Fireworks!

We are from Ohio, where any sort of fireworks more powerful than a sparkler are illegal.

And it's stupid, because we give sparklers to little kids and those suckers are brutal dangerous.

And it's stupid, because you can buy fireworks in Ohio, but you have to pinky swear that you aren't going to use them in Ohio.  And they aren't just sold on the borders of neighboring states.  Some are hours away from anywhere that fireworks are actually legal.

But, here in Texas, fireworks are completely legal, and sold right on the corner!

There are little fireworks stands everywhere, but they have been boarded up ever since we moved here.  Until the weeks around Christmas and New Years, when they all magically opened up and put up Christmas lights.  Like the random spots that sell live Christmas trees in vacant lots, only a lot more explosive.

So, there was one right next to our house at the corner store that we frequent for things like overpriced milk or beer or pop because we don't want to be inconvenienced by a trip to the actual grocery store.  We stopped one night to pick up some ice cream, and Kevin decided to check out the fireworks.

And we were amazed that we could buy them and set them off wherever we liked, as long it was more than 100 feet away from the stand.  And when we told the guy at the stand about the rules in Ohio that allowed you to purchase fireworks but not use them, he pointed out how ridiculous they really are.

And then we were informed by some neighbors to brace ourselves for New Year's Eve, when our neighborhood spent it's collective life savings on fireworks and let them off all night long.

So, we bought some fireworks and had ourselves a nice little New Year's Eve party in our backyard.

And then we turned off all the lights and had our fireworks!


I hope you enjoy the commentary.

After our fireworks were done, we went back inside and put the boys to bed.  But there was a constant booming of more fireworks going on in the neighborhood.  Connor swore he would never be able to go to sleep, but it was late enough that both boys eventually did.

And then there were more fireworks.  And more and more.  It was constant and never ending.  By 11:00 PM, the whole neighborhood smelled like smoke and gunpowder.  By the time we went to bed after midnight, the smell and smoke had permeated into the inside of our house.

And then there were more the next night and the night after that, too.

I think maybe next year, we will plan a little bit bigger fireworks demonstration.  After all, we are in Texas now, where bigger is better.  Gotta keep up with the Joneses.