Fourth of July

We had a hell of a Fourth.

Tucson's under fire-watch "severe" this year (as, I imagine, they are every year) so quite a few celebrations were cancelled. The base, however, took it upon themselves to have their own celebration, touting it as a "family event."

Once we got there, monkies in tow in two strollers, we figured out that "family" may have been a little ambitious for them. The heavy-metal rock band (music I like, but not music I would listen to with my children) used more language in the first five minutes than my kids have heard in our house since I gave it up following a few select repeats by Princess. Once they got off the stage (thankfully) the lights went out and the monkies were sitting happily playing with their long-sought-after glowsticks. That's where the fun started.

As the National Anthem began to play in the dark, I caught a glance over at Princess, who had been sitting happily in her stroller-seat. She was twisting and bending her glowstick. A moment later she let out a little yelp and her hands, shorts, legs, and the new stroller seat were now covered in luminesence.

We had glowsticks when I was a kid. I remember being told over and over again how dangerous the chemicals inside them were. Now said chemicals were coating my firstborn. A quick reaction from me with a towel and it appeared to have not been a big deal. Until my nurse wife saw a tiny drop on her eyelid.

Princess started to howl.


So here's the scene--SW is on the blanket holding Odie, who has decided that it's time to eat and is crying. Cowboy is scared of the soon-to-come "BOOM" from the fioreworks which are starting and is running around in circles with his hands over his ears in fear. Princess is desperately crying and trying not to put her chemical-soaked hands in her burning eye. And I'm in a panic now, because I'm afriad that my daughter is about to go blind. The whole time SW is shouting for me to flush her eye out with the bottle of water we have, which is precisely the point at which I figure out that I'm clueless as to how to flush an eye out.

Mind you, this is all in the dark.

Eventually, I took Odie and SW sprang into action, dumping a whole bottle of water into Princess's face. She held a towel to it and had finally calmed down by about the halfway point of the fireworks show. Eventually everything returned to normal, and Princess can still see just fine. But I tell you what--I was pretty scared for a minute there.

As we made our way home, the sky was lit up by a monster thunderstorm directly over our house. I've been hit by lightening in the air, twice, and this scared the hell out of me. Once home and everyone inside, I went back out to save the strollers from the back of the pickup. As I turned back to leave the garage a bolt hit not 100 yards from the front of the house. It blinded me and the instant thunder almost dropped me to the floor. SW came running out just to make sure she still had a husband. This went on all night, with the monkies on our bedroom floor in their sleeping bags.

Happy Fourth of July.

family