everyone. I hope ya'all have a wonderful day and night..enjoy the fireworks!

And when you "OOOOO" and "AHHHHH" think of me..lol..

Mary/MI said...

Good afternoon everyone! I am just making a quick fly-by.

Tina I loved your D.C. blog! How exciting to have been there during the 4th!

A friend just stopped by to borrow a microphone and cable. He was all excited about the fireworks display he was putting on by the Grand River tonight. The river is only a couple miles from our house. There will fire works in I Ionia and Westphalia also. We are smack in the middle! Our poor dog!

I better get, Mr Mary is tapping his foot. We are going to the Catholic Festival tonight. They are having a Vegas tent :)

Have a wonderful & safe night everyone!

Just_Lin said...

Zona It is actually legal in this town to sell and buy Safe & Sane type fireworks. But it's just that so many people have the illegal ones, you know, the kind that go shooting way up high over the whole neighborhood, bursting into 3-6 bursts of different colors. They are pretty much professional grade in the hands of amateurs. I think alot of them come from underground sources in San Francisco's China Town. Slani just told me that she saw on the news that it isn't just M-80's that they're setting off now, which sound like a bomb went off, but there are now M-1000's! It really is like a war zone. :(

sacBarb said...

Just flying by to wish you all a Happy 4th of July Owls.

I'll try to get back later.

Tina~in_ut said...

I told you guys I didn't care for the 4th~ Look what happened to Eunice~

Just_Lin said...

Tina OMG! Looks like Eunice was sucking on a bottle rocket! LOL

Just_Lin said...

Hi SacBarb! I hope you and Chad are both doing well and able to enjoy the holiday.

Dianne/Denver said...

Happy 4th of July to everyone. We are waiting for the fireworks to start at 10PM so we have a few hours of rain. We reserved a table at our hotel but we have to be out on the deck by 7PM and now it is raining and thundering and cold. I keep wondering if this is worth it for ten minutes of fireworks. We have the five grandkids with us too.

Good blog Tina. How fun to be in DC for the holiday. I love your story about the kids.

Well, I had better get with the rest of the group. see ya' all later.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne It sounds like you are going to have a very interesting evening. Just remember....you're making memories.

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Tedious is as Tedious does.

MEK in AZ said...

Just Lin - I'll break your magical spell!!

and I agree - the illegal fireworks will be out of control..

MEK in AZ said...

Zona - OOOOOOOOO and AAHHHHH and YES, it's hot out there...

Dianne - our Rockies are winning in Denver!!! :-) hope they keep it up...

MEK in AZ said...

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Just Lin - I LOVED your tediousness tonight!!
:-)

MEK in AZ said...

Dianne - you could drink an awful lot of tall beers while waiting for the fireworks..

I heard they canceled the Memorial Park celebration in Colorado Springs because of budget.

Down here - they canceled the fireworks, but private donors raised enough money to let the show go on........

bonachichi said...

It's almost over, but Happy 4th to all anyway.

I used to like fireworks when I was a kid. My kids enjoyed them as well. Now they're illegal unless you have a pyro or demo certification.

Once we had to discharge deton cord, which sounds like a bomb. We spent the next few days yelling, "WHAT??" because our ears were still ringing.

Tina, Eunice doesn't seem to be in a patriotic mood today. I hope she's well.

Jodi said...

TINA - Luv your blog!! I was just hiding when Paul and the boys were shooting off their stash of stuff!! Thankfully they didn't blow each other up or burn the house down. And my.....looks like Eunice didn't fare too well!!!

Wishing everyone a fun and safe holiday weekend!!

night.owls.sb said...

Hi Everyone..

Whew.. what a crazy couple of days.. I had a blast, the fam was great.. The weather good.. The food delish.. The drinks plentiful.. I came hone 2nite and decided to head into Hoboken to see the Macys firework display the fireworks come out of NYC, there is a perfect view from the Hudson River in Hoboken.. But... We could not find parking, we drove around for a hour in and out of tiny, tiny streets.. No luck, so we left and viewed them on the drive back..

Still had fun, but I was def disappointed.. there is always next year..

Tina.. thanks for 2days blog..

Mo.. thanks for yesterday's blog..

Happy 4th to all, hope all had a good day..

I have to catch up on comments and e-mails.. so I will bbl..

:O)

Just_Lin said...

MEK I guess we are all here because of our willingness to be unapologetically TEDIOUS!!! :D

night.owls.sb said...

I am officially exhausted.. the two margarita's did not help any :O)

I have to finish catch up tomorrow..

Off to la la land..

:O)

MEK in AZ said...

cpgem - glad you had a good time..

Just Lin - looks like Jodi's family will be the one catching all of our houses on fire!!!

AND - the illegal shit has started happening in my neighborhood and so far - our little one is NOT doing very well .......

AND - the bugs that have arrived in our backyard are quite scary - i think they have come from the depths of the earth (the big gapping hole)..... YIKES!!!

Jodi said...

ATTN: KMART SHOPPERS!!

I talked to SACBARB today. Her son is still fighting the infection and is on a new antibiotic. She is now staying for another month. She says to say hi to everyone!!

BACK TO YOUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED BLOGGING!!!

Just_Lin said...

Jodi Thank you for the update. Gee, I sure hope the new antibiotic works for Chad. I'll be sending extra strong healing thoughts his way. Many (((hugs))) to SacBarb.

iteach said...

Happy 5th of July everyone!
I'm off to bed.

Dianne/Denver said...

Everyone is asleep, fireworks over and son's family back to the campground and I am finishing my second coffee and baileys (had a marg earlier). Ahhh..silence and warm in my jammies. It was a nice night of sitting on the deck with the beautiful view of the mountains and the lake and a full moon. I think I am getting old because I am too on edge with the five kids all day. Yes, it was cold but everyone was dressed for it and we had some blankets and the tables at our hotel had fireplaces in the middle and the best was that it has been no rain and dry since about 3pm. I would still rather be in our 37 degree weather than 105 where my brother is visiting in Houston!

I hope you all had a nice day and Eunice...you might need a make-over

Ok...think I will go to bed now as we head home tomorrow.

Just_Lin said...

Dianne It sounds like a very nice evening. I am coveting your Bailey's! I wish I could have one but I've already had all of my daily calorie allowance. Bummer!

Dianne/Denver said...

JUST/LIN: HEY,isn't it a new day and new calorie start? It's July 5th....bottoms up

Just_Lin said...

Dianne My bottoms already big enough. LOL I have to save my calories for nourishment. Maybe if I have enough left over one of these nights, I'll be able to have a little Bailey's. I'll have to see what the calorie count is for that. Probably high, huh?

Well, I'm fading here so I'm going to be signing off.

Sweet dreams, HOoters.

Dianne/Denver said...

J/L...put it in coffee...no calories there and count it as low fat milk...there---problem solved