I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandee?

I am not sure what I Yankee Doodle Dandee is, nor have I ever stuck a feather in my hat and called it macaroni- but I do know that I had a Yankee Doodle of a good time Independence Day- 2004.

The weekend started off slowly, like those snakes you used to light as a kid. What exactly were those things made of? And why were they even considered Fireworks? Anyway, things started to wind up Saturday morning when I went on a treachorous bike ride with Dumas and Cody. We decided to blaze a new trail in McKinney- it was a nightmare. Cody and Dumas seemed to have little trouble navigating the tight turns and muddy paths riddle with roots and limbs and poison ivy. I wasn't so lucky. I think I have put on at least 20 pounds this year, and since I stopped playing Ulitmate Frisbee, my physical shape is definitely not at its apex. More to the point, my fat butt was tired after just a couple of miles of winding trails and humid heat. I prayed to God above for a reprieve from this hell on wheels, and he heard my cry and delivered me- Dumas had a flat. Praise be to Jesus!

So Cody rode back to the truck and came and picked us up and we went on our merry way to Taco Cabana. Cody and Dumas think that I go bike riding for the fun of the ride, I really do it because when we are done we always go to Taco Cabana and feast like lions on a freshly captured gazelle. The company is possibly some of my most favorite in the world, I love those two young men as if they were my little brothers, and they are two of the funniest people I have ever met.

Later that day I went home and took a deliciously long nap to prepare myself for the evening's festivities. After packing a bag, I drove to Cody's house- literally my home away from home, and that is where the fun began.

Nita had invited the whole family over for a Fourth of July dinner of succulent Beer Brats, Hotdogs, baked beans, Mindis' magically delicious potato salad, and ice cold Dr. Pepper- it doesn't get much better than that. We ate and talked and then we ate some more. I love these people, love them as if I have known them my whole life, and I feel special just to be able to be a part of these simple times.

Later we drove out to see the Fireworks put on by Denton Kiwanas (sp?). The show was mildly good, but whatever gives you an excuse to load up the kids and drive out and park on the side of the road with 20,000 other people is worth the excursion. We had a good time,the mosquitoes didn't devour me like they normally do, the weather was nice and breezy, I had a great time.

Sunday morning is one of my favorite time at the Miller's. They always have steeping hot coffee ready when I wake up, they don't make it especially for me, but I pretend that they do. We normally sit around and talk, read the paper a little bit, watch the cooking shows, and the Nita makes a late breakfast. Yesterday it was breakfast burrito's and pancakes- as always it was the best breakfast I have ever had, better than the week before, and better than the week before that.

Mindi came over and hung out with us and then Nita had the idea that we should play Nertz. The game started with just Nita, Mindi, and myself, but then Steve and Sean joined us and we had a blast. Mindi won.

Later that night we went out to Nik and Carrie's. They live way out in the country and they invited the whole family and a few friends out for fajitas. The food was delicious, chips, beans, queso, guacamole, the usual Fourth Fare. We sat around the table and talked, we played with a cute little red-headed baby, we waited until it got dark.

Darkness came and with it the red rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air...

Everyone around Nik and Carrie's house apparently invested a month's salary in fireworks. From around 9:30 till midnight we watched a 360 degree fireworks show. Nik and Carrie had quite a few fireworks themselves, and it was probably the second best Fourth that I have ever had- the first being at Big Cedar Lodge.

We stayed up till midnight, we laughed and laughed, and laughed. I put on a couple of mini-sketches, Spartan Cheerleaders- an old routine memorized in a past life that somehow merged with this one.

Nik put 16 large fireworks together for a big finale. It didn't go quite as planned, field caught on fire in five places. It was hilarious watching us run through the darkness stomping the fires out. The laughter, the shrieks, a few more laughs- something to talk about on Tuesday back at the office. I lost my wallet during the stampede, but we found it without too much trouble. The night could only have been more complete if Dumas had been there, the cast from Friends, and a bucket of Starbucks Mocha Mud Pie Ice cream covered with magic shell- but, it gives us something to shoot for next year.

Thanks Nik and Carrie for the good times, and Thanks Millers for the love, the coffee, and the laughs...

It was a very Happy Fourth of July indeed.