5th of July

I had to make a poetry notebook a couple of different times throughout my school years. When I was in sixth grade, I came across this poem about the 5th of July. I loved it. I don't remember exactly what it said. I wish I could find it, because I've thought about it all day.

When I was a kid, my neighbors were my best friends. And the 5th of July was one of our all-time favorite days of the year. My sister, Amy, and I would join Tida, Savannah, and Seth in the hunt for all the remnants of the previous night's festivities in our yards. It was like a scavenger hunt: papers, cones, shells, bottle rocket stems...we were ruthless and thorough in our searches. Our dads thought we were amazing.

Now that I've gotten older (notice I didn't say “grown up”), the 5th of July is a little different. The 5th of July means leftover hot dogs and Ibuprofen and nursing mosquito bites. And it can sometimes still involve hunting for those remnants, but it somehow has lost its charm.

What did I do yesterday? I had lunch with my mom and sister at my grandparents' house. We had Corky's ribs (the kind you buy in a box at the grocery store), baked beans (I make amazing baked beans), fresh corn on the cob, (woo-hoo for small town produce stands!) tossed salad, (again with the produce stands!) deviled eggs (made with Miracle Whip!), and rolls (the Hawaiian style). Triple chocolate cake (we call it the Matilda cake—ask me sometime--) and honest-to-goodness New York cheesecake (HEAVENNNNN) for dessert. I love my grandparents; no...I ADORE my grandparents. They are hands down the most loving and good individuals you will EVER meet. But..visiting my grandparents is always an adventure. To be fair, they are 94 and 93 years old (still living on their own), and totally stereotypical, as far as Southern grandparents go, so they are entitled to their eccentricities. But neither of my grandparents can hear very well (especially my grandmother, who has a chirping hearing aid, God bless her), so in order to carry on a conversation, one must scream slowly. And my grandfather has an endless supply of stories to share...so there's that. And they get so worried about things like whether or not we had enough to eat, and do we happen to need a super-dee-dooper-rotating-spice-rack because they got us one...

You get the picture.

We never stay long to visit because everyone is exhausted in the space of an hour and a half of togetherness.

Oh, and there's another bit. The 4th of July is a special day in our family. My grandparents had their first date on July 4, 1939...and they've been together ever since. They went to a church picnic together and my grandmother made pineapple and cream cheese sandwiches. So we always have pineapple and cream cheese sandwiches on the 4th of July, too.

So sweet.

After lunch, Mom and I came home got in the pool. It was delightful. I swam my laps and then lazed around on the float we have. After that, Kacy came over. The plan was that we were going back over to my grandparents' house that night to watch the Munford fireworks display and eat ice cream. Then a huge storm came up, and Kacy and I decided to go eat instead. We ate at Chili's and then came home, where, as it turned out, you could see the fireworks from my backyard. So we made the most amazing drinks (see recipe below) and watched fireworks. Not a bad 4th of July.

Erin's Yummy Drinks (I still need a name for them!)

1/3 cup orange sherbet, semi-softened
½ cup prepared fruit punch
2 or 3 or 8 shots of Hpnotiq or coconut rum.

Shake all together in a shaker until almost all sherbet is dissolved. Leave it a little clumpy. I don't normally like coconut rum, but it gives this drink an extra tropical burst that's heavenly...

The Weekend Starts on Thursday

Laura Harber came to visit this week and I was soooooooo excited to have company! Last night, I finally went to Country on Beale...Amy's been begging me to go with her since last year. Heidi Newfield and James Otto were performing last night and THEY were a real treat! I also got to experience Coyote Ugly...and the party people's lives are not complete without a trip there. :) AND, as luck would have it, I actually KNOW one of the Coyotes...we were in choir together in elementary school before she moved away. She recognized me immediately, though. And...have you ever been to a place with a bathroom attendant? Amazing. The bathroom attendant at Coyote Ugly opens your stall door and turns on the water faucet and pumps the soap for you. There's also gum and mints and A LOT of other stuff. Like lotion and hair pins. How about that? Beale Street was a ton of fun. I've lived in Memphis my entire life and I've never been to Beale Street at night. I can't wait to go back. I left around 11:00, so I had a good time without getting mixed up with the toe-up drunk crazies.

Today, Harb and I met Sarah Beth and Brittany for lunch. Brittany's wedding is in November, so we got to talk over some of the details. Soooo nice to be back with some of the Tri Gam girls--makes me miss Julie and Melissa!

Haven't heard from the boy in a couple of days. Blah.

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