From the Desk 7/4/2008

Happy 4th of July! I slept in this morning until a little after 10am which would almost be considered a record for me (at least in the past 10 years). I woke up feeling refreshed and went to work on the wedding video for a little bit. I took a break and made an egg & cheese sandwich for lunch. After that I decided to not do any more work on the video and to enjoy my day off from work. I played some Guitar Hero III and actually am making progress in my skills in "playing" the guitar on that game. I called Christina to find out what the plan was for tonight's fireworks show and etc. She informed me that we would be going to her aunt's house near Buckhead to eat some dinner with her parents, grandparents, brother, and friends of her aunt. Then around 9:00 we would walk downtown to watch the fireworks and avoid having to find a place to park. I did some work on my computer, updating some back-up files, etc.

Christina called me and was heading over a little early to hang out before we embarked on our journey where I would meet the family. We watched an episode or two of That 70's Show that was running as a day-long marathon on ABC Family. We hopped in her car and then drove down to her aunt's house. We arrived around 7:45 and were met just inside the front door by her mom, brother, and her brother's girlfriend. I think I made a good first impression, but I'll make sure to ask Christina later what her parents thought of me. We worked our way through the house and onto the patio by the pool where everyone else was gathered at tables eating. After I had received a few more introductions (I'm terrible with names) we filled our plates with food and then sat down to eat. The food was delicious (chicken fingers, 7-layer dip, baked beans, chips) and we were soon joined at our table by Christina's brother, Taylor, and his girlfriend, McKenzie. It was moderately awkward as none of us knew what to say. I did figure out quickly that Taylor and Christina are pretty much opposites.

After we had some banana pudding for dessert, Christina's mom joined us and we chatted a little bit about various things. We were also joined by her dad who popped in to make a comment every now and then. We then went inside to cool off before we were to walk with a group to their usual viewing spot for the fireworks show. We left soon after we sat down to relax, and we walked for about 15 minutes to this grove of building that had an open view of the sky that was only slightly blocked by another building across the parking garage. We were hoping to be able to see clearly as there was construction going on that prevented us from perching in the usual place. We didn't have to wait long for the fireworks display to begin. It was impressive, with many new types of explosions I've never seen before. The show lasted about 15-20 minutes and ended with a very nice finale of multiple colors and sounds as the fireworks sang their last chorus across the night's sky. We walked back to her aunt's house and then said goodbye and returned to my apartment. We watched a couple of episodes of Dirty Jobs before we both realized that sleepiness was setting in. I walked Christina to her car and then went inside to slip into a deep sleep and dream about the colorful bursts of light we witnessed tonight.

Meditation for the day: Isaiah 12:4 “In that day you will say: "Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.”