My Classic American Life

My plans for the fourth this year were busier than any other year. Normally I might go see the fireworks. I didn't have any real plans until about Tuesday, when Lisa invited me to her entire weekend with her mom. Her mother's name is the same name as my mom's so I usually just referred to her as "Lisa's mom" the whole time. I would not say that I am generally someone that is caught up in a lot of overly American things. I blame this partly on my father, who would make us leave the fireworks before the finale because he didn't want to deal with traffic.

Lisa's husband does fireworks over the holiday so we went to see one of his shows at Treasure Island Resort and Casino. The four of us, which included Jessie, drove clear across the metro to see them. The car ride was half the fun. I'm sorry Lisa, but it was hilarious when you said the tipi lights were a pyramid and wanted to know if the casino was on an island because it was called "Treasure Island." These things make me love you more, especially because it's usually me that says things like this, and you come off as the all knowing and super smart friend. The fireworks were a strange set up where we actually sat in the parking lot rather than on grass, but they were amazing. We sat so close to them and they had different designs and shapes. Some were smiley faces and others were hearts. Precious. On the drive back, I swear we saw a UFO. We were driving on a mainly deserted highway through fields. When we pulled over to turn around we saw quite possibly the brightest flashing light through the trees. No one in the car could figure out what it was, and it was done within a couple seconds. We were all slightly creeped out.

On Friday, we went to the parade in Apple Valley. Lisa's mom set her blankets out on the sidewalk at 9 AM the day before the parade. This was a necessity. Some people taped their chairs to fences and trees. We were not so eccentric. The parade was decent. I don't know if I've ever seen such a parade. It was over two hours long, but fun. Lisa gets really into them. I made a video of our day.



On Saturday, I went to my aunt and uncle's cabin. My great aunt and uncle, Mark and Judy, visited and made dinner. They are known for making the best steaks and long islands on the planet and for just being really nice people to talk to. I went tubing and have a sore body and burns on my arms to prove how much fun it was. My cousins and I went water skiing towards the end of the day. I made a video of my cousins, Ashley and Nick, and I. It is mainly of us laughing. But that's okay, they're adorable.



This whole weekend, in a way, showed me what it means to be American. These are the times that I like being American. It reminded me of my all-time favorite Simpsons episode. Because really, everything in my life relates back to the Simpsons in some way or another. It is the episode where the family goes to the Flanders' cottage. Lisa becomes popular and Bart and Milhouse aren't. This is my favorite because there are just so many good jokes and lines. It's loosely based off of American Graffiti, so dad, you should like this one. I have a link to the entire episode below. If you've got 20 minutes, watch it. It's hilarious, and kind of a forgotten episode it seems like. I don't have a favorite part, because there are just too many scenes that are awesome. I would just end up quoting the whole show, and that's no fun.

The Summer of 4 ft. 2