Independence Day

So this is a little post to tell you about our Fourth celebrations, and, thematically, to inform you (that don't already know) that I am now "free and independent", because we have bitten the bullet and purchased a van. Yes, we have a new van. Didn't take very long, did it, after Jeff got promoted? Those of you who know me well will agree that we really needed a 2nd car, and a mini-van will be particularly useful to us, as it's much cheaper to drive to California, for example, than fly 5 people there. What a big family we've become!
So the big question you must ask yourself before you buy your new vehicle is, WHAT COLOR SHOULD IT BE? The answer: red. We bought a red Kia Sedona, which seats 8. Most everyone in our family got a little say in what they wanted, namely: Jeff wanted it to be a van; I wanted it to be a Kia & to have an entertainment system (DVD player); and Noah wanted it to be red. Dillon wanted candy and Zoe wanted booje. So, not really helpful on the last two there. But we all are happy with it, except for Zoe, who absolutely detests riding in her car seat and starts screaming upon sight of it.
Yes, I wanted the DVD player in it...if you've ever been on a multiple-day car trip with small children, you'll know why. And wonderfully, we got the system installed at a big discount because the Kia dealer here couldn't locate the van we wanted with the entertainment system factory-installed, so they had a local company do it....you can't tell the difference, and the cost was significantly less! So much for the bells and whistles. Jeff did a lot of research on the Kia Sedona, and it's really a great van, great bang for the buck. So far it drives really well and everything is working great. I guess I'm now that person, the mother of 3 who drives a mini-van. Not so bad after all. You've just got to yield to the inevitable, surrender to the madness, people.

On to other things: our 1st Fourth of July in Waco. It can be summed up in this small sentence: don't watch the fireworks from the bridge. Thank you. We'll be here all week. Try the veal.

Seriously: it was a little scary. Every year, apparently, they do a fireworks extravaganza from the Brazos River, and the "party" scene encompases this large area, which includes 2 older suspension bridges which they still have open. Kinda neat & festive, right? We thought so too. We ate dinner (term used losely...some HIGHLY overpriced cold cheeseburgers and some not-so-bad corndogs), wandered around, kids jumped in the bouncy houses, etc, just generally took in the scenery. Not so bad. Pretty crowded. Then we decide to go up on the bridge. So we do, and we bunk down, along with many others, on one of the ledges at the side, to wait for the fireworks. This was about 9PM. The foot traffic on the bridge was pretty heavy: it was like a promenade, people walking up & down, with folks waiting for the fireworks on the side. But the foot traffic just kept getting heavier and heavier, and as time went on, it was mostly young (teenage) black kids...like the whole black youth of Waco turned out on that particular bridge to party hardy. Long story short, every 15 min. or so some idiot would set off a LARGE FIRECRACKER right in the middle of the bridge, sending about, oh, 500 kids (mostly young, possibly drunk/stoned teenagers) screaming and running in any direction. It was a terrific recipe for someone to get stampeded or injured, not to mention burned by the firecrackers. We were right in the middle of the bridge, and it made me pretty nervous. But by the time this started happening there were so many people on the bridge that getting off was going to take a long time, and we had waited quite awhile for the fireworks, so we decided to stay and hope for the best. Obviously we're still here, so nothing untoward happened, but still...I can see how the mob mentality gets ahold of large groups. There was a moment where we were all trying to get off the bridge at once, when the fireworks were over, and somehow the whole bridge started to sway with the weight and momentum of so many people walking on it, and there was a bad minute where you COULDN'T HELP but sway it, to walk that way, and of course there was a sea of people in front and behind, so we were just trapped on the thing. Claustrophobic. Some kids started to scream and push, etc. Moral of story: we're probably not going to be doing that again on the 4th.
(The below pic is of the boys sitting on the suspension wires of the bridge while Jeff holds them both. My boys.)

Yesterday Jeff had off also, and we had a nice relaxing BBQ. I drank too much for the 1st time in a long while. Jeff caught it on camera:

When I fall off the wagon, man, I really fall. Notice the cookies.

And lastly, Miss Zoe Boe wishes you all a suspension-bridge-free Fourth of July, with a half masticated cookie in her mouth. Peace out.