Fun, dirty, hot, a bit creepy ~ yes.
Wholesome ~ not so much.
It was planned out with the best of intentions. My girlfriend, Margi, and I had scoped out online all kinds of places that was showing local fireworks. Not on Thursday night (the 3rd) or on Saturday night (the 5th) but you know, on the 4th of July. With the rest of the country.
We found out that the local horse racing track was doing fireworks after the last race. So, the plan was meet up for dinner, go see the horseys, and then watch the fireworks.
In.air.condition.
So, that morning, the girls and I went to the parade, grabbed lunch at Sonic to take home, the girls napped, I took them to the pool that afternoon and then it was off to meet more friends for dinner and festivities.
We're makin' memries' here.
We met the Howard's at On the Border for dinner. The iced tea hadn't even been ordered when the night immediately went downhill.
That would be when my elbow knocked the hot sauce out of the waiter's hand and all over Gregg's white tshirt and khaki shorts. And my denim shorts and red shirt. And my purse. (5min earlier..."I'll just stick some wipes in my purse instead of taking Paige's bag in"....)
Yes, I am clumsy like that on a regular basis. But my back was towards husband and the waiter because I was discussing the vast differences of cheese quesadillas and cheese nachos to my two and five year old.
Choose pppllleeeaaaassseeee, dear children. Cheese on a chip or cheese in a tortilla??!!
Gregg hurried himself off to the bathroom to clean the RED sauce out of his white tshirt.
Like that was going to come out.
Then when he came back, me and my purse went to go clean up. The purse wiped up good. I wiped off the excess sauce off my clothes. No worries, I'm a mom. I'm stained, wet, and smelly on a regular basis.
When we were almost finished with our dinner, Ana and family walked by. Crazy to see all of our dear friends in one day!
I love how it is, indeed, a small world after all.
After the restaurant, it was close to 8pm but Gregg needed some new clothes. Seriously. We backtracked to the closest Walmart so I could run in and get husband a new outfit. (Target was way down the road and any nicer stores were closed for the night)
It wasn't in the best part of town but I ran in to find Gregg something that would get him through the next couple of hours. After much searching, I found a navy pullover and some khaki shorts that were not folded and on hangers. Because there was no going home to run the iron over them.
When I got back in the car, Gregg was all disgusted at how ghetto the Walmart was like his own store in South Dallas. He said he saw one of his thieves walk into the store while her pimp waited in the getaway car for her.
Macy said she saw Keith Urban. But Gregg said it was just a tan, homeless man with long hair.
I jumped in the drivers seat so Gregg could change clothes while going down the access road. And I told him to just go on and ignore the fact that his new shorts had a teeny Wrangler tag on the cargo pocket.
We are not country folk like that.
Apparently, everyone in the metroplex decided that a/c and fireworks were a good combo. We turned out of the parking lot as soon as we turned in and called the Howard's for a Plan B.
Then the wailing in the backseat about not seeing horseys deafened me for a good 247 seconds.
Lo, and behold!
Santa has a cousin who lives on Skid Row! And for $10, he'd let me park in his parking lot so the kiddies can see some fireworks.
just south of that beard is a wad full of $10 bills...And in case we need some refreshments, there was a snack shack waiting for us!
I parked the Murano and jumped out to hold the spot next to me for Margi (who was in line).
Get this. A lady in a minivan pulled right on up to me. I sweetly told her that my friend who was in line was going to park next to us. She snorted, "so you're saving this space?" Yep.
Then, with her windows rolled down, she cackled her ride the 20 yrds to the next available space. I'm like, "Gregg! Do you hear that woman laughing at me??!!"
It was all I could do not to walk on over to her and have some church right then and there.
All was forgotten when all five kids ~ ages 5 and under ~ reunited.
I love how Baby Gannon is giving a thumbs up.
Margi and I quickly ran off so we could get a closer look at Santa and the snack shack. And decided that probably inside the shack were some bathrooms that nobody was going to be using that night. Funny thing is, the kids never asked to go. And the adults, well, we held it.
Walking back to the car, I saw husband in his new threads.
Clearly, he's thrilled to see me.
Delirium started setting in with Paigey choking and poking.
And even a Kleenex box had lost it's battle in the wrestling pit.
It was time to call an intervention in the form of lets-turn-on-a-movie-in-the-truck. I turned on Leap Frog Letter Factory and told the kids go on and learn something.
I got crazy with the camera and did another one of those hold your arms out and shoot pics. It took us almost 11 years to do the 1st one, but by golly, we've done 2 in a month now!
(July 3rd marked 11 yrs since our 1st date)
Once the kids could each recite all of the alphabet and their sounds, we let them back out of the truck. It was nearing 10:00 and surely, the fireworks were going to start!
Brandon and Gregg took over the tailgating. And Macy and Preston later enjoyed some time together ~ with their clothes on.
I love how when Preston smiles, you can see every single one of his teeth...
Finally! Some fireworks showed up behind the snack shack! (But really, the real fireworks were to be in front of us, not behind us.) We let the kids that was it and it was time to go now.
Once we got all five kids loaded in the cars, there was a little tap-tap at the window. The sweet girl parked next to us had just heard from a friend (that was really at the racetrack)and word had it that the real fireworks were about to begin.
Aw crap.
We got all the kids out again and got them into position.
And the twinkle in their eyes made it all worth it.
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