Happy 4th of July!

Hey there! Happy Independence Day (or Thomas Jefferson Day, whichever you prefer). Since today was a federal holiday (and I knew going into it that I couldn't do anything about the class paperwork), I just took it as a me day. I played some Rock Band, chatted with a good friend via Facebook, and otherwise got some R & R.

Maryville has a yearly fireworks show out at Mozingo, but I didn't feel like driving out there tonight. Fortunately, I was able to see a "show" simply be walking around campus. Even as I stepped outside, I could hear the boom and crackle of fireworks coming from different directions all around me. I settled in near the music building since there were fireworks being launched a block-and-a-half away and it made for a good view. Of course, the fireworks that were being launched by whatever family it was were pretty similar, but there plenty of colors and some big ones at the end. There were some cracklers in the middle as well. Oh, and I also saw some candle lanterns drifting across the sky.

As I was watching the fireworks, I thought about previous 4th of July holidays. The most consistent thing I've done is watch fireworks, as you could probably guess. Bemidji had a big show out on the lake, although I remember being in the house during a year or two (it may have been too hot or buggy on a certain year). There was also a year when I remember watching the fireworks from scaffolding my dad had set up on our property for fixing the shingling. I've also had some 4th of July holidays either in Minneapolis or here in Maryville. Two summers ago, one of the hall directors invited me over to watch 1776 (the musical) and then see the fireworks from the roof of the building. The view was open enough to see the show at the lake as well as other shows going around a few different places around us. Last year, I was in Minneapolis with some college friends and I remember watching the fireworks from a bridge on campus near the boathouse. Oh, and there was the year that my parents and I went to my aunt's house and we had our own firework show. Until the law enforcement came to check in on us, that is. (Minnesota only allows certain types of fireworks.)

Of course, fireworks aren't the only thing I think of on July 4th. Bemidji has a big parade that I watched as a kid and marched in during high school. We never really had any big routines outside of playing, but it was still a good experience (and it helped to have a parade in Fort Frances for Canada Day as a "dress rehearsal"). There were other summers where I would be right in the thick of summer stock theater at the Playhouse. I can't remember specific shows that happened in early July, but it seems like that would be the kid's show or something a little lighter without extensive choreography. Oh, and Sousa marches. Since I heard it a lot as a kid (particularly on July 4th), Sousa marches have stuck with me, not to mention the memory of my sister playing piccolo in her high school band's rendition of Stars and Stripes Forever.

So, however you celebrate it, I hope you had a great 4th of July. Tomorrow is partially up in the air based on class stuff, but I will hopefully be in Minnesota within the next 24 hours. Here's wishing me luck to sorting things out as easily as possible. DFTBA