Lunch and a ?

Flamingemu

Whatcha eating? (Inspire me)

Since the holiday is almost upon us - What is your favorite 4th of July memory and how do you like to celebrate?

MrsKipper

I haven't had actual lunch yet but it'll probably be a turkey sandwich.

As a kid we always got together as a neighborhood and shoot off fireworks. All fireworks are legal in SC so we didn't have to go watch someone else put on a show. It's much more fun to do them yourself. A lot of the times we would spend the day at the lake and then do fireworks at night.

hmp1

Left over pasta from dinner last night.

I went to NYC to stay with my brother for a week the summer before going off to college. It was my first vacation alone without parents. We went with a group of my brother's friends to watch the fireworks but couldn't get close enough to the water so we watched them in the reflection of the buildings. They took me out bar hopping after that (my first time in a real bar). It was really cool and made me so excited for college life.

Now, we stay home and hang out with the neighbors. We have a great view of our city's fireworks from our yard and either watch from our driveway or the neighbor's back deck and our neighbor grills his amazing secret recipe hamburgers.

BeebopandBuddy

Lunch was a Healthy Choice meal and a kale salad.

We usually just do the standard stuff on 4th of July- grill, fireworks, etc.  This year we have to go to NY so I'm not sure what our plans will be.  I can't think of any super-special ones I've had.

Pokedot

I'm having Subway with DH if he ever calls me.

I'm not a huge 4th lover. I mean I love what it represents but I've never been "OMG it's the 4th." We always bought our own fireworks and lit them off after coming home from the park. I always enjoyed that and just going to the park and seeing so many people you know (small town.)

 

melody921

Lunch was a portobello mushroom/pasta Cafe Steamer.

Not exactly one for the "best vacations I ever took book" but, the most memorable 4th of July was when I was 12. My family and my aunt and uncle road tripped to the middle of nowhere NY to my grandfather's lake house. It was the pre-cell phone era so we used my brother's toy walkie-talkies to communicate between the two cars -- guys in one car, girls in the other. We stopped at some of the most backwoods diners and gas stations where people were lined up at 2 a.m. for chili dogs. When we arrived, the house was a falling down shack near the water. But there was a small motorboat that we got to take out. My grandfather's wife spent the weekend alternately yelling at people and getting my mom and aunt to help her paint a deck. As we were driving away, my grandfather was still shooting off enormous, illegal fireworks. So many stories get told and re-told from that trip at family gatherings.

plus12012

Cucumber Slices and Hummus.

I used to love going out with my family on the 4th and watching fireworks from our boat. Now that I'm no longer on the East Coast we usually have a BBQ with my in-laws.

Flamingemu

I went and got a turkey sub.

I am from a small town in South Jersey. They celebrate like a big town though. We get up bright and early and go to the parade in town. When I was a kid I was in it for one reason or another for several years. The parade ends in the park where they have a local pageant, some small carnaval games (dunk tank), and food. We leave there and head to my Uncle's house to meet everyone before our family softball game. The local elementary school lets us use one of their fields and we field 2 over-full teams and play until we are too tired or 7 innings.

After softball we head back to my uncle's house for swimming, eating, and boozing. He has so many people over that last year a normal grill wouldn't cut it. He is friends with the disaster relief Insurance guy who brought over his grill that is about 10x10. So much food. Then fireworks are either back to the park or pulling lawnchairs into the middle of the road in front of my uncle's house to get a good view of the fireworks.

I love the day and all the prep going into it, that any year we trie to do something else I was just sad. It just isn't the same when we stay home.

BeebopandBuddy

Flamingemu said:

I went and got a turkey sub.

I am from a small town in South Jersey. They celebrate like a big town though. We get up bright and early and go to the parade in town. When I was a kid I was in it for one reason or another for several years. The parade ends in the park where they have a local pageant, some small carnaval games (dunk tank), and food. We leave there and head to my Uncle's house to meet everyone before our family softball game. The local elementary school lets us use one of their fields and we field 2 over-full teams and play until we are too tired or 7 innings.

After softball we head back to my uncle's house for swimming, eating, and boozing. He has so many people over that last year a normal grill wouldn't cut it. He is friends with the disaster relief Insurance guy who brought over his grill that is about 10x10. So much food. Then fireworks are either back to the park or pulling lawnchairs into the middle of the road in front of my uncle's house to get a good view of the fireworks.

I love the day and all the prep going into it, that any year we trie to do something else I was just sad. It just isn't the same when we stay home.

We have yet to find a good local spot to view fireworks around here.  We drove near Sesame Place the last two years but it's not all that great.

willy_gert

I am having a chicken pot pie.

My favorite 4th of July was the summer I was in South Dakota.  We watched fireworks over Mount Rushmore which was awesome.  There were so many people in Keystone and I got to meet and talk to a ton of people.  It was really fun.

BPer

I picked up some buffalo chicken pizza on my way back in from L&D...and two cookies.

Some of my best memories from the 4th are from when H & I were dating.  We'd spend a few nights out at the lake, our friends would come up from Kentucky, and we'd party in the field behind the cottages like we were in college again.  We'd have a bonfire, drink too much, wander back to the cottage and pass out.

Now we're all settled down for the most part, with kids or babies on the way, and we end up sitting around on the deck after dinner, sipping a few beers and talking about adult things.  Sigh.

AKB090609

I had a McFlurry and fries, yum yum yum!

DH and I used to go to a 'fair' at the park near his house or Summer Fest (huge music festival on the waterfront). Tons of fun the past few years we just did sparklers and small fireworks in the cul de sac  with the neighbors.

Holly_1007

4th of July is tons of fun at my parents house. We haven't gone the past few years but I'm bringing the boys up this year. Last year I kept sd and keagan up to watch the fireworks, I'm not sure if I will keep them all up or not,I don't know what time they are at yet.

amandad715

I had an egg sandwich with cheese and Canadian bacon and some super expensive, but delicious cherries.

Growing up, we would always spend the day at my aunt's pool swimming and grilling out. Then we'd air pop tons of popcorn and put it in brown paper grocery bags to take with us to the local fireworks. My nerdy self would bring a book to read until it got too dark to see. That's how I always remember every 4th.

MississippiCatfish

Leftover frozen pizza.

Oh man, I'm so in baby mode that I was like, "Why in the world is asking about the 4th of July??" Yeah, that's soon! Growing up we would go to the cabin and watch the fireworks from our pontoon. Now, there just isn't a good equivalent. That was the best. We usually do a picnic with DH's family, but that's about it:)

Pokedot

harti09 said:

I turned the leftover grilled pork chops, zucchini, and corn into a filling for quesadillas. It's my go to with random leftovers lately

I love the 4th. It's one of my favorite holidays. We used do a beach vacation in South Carolin as a family and shoot fireworks off over the water. The whole coast would be lit up with people doing the same. 

This is the first year DH and I will spend the 4th together. He's managed to always be deployed or training somewhere in the past. He's parents are coming to visit this year too. It should be a lot of fun. I'm excited to go to our town's parade, grill out, and fiddle with a few minor fireworks in our yard. We won't do the actual firework show here. It doesn't start until well after kids go to bed.

We won't be either. DH works that night at 6pm. We were invited to my colleagues house by the park to watch our fireworks but the party doesn't start until 9 and fireworks are at least 10pm. I'll be skipping it with DS this year and relaxing at home. Hopefully we can bring him next year though.