The adventure of my Reverse Oregon Trail continued with some Fourth of July fun, Western PA style.
It rained most of the day yesterday, which meant most of the official fireworks displays were a bust, but when you grow up in this neck of the woods, canceled fireworks don’t actually cancel fireworks.
Because everyone in the neighborhood starts launching their own.
So Mom grabbed an umbrella, Dad hauled the camp chairs to the end of the driveway, and Emma (yes…Tow Truck Emma from last week's adventure 😆) and I settled in to see what the redneck village had in store.
Spoiler alert: it did not disappoint.
1️⃣ I Forgot How Different It Is Here
I've lived in Colorado long enough that I'd honestly forgotten how popular backyard fireworks are “back East.”
Where I live now, fireworks and the Fourth of July usually come with a healthy dose of wildfire anxiety, which means they’re canceled before they're ever scheduled, and hearing a boom in the sky triggers immediate sirens.
So sitting at the end of my parents' driveway watching fireworks launch from what felt like every backyard in a three-mile radius was…an experience. Funny how a place can surprise you.
💡 Reminder: Sometimes you don't realize what's unique about where you grew up until you leave it.
2️⃣ Sometimes, You Just Have to Be There
At first we sat at the end of the driveway, then the rain came back, and we retreated to the porch, and that’s where the real fun began.
Welcome to a tennis game of fireworks.
"Oh! Over there!"
"No, behind us!"
"Wait…look left!"
Every explosion had us swiveling our heads in a different direction, trying to figure out whose backyard had just lit up the sky. If this seems like an over-dramatization, think again. At one point, I counted at least 22 different sources of fireworks, all visible from Mom and Dad’s back porch.
I've never worked so hard to watch fireworks in my life. 😂
💡 Reminder: It's okay to enjoy something wonderfully ridiculous.
3️⃣ Fun From Afar is Contagious
Somewhere down the street, there was one guy who had apparently reached the perfect level of Fourth of July enthusiasm.
Every time another firework went up, we'd hear…
"HERE WE GOOOOOOO!"
You know the voice.
The one that only appears when someone has enjoyed approximately six domestic beers. By the end of the night, we not only felt like we were part of the party, but we also knew exactly when to jerk our heads in that general direction. 😆
💡 Reminder: Enthusiasm spreads.
4️⃣ Taco Dip. Strawberry Pretzel Salad. Lightning Bugs. Fireworks.
If you know…you know.
💡 Reminder: Sometimes all it takes is one smell, one sound, or one taste to take you home.
5️⃣ Colorado Brain vs. Pennsylvania Brain
I'll admit that the first time I heard a random firework sometime Friday night, I had to my Colorado brain immediately think,
"Oh no…"
But after a few minutes I remembered where I was…in a palace that is so humid af nothing could possibly catch the ground on fire, and after I was over that little mental hurdle, I found myself enjoying every minute of it.
At one point, Emma exclaimed: “Aunt G, you’re acting like a little kid!”
Yep, and I’m 100% ok with that, Em.
💡 Reminder: Not every place has to feel like home to be fun.
6️⃣ You Haven't Lived Until…
…a firework explodes about 30 feet over your head.
I'm not saying I'd recommend it, but I am saying it happened (also still surprised my watch didn’t tell me I was in a loud dB environment. 🤷)
And despite instinctively ducking, it was also kind of awesome.
💡 Reminder: The best stories usually begin with, "You're never going to believe this…"
7️⃣ Maybe Growing Up Isn't the Goal
Growing older is inevitable.
Growing up completely…well, if you’ve followed along with Jim and me long enough, you know we’re not so sure that's the goal.
This Fourth of July, for me at least, was an unexpected effort in being a kid again.
That felt pretty great.
💡 Reminder: Don’t grow up so much that you give up your sense of wonder.
Colorado has given me mountain bikes, fourteeners, rivers, and some of the best adventures of my life.
Pennsylvania still has taco dip, strawberry pretzel salad, lightning bugs, and apparently enough backyard fireworks to rival a small municipality.
Turns out, there's room in life to appreciate both.
👉 Maybe your Sunday Scaries need permission to feel like a kid again.
Your Friend and Coach,
Angie
