Update: 4th of July, and the normal stuff, too

[jaelie]

Lessee. It's been a good week, as usual. Full of time with friends and family, and that is almost always a pleasure. Saturday we went over to a friends house and converted our Star Wars characters to GURPS. My 12th level soldier/elite trooper converted to like 250 points. Wow.

Sunday was mellow and relaxing, which Matt definitely needed. Of course, mellow and relaxing is good for me, too. ^_^ Monday and Tuesday were back to work and pretty much back to our normal schedules.

Tuesday afternoon on the way home from work was spectacular, though. I passed over the Lewisville Lake bridge and looked towards home and watched as the rain fell like a curtain. Literally. My car went from dry, clear roads to pouring rain. The road that I live on turned into a river, with rushing water up to the top of the curb. Just after I turned into my drive way, the cops blocked my street off to traffic and I thought "Well, maybe I shouldn't invite tempest_sky to crash at our place. We'd need her kayaks!"

I also had a hard time convincing my dog that he did in fact want to get out of my car and go into the house. He stood in the back of my car staring at the rain and shifting from foot to foot. He's no fool. He knew that as soon as he hopped down from the dry safety of the car he was going to be drenched within seconds, and he hates getting wet. I finally convinced him though and we rushed to the house. Then I grabbed my camera and took some pictures outside. Heh.

Yesterday, being the 4th of July, we had a big family get together. It's getting bigger every year. We had LOTS of friends and family this year - over 50 people (of those, about ten were not related to me). Unfortunately, Matt had to stay home because he was on call. Yuck.

Anyway, I showed up just a little early, thinking I'd be there in plenty of time to help with set up, but when I got there, it was already done. So I sat down and visited with family and such until the flash-back moment when Dad asked me to go check and see if Mom needed help. I laughed, couldn't help myself, and went to check on Mom and lend a hand.

So, those of you that know my brother-in-law also know that he is a big time trickster. I think if he had a totem it would be a fox or coyote. Well, this time (since it was a potluck thing), he went to the store and got all the weirdest things he could think of for the potluck - among his selection were pigs' feet, sardines, pickled cactus, and some kind of unknown cheese. Just to see if anyone would eat it. I'm not sure what got eaten in the end...

There was no volley ball this year because the gym was closed (the floor was getting refinished), so there was just a lot of board games and lazing around visiting. The 4th of July presentation was cool - Mom had some neat info on one of our ancestors who was in the Continental Army and fought in the Revolution, and Aunt Susan had a history quiz that she ran through, too. We also sang all three verses of the national anthem. It was really moving. There are a lot of very good voices in our family, and all four parts were being sung, and sung well.

After the presentation, there was more visiting, etc, then clean-up and I rushed home to pack up my computer for the LAN party up at the shop for my World of Warcraft guild. The LAN party was a blast. It was too short, though! They really need to be full-day affairs, and I think the next one I'll have to make a definite "here is what we're doing together!" type thing. I had a lot of fun. ^_^

Now I'm back at work and it feels like a Monday. Thank goodness tomorrow's Friday or I'd be really whining!

Oh, and I'm going with the family to the Star Wars exhibit on Saturday, which will also be ABSOLUTELY cool. Whee!!

Comments

[tempest-sky.livejournal.com]

Seems like kayaks will become the preferred method of transportation for everyone before long.
Blasted rain!
Talk about feast or famine!

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

No kidding!!

Although to be honest, I would have no complaints at all about the rain if only it had somewhere to go. I love rain. The greyness of the sky doesn't bother me. The rain has kept it under 100 F clear up until yesterday, when I think it finally hit 100. Maybe.

Anyway, the service road on the west side of the freeway (just north of Garden Ridge) is completely shut off due to one of the ponds off the lake spilling over and making the road impassable. It's been like that for about two weeks now, with no receding at all. Heck, it's probably gotten worse.

Food on the 4th

[saintvickery.livejournal.com]

Your brother-in-law's "summer sausage" and cheese (which was really quite mild and wonderful) were all eaten up. Some few pieces of the nopalitos were politely eaten, but I think only one person ate a pigs' foot. But the coyote went and left behind all the leftovers. Anyone want some pigs' feet? The culprit's grandmother says they're great.

Re: Food on the 4th

[jaelie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that cheese was really good. I tasted it, too. So he failed his mission with the cheese/sausage, but succeeded with the pigs' feet. Cuz ew. I'd just toss them. Or maybe my hound would like them? I dunno. Ew.

Nopalitos. Is that the pickled cactus?