July 4th Weekend
 

What are you doing for the 4th? Besides a BBQ and fireworks that is??

My cousin's getting married in Negril, so the whole gang is heading out there for the long weekend.

...should be nice.

Hollywood Bowl, Happiest Music on Earth. Yay!

Flying across the country on the 2nd, chillin' at my sister's house in Battle Ground, Washington for a week! The majority of that time will be spent playing with her 3 boys - 8.5, 6.5 and 1.5! (And the youngest has changed a lot since they visited me for Mardi Gras in January!)

She lives at the end of a cul-du-sac and the two houses on each side of her all have a big potluck/party, with lots of crossover between the houses on the actual Fourth. And when it starts to get dark, all the cars are removed from the circle part of the street and then in the middle of the street everyone fires off the pyrotechnics they bought.

Where they live, 'everything' is legal, so some of the guests/hosts drop a bit of money at the local stands, and the combined show is quite long, even if it's not exactly timed to music. It's nice how they have it set up, safety wise, 'cause all the kids stay on the sidewalk/front yards unless they are helping do a special thing with an adult, and with really just the three houses pointing to that part of the street, there's not too many adults to keep track of so you aren't lighting something off that's going to fly toward someone else in the middle of something.

They pick up the big stuff that night, but the next morning, the hosts are all out sweeping up the street (though overnight guests have been known to help, though last year I had kid duty :) ).

I'm supposed to have fireworks and BBQ and other plans? Uh oh.

As usual, I am working: DJing a large backyard party overlooking Laguna Harbor. I get to play the music while the folks watch the Laguna fireworks.

We used to watch the Marymoor fireworks from my parents' deck, but this year they've moved the festivities so we probably won't do anything on the actual 4th. But either Saturday or Sunday my parents will probably host a big meal and we'll celebrate my husband's birthday (the 6th) and so forth.

I'll be in Texas!!! YeeeHaaawww!

I'm more than happy about that!

We'll spend Saturday at the city park, playing games, watching some really bad local entertainment - mainly anyone and everyone who "thinks" they can sing!

We'll eat great food and the bank in town does free ice cold watermelon every year!

Then we'll go watch the Patriotic Extravaganza - think Pollyanna! Very dorky...but always makes me tear up!

Followed by fireworks afterward!

Then I'll go spend horridly massive amounts of money to buy the kids fireworks then we'll go out of the city limits and pop as many as we can!

Then we'll spend the rest of the night watching the kids try not to set each other on fire with sparklers!

There's a town by the name of Battle Ground? COOL!

It all sounds like fun. I've got to think up something good. Maybe crash Kevy Baby's party??

Maryland crabs, a keg of Boddingtons and a Malibu sunset. Should be good.