The Way Our Founding Fathers Would Have Wanted It

USA, USA

I haven't had a good ol' fashioned Fourth of July in years. Last year I was in Atlantic City getting thrown out of night club VIP sections for refusing the advances of a vampiric quasi-midget. Another year it was spent at the most miserable brunch of my life in the Hampton's.

So this year - knowing I will soon be leaving for Deutschland (24 days to be exact) - I vowed to soak it in. In God's country. (That is probably the most redneck thing I've ever said, sorry.)

In typical "I Suck At Traveling" Rachel fashion, I flew home on Saturday morning at 7 am, after having to jump through hoops because my carry-on bag was too big. (Have you ever seen someone be forced to attempt to shove their bag in that little metal box at security to see if it would fit in the over-head bin? If so, that was me. Wearing a fedora. And a nautical-themed outfit. It was awkward.)

My beloved Keaton, who I could not be happier to have seen three times in two months, fetched me from the airport since my parents were out of town. We lunched at Chuy's (one of my top three Tex-Mex restaurants thanks to their glorious creamy japeleno dip) and later laid out by her pool.

That night we went out with friends to one of Brad Womack's West 6th street bars (which always makes me uncomfortable because if I were to see him in person, I'd be forced to relive all those wasted months of watching him go on picnics). It was there I shared my recently discovered talent: Determining dog's celebrity doppelgangers  Fact: My family's dog Jesse looks like Morgan Freeman. I assume this is a lucrative talent to have.

The next day, my little younger brother Eric took us out on the boat. With the exception of the portion of my back that was neglected sunscreen, it turned out to be a lovely day.

My parents came back in town that night and indulged my one desire for the Fourth: Water balloon fight on Lake Austin. This tradition was one of my favorite holiday memories growing up. Unfortunately it has shrunk in participation size over the years, but it was still fun. I definitely dominated, if you consider water balloon fight domination to mean "whoever can throw the most balloons that land directly next-to-instead-of-on your target boat."

That afternoon I joined Keaton and her roommate for a fun Fourth party, coming back home just in time for a cookout with my other brother and his wife. We went on the boat one more time for good measure. Yes, if you're counting that is three times in two days. Life is good.

The only black cloud hanging over the weekend was the burn ban in place due to a severe drought. So my dad and I watched the televised fireworks in Boston. Not the same, not the same. But after all that fun packed into the weekend, I was fine to fall asleep on the couch.

I'll be in Austin for the rest of the week, soaking up time home, hanging out with friends and family, and "learning German" (no one seems to think I'll do any actual work while I'm here but oh knows, maybe I'll surprise us all).

Hope everyone else had a great holiday weekend too!