“there’s nothing I’d change about those days, you’re the sweetest thing about my past;
there’s a part of me that hopes you found your dreams and you’re happy wherever you’re at…but there’s a part of me, that wants that summer back.”
It’s official, the one y’all love
to hate has caught vacation fever. I’m lookin’ at 9 days of sleepin’ late,
drinkin’ early, and doin’ whatever the fuck I want. 9 days of no
responsibilities, not bein’ an adult, no grown ass woman shit. 9 days of good
times, sunshine & summertime. 9 days of remembering exactly why this is my favorite
week, celebrating all the good stuff, and being thankful that - while I wouldn’t
change any of them…
….I can’t say that I want any of my
old summers back anymore.
Being independent as I am, super stubborn
and free spirited - Independence Day is a day I always celebrate to the fullest,
because it’s America’s birthday, and I am grateful. All that I do, the
opportunities that I have, the life that I live…is all accredited back to those
who fought and died for this land. Life, Liberty the Pursuit of Happiness, that
is what it’s all about.
I’m sure being born with a summer
soul goes without mention, I’m sure y’all know by now that I love this shit. Independence
Day just happens to be the only holiday that falls right in the middle of my
favorite season...
…and the boomsticks are an added
bonus. (snakes & sparklers. ooooh, ahhhhh!)
Growing up, the 4th of
July holiday meant that we were most likely going to load up a convoy of boats
and trucks and tents, and sometimes a “mobile hacienda”. We’d go spend several
days somewhere, living the primitive life, trying to survive while our parents
tried to kill us on the lake in the tubes, eating great food and enjoying being
around all of our favorite people, laughing and taking full advantage of that
fore-mentioned happiness.
Sometimes it meant that we’d have
a cookout on the ridge, and all of our favorite people would come over and do
basically the same thing, except the one who had to survive was Dawg, and his
life was threatened by bottle rockets and roman candles instead of lakes and
tubes. I’d give anything to spend another 4th of July with my
favorite target, his stop drop and roll game was on point! His funeral actually
fell right in the middle of my favorite week 2 years ago, but instead of letting
that put a damper on things - I let it be yet another reason to remember him
and all the good times, another reason to celebrate his life, another reason
for this week to be sentimental to me…
….I plan to rock that red white
& blue bandana all week long, so a part of him will be with me.
After I grew up and got a real
job, I still made sure that the week of the 4th was mine, all mine. I
was hired in June, so I always got all my vacation time back just in time to
use it. I remember filling out the vacation request sheet for the farm book
slave drivers - since all time off was approved on a first come, first served
basis, I wrote “the week of the 4th, from now until infinity” on the
date line, just to be sure mine was in first. I lived at Nana’s and she still
had the pool. I would sleep until the sun hit the deck, roll out of bed and
into a bathing suit, ride to the beer store, stock the cooler, and then float
in the sun all day, every day. Back then, the majority of the family was able
to get the week off with me, and even better, most of us all lived on Sunnyside
within walking distance of each other...
…That one week, each year, I was
able to enjoy the summer just like I was a kid again.
As luck would have it, the good
ol’ Henry County Fair rolls into town that same week, how Henry County got the best
week, I’ll never know. But that means that there is an average of about 3
evenings that something cool is happening real close to home, and I can go and
not worry about being in bed at a decent time. Dirt Drags, Demo Derbys, Mud
Bogs….I mean, tell me what’s not to love? (Do any of y’all remember the year
they had the truck tug in the pull pit? OH. MY. STARS. Those “standing tall”
2WDs though! That was probably the best show I’ve ever seen at the fair…except
for the one time the big ass tire flew off the super duper mud buggy and the
driver won with the remaining 3 tires! Or maybe the time that they set the
fence on fire during the boomstick show….lol)
Back then, Tesla had a boyfriend with a license, and we had a deal…you
drive and I’ll buy...
…Those were quite a few good
years! We had a real good run.
Now, the last few years have been
straddling the struggle bus…I ain’t gonna lie. Not that there weren’t good
moments and good times, because there were. (Like last year, for instance, when
I sank the Lincoln in a mud pit on purpose because there wasn’t anywhere else
to park at the Demo Derby. And then immediately after Fig and some other cool
kids pushed it out, I sucked a chewy sweet tart down my windpipe and Fig had to
knock the shit out of me to dislodge it, and ultimately saved my life.) But it
seems like for the last few years, either nobody was off work with me so I was
bored, I wasted it doing shit I didn’t want to do because someone else was off with me, or it rained all damn
week, or I had to be productive and make shit happen instead of relaxing.
…They just really haven’t measured
up to vacations past.
This year though, the weather is
looking favorable - not perfect, but decent. I’ve got a blow up puddle in the
back yard that’s all cleaned up and perfect for chillen, sunnin’ and drinkin’
beers all day, so the absence of Nana’s pool won’t be an issue. My Madre, Randaddy
and my Clayfus are all off work all week with me so I won’t be bored. I’ve got
two kick ass puppies that are gonna love, love, love not having to spend the
best part of the day in their kennels. And the most awesome part about this
vacation is that this is going to be first week of the 4th, since I
was about 13 years old or so, that is not going to be directly affected and/or influenced
by…
…well you know what? it doesn’t
matter, so it doesn’t matter.
I will leave y’all with this awesome shit tho:
Remember that StayCation…
…when we found Clay at the beer store in Eminence and took him to the mud run, and he hit a dude so hard his glasses flew over the truck, and then I had to call his mom and tell on him.
…when we stuck big ass sparklers
in the holes of the bed of (it doesn’t matters anymore’s) truck, lit them and
then did donuts in the field in the back 40 at the fair.
…when me and Fig stocked the pink
cooler three layers deep with Coors Light, drank every one of them, and still
didn’t catch a buzz at the Dirt Drag races because it was 110 degrees in the
shade and we kept sweating the beer out.
…when the monsoon hit us at the
fair and we were parked in the back 40, and even though we made a mad dash to
the Blazer our phones still got fucked up.
…when Uncle Scotty made me get up
and go fishing with him at the Rod & Gun Club and I caught the biggest channel
cat I’ve ever caught to date.
…when spunky little p-money was born.
…and I renamed my best good
cousin Anthony by drunkenly spelling his name wrong when adding his number to
my phone at the Demo Derby. Antonio Btown. J
…when we backed my beloved tahoe
up to the mud pit and opened the barn doors, and then only let cool people
stand inside them.
…when I had all of my besties in
one place at a bonfire on my favorite holiday and we took this epic ass picture:
…when I got stuck on the ferris wheel with Bobby Moody and then we watched the whole mud run, left and drove to Sparta for Summer Sanitarium?
...when I got this blue eyed devil dog, and fell completely in love.
...when they cancelled the mud run because it was muddy, and we had to jump the spectrum and trade in our jeans for dresses...and the fair for a variety club.
…when Tesla got in a fight at the fair and they threw her out, so we walked her to the Blazer, changed her shirt and put a hat on her, snuck her back to the mud run and watched the rest of it?
...when we met all our buddies out on the lake, and Hippie tried to go beer for beer with Fig, and it didn't work. And Duran had to drive the boat, load the boat and then pull the boat home and park it.
...and then last year when Almost Country played a show to kick off my StayCation, and I almost threw up on an asshole's shoes in my driveway...I should have aimed better!
...cheers, fuckers! I've got 8 working hours to go. #staycation2016
