How We Spent Our Fourth of July

I took the girls to the park and Barnes & Noble this morning so Andrew could clean the carpet in their room. He started to work in the kitchen as well. We grilled out for lunch and had some yummy corn on the cob (it wouldn't be Fourth of July without grilling out!). Then I did some touch up paint in the bathroom and the girls' room. We cleared out anything extraneous from their room and took pictures for our realtor. Then quickly put the stuff back (the whole idea is to get people interested and in the front door, right?).

Then we packed up the car and drove over to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for what was supposed to be Southern California's largest and longest fireworks display. The show is supposedly put on by the same people who do the Olympics and the Super Bowl. We exit the freeway and find a good place to park and see about 75 people sitting relaxing waiting for the fireworks to start. (There are thousands more right by the Rose Bowl, we were a little further away. Trying to beat out traffic issues.)

We find our spot and settle in. More and more people join us. Then, we hear the familiar boom of the first rocket's red glare, but "Where are they?" All of sudden, all 250-300 people around us realize the fireworks are right behind this large (and the only) patch of trees! I've never seen so many people get up in a mad dash and move across the street at one time! Andrew and I stayed put for a minute trying to decide our next step. After a minute or two, we gather up the girls and leave our stuff and join the mass. But our view was horrible. So we got in the car and drove closer. We had a great view from the car for about 3 or 4 firecrackers. Then we found a great place to park and were able to see them if we just walked a few feet. The anticipation for the finale rose with each new boom. Then about five went off at the same time and I said to Ella, "Here we go, this is the start of the Finale!" Then it was over. I stood there stunned. THAT was the finale. No way, there had to be more. NOPE. THAT was it, five measly little booms. All from the people who brought you the Olympic and Super Bowl fireworks. Well, I certainly hope they put more effort into those!

So we got back in the car, highly disappointed, beat the masses driving home, and drove past the Rose Bowl on the freeway. There was a GIANT flame shooting into the sky by the Rose Bowl. And I mean ginormous when I say GIANT! Okay, so feeling slightly guilty about calling the finale weak, we start to worry that something went very wrong and that they had to cut the finale short and that was why it was so lame. We put the girls to bed and turned on the news. But all we can find is a perky second rate reporter telling us that all was well at Amerifest and that the Rose Bowl fireworks were great! So hmmm.....a giant flame shooting into the sky is NORMAL after a large fireworks show? Okay, filing that one away into my misc. completely trivial knowledge. *Back to being disappointed with the finale*

But overall, we had fun "trying" to see the fireworks and as you can see, makes for a good story. Hope you all had a safe and festive Fourth!