I've Got a Feeling We're Not in Utah Anymore...

We went on our family vacation to Pompano Beach, FL this past week.

We saw and heard many things - things that seemed a bit peculiar to us - that kept reminding us we were THERE and not in our hometown.  But, sometimes it's good to experience the differences.

Here's a little list of our "cultural education":

• The bathrooms at church were in a "trailer house" out in the parking lot (upon further explanation, we found out they were renovating)
• A lizard running across the kitchen floor in the church
• A car veered out around the turning lane, into the oncoming traffic lane, to pass us (the women at church had actually just talked/joked about the driving conditions in South Florida earlier that day!)
• Multiple people [out in public] asked us WHY we were dressed up - on a Sunday.  (We'd NEVER get asked that HERE)  But really?!?  Church attendance wasn't even on their radar?
• We met this guy who says he came to visit So. Florida 30 years ago, fell and hit his head, and never returned/left So. Florida.
• We met another [very warm, kind, & generous] family from Columbia on the Ft. Lauderdale temple grounds.  After chatting for just a few minutes, they invited us to come to their vacation home/use their pool. (They didn't know us from Adam!  But, they had a few teenage girls, and we had two teenage boys....haha) 

• A lady who worked in marketing at the resort was named, TUCKER
• A liquor store inside Costco
• When inquiring about where to park to access the beach, the woman answered [with her accent], "Here, ALL the daddy's are walkin'!"  (her way of informing Matt he needed to drop us off at the beach, then go find a random spot to park a few blocks away)  After that we could use that "cultural education" to our advantage:  If I was all comfy in my bed and didn't want to go out to the kitchen for a drink, I'd ask Matt to do it for me with, "Here, ALL the daddy's are walkin'!"  If one of the girls forgot her pool towel, they would whine/beg for Matt to go back for it with, "Here, ALL the daddy's are walkin'!"  If the boys were just camped out on the couch watching ESPN, and desired to continue doing absolutely nothing....."Here, ALL the daddy's are walkin'!"  Hey, When in Rome, do as the Romans do! ;)
• Horizontal traffic lights



• The back tailgate of a truck in front of us had detailing on it....the back view of a lady bending over....with a [indecent] written phrase to go with it  - that I will omit from this bullet point.
• Kyle Beckerman's "TWIN" riding his skateboard to work his job: the beach chair service company on the beach.
 
• 24 hr. doughnut shops
• Bikers jetting out in front of oncoming turning lane traffic to cross the intersection diagonally
• $3.38/gallon for gas
• Ducks walking around the resort parking lot/puddles (one was sitting on a nest of eggs in the flower bed)
• A check cashing store/deli/grill combo business all in the same building  (because going in to get your checks cashed MIGHT make you hungry!)  :)

We had a great vacation......NEW encounters and all!

As always, we didn't want to return to "real life" - and THE LIST.

The End of my YW Era

I got released from my church calling as 1st Counselor in the Young Womens' Presidency.

Siiiiggghhhhhhhhhh.

Such mixed emotions about all of this.

I've been serving in that position for going on 3 years now.

THREE!
That's 130 mutual activities, 75 meetings, Three Young Women in Excellence events, Three New Beginnings events, Three Girl's Camps (1 with my daughter, Haylee, in attendance!), three youth conference (attended one, helped/supported on the other two), a few culminating events and dinners for all the youth, dozens of hours on the phone and visiting homes, and on & on.....

I have come to love "my girls".  I thought about them and worried about them all the time.  I considered them an extension of my own children who live in my home with me.  Whenever I referred to them in conversation, I called them, "My young women....."

This calling, and each young woman, has been such a HUGE part of my life for the past few years.

I SO SO wanted each girl to have their testimonies strengthened during this very important & amazing time of THEIR life.   AND on various occasions, THEY shared an experience or scripture in class, or gave a talk in a meeting, or bore their testimony at camp & youth conference, and it strengthened MY testimony.

They will forever be apart of me.....I swear, when I am in my 80's, and if I run into one of them, I will hug them, then still call them, "my girl" (even thought they will be in their 50's!!!)

I am incredibly BLESSED to have had this opportunity!

I knew though...with serving for that amount of time...that this day would someday come.

Being in a Young Women's Presidency is A LOT of work.

It consumes MOST {if not ALL} of your extra time.

Mutual, lessons, firesides, Girls Camp, tending to the girls' needs, supporting the president & making sure she doesn't take on too much work....it is CONSTANT.
And, THAT SERVICE I gave is WHY I ended up loving them.....You LOVE who you SERVE!

And while I have {honestly} had some frustrations & heartbreak along the way (they are ATTACHED to their cell phones a little TOO MUCH!, they are, at times, persuaded by the ways of the world more than the church standards, and sometimes they chose not to join us in our mid-week & summer activities or at church on Sunday) but for the majority of the time, I LOVED it.....

I knew ahead of time I was being released.  My Bishop came to my home last week to extended a release - and thanked me profusely.  But, when it was officially announced in Sacrament meeting before the congregation, it became "official" to me - and I am sad.
I think I'll go into "mourning" - I can joke about that because I'll actually be gone for a couple of Sundays in July due to traveling....but it's kinda true.
I knew I'd be sad, but I also thought I would be relieved.  It was a LOT of work and there were so many other things on my plate that I could not keep up with for the life of me.

But man, I miss those girls already - more than I could have ever realized I would.  I'm thinking about them all individually and am going to write them all a letter letting them know of my feelings.  The relief I expected has not come yet.  It will take a little while to find peace with this big change in my life right now.

Good thing I sobbed my way through my final YW lesson -- NOT!  (little did I know, at the time, it was THE LAST)

I still need to pass off all my stuff to the new Young Women's 1st Counselor, but I might drag my feet a little bit - because maybe I won't be able to bear it?!?

I'll probably linger outside their classroom on Sundays and it'll feel so weird to send off Kyle and Haylee to their activities on Wednesday nights and not go, too.

Gradually I will start to feel how nice it is not to have to worry about all the logistics that went into every activity, every meeting, every group text, everything I was SUPPOSE TO be doing and couldn't quite get to.

Of course, other things will pile into my life and fill up every nook and cranny the Young Women things left behind (like getting Ryan ready to leave on his mission in 5 1/2 weeks!!), but oh, how grateful I am for that experience with those girls and I will always have a special spot in my heart for them and all the wonderful things I learned as their leader.

YES.......

Life goes on.

{We don't get to choose what church calling we will be given, but IF I COULD, I'd want to be the primary pianist for my next calling!  How could I NOT LOVE doing that?  Gosh, ANYTHING after being in the Young Women's presidency should seem like a walk in the park, right?  I would want the piano calling .....IF I could even play the piano well enough!!!  haha!  I don't know how to sight read!  Is that unusual?  I took piano lessons for 8 years - how long do you have to take to actually get good at it???  It maybe has something more to do with HOW MUCH I practiced - or how effectively/consistently I practiced (or didn't) during those years!!}

My faith is a HUGE part of who I am.

I thank my lucky stars each day for the knowledge of the Gospel that I have.

I look forward to what the future has in store for me now.

I hope you'll enjoy the ride with me!!

Home Alone

The other six members of my family flew out on a plane last night for our summer family vacation.

We are traveling standby, and there wasn't enough seats for EVERYONE - so I returned home alone.

I'll try to fly out to join them again tonight, but in the meantime.....I've got a Saturday ALL TO MYSELF!
This is SO RARE!  To be HOME ALONE.

I think I can kinda relate to how Kevin felt in the movie [by the same title].

It's so quiet.

No one is asking me for anything.

I was suppose to be gone, so nothing is on my calendar.

I don't have to take anyone anywhere.

This is a first.

Did I mention it is quiet?!?

What to do, what to do?

It's 100% MY CHOICE.

Now, I think I can REALLY relate to how Kevin felt!

{I may or may not have done this.}

So, today, I could (and some things I have already done):

Blog (check!)  ;)

Weed (bleh!)

Shop

Order tickets

Pack all the things we forgot last night

Go to the bank

Watch movies

Experiment with way to fix my hair

Run 5 miles (nah!)

Attend a baptism I was gonna have to miss (yes!)

Bake zucchini bread

Text all the texts I've been meaning to send

Go out to lunch

Jump rope

Pedicure

Browse Pinterest (that could take ALL day!)

Indulge in one of my guilty pleasures

My options are ENDLESS.  

It's SO ODD!  And nice!

But, if I wanna do "Home Alone" right, I should spend some time doing this.  haha  :)

Out to Lunch - 5 Ways

One of our traditions during summer vacation is that I get to take each of my children, one by one, out to lunch one day - and then maybe do a little shopping or something.  The restaurant is their choice.  This had to be calendared during "family business" at the beginning of the summer - or else it wouldn't happen, especially with preparing to get a missionary ready to leave in August and my work schedule with the airlines that is inherently busy during this peak travel season.
Brookelle got to do it this year, too, since it's her first "summer vacation" from a 5-day-a-week school year.

It's something I look forward to.

Yesterday, I just finished up my last lunch.  And when I stopped to think about it:  5 different children = 5 different lunch experiences.  :)

1. I first went out with Kyle to Costa Vida (I'll never complain about that!)  He goes there for the BIG sweet pork burrito.  He hopes eating like that will cause him to get big(ger) and tall. ;)  He's in a stage where he's more interested in going out to eat good food rather than to be with me, I think.  ;)  He talked a little & barely muttered a "hello" when he was greeted by one of his old cub scout leaders who was also there - being the "quiet giant" that he is.    He wasn't much into the "dining experience" where you hang around even after the food has all been consumed.  He was ready to go.  (Was that so the fewest number of acquaintances possible could potentially see him there together with me???)
2. Next I went out with Brookelle to Kentucky Fried Chicken.  She goes there for the drumstick, original recipe.  She also got a side of Mac & Cheese which she decided wasn't that good.  She chose for us to sit on a high table with tall stools, but then she wanted to get down & up, down & up a good part of the time.  Our conversation was also disrupted by her having to go potty (or just wanting to check out the restrooms?), watching other customers and then telling me [in a not so quiet voice] any interesting/odd/funny thing she noticed about them (while I tried to shush her volume down a bit), looking at all the signage on the walls, needing more napkins, and me reminding her to actually EAT.  (lots still left on her tray).  It may have had something to do with the fact that we were going to her Dr. appt. immediately afterwards?  (Or that she just CANNOT sit still!)
3. I actually made it on Ryan's schedule one day, too, for lunch - his days are filled with working a couple of jobs & friends, that I didn't know if he could "fit me in"  haha.  We went to Sizzler.  He goes there for the STEAK, of course!  There was a special with a steak/salad bar combo, too, so even more food in his book is always a PLUS!  And I'll just say that he DEFINITELY got his money's worth!  We talked about this, that, & the other: friends, mission calls, World Cup soccer, money, work, ranch dressing, the "game plan" for his mission prep, our family, traffic, etc. etc.  Our waiter came back at least 10 times to refill our water and ask if we needed anything else, and left the after-dinner mints.  (WAS HE TRYING TO HINT THAT IT WAS TIME FOR US TO LEAVE, OR SOMETHING?!?)  :)  And then we talked some more - and he ate some more.  ;)  What a vast contrast from my previous lunch date with the 6 yr. old!
4. I took Haylee out next - also as a combo with her Dr. appointment.  Picking a place is difficult for a Celiac because so many places have gluten all over their menus.  And then it's especially difficult for Haylee because the gluten-free options are things she doesn't want to eat.  She settled on Wendy's.  She got a really healthy lunch (HA!) which consisted of a vanilla frosty, some fries, & a root beer (but she would not try a flavoring in it, even though they have the 200+ fountain drink variety machine there!)  Even though I like their burgers & chicken sandwiches (now on pretzel rolls!) I got a baked potato because I think it'd be rude to eat good bread in front of her on our date.  Eating out is very different when you have to worry about food allergies, I tell ya.  We talked about random things - even though she's going into Jr. High this year, I'm glad she's not into all that "Jr. High stuff" (pop culture, phones, boys, bling, expensive clothes, and non-innocent things in general) yet.  Although I do get rolling eyes, looks of disgust, & sassy tones already - yuck!  She doesn't talk & eat at the same time, so I have to sometimes stop the talking, every now & then, so the eating will happen!
5. Finally, I ended up the Summer lunch rotation with Katelyn to Chick-Fil-A.  She hadn't ever tried their food, but had heard really good things about it.  She opted for the chicken nuggets - and was not disappointed!  She discovered she likes their special sauce - even better than honey mustard!  The thing about Chick-Fil-A is that it's required that their employees all be so nice....which led to a couple of them stopping by our table to chat.  They were very pleasant, but it took away from my time with Katelyn, so I was kinda bothered - although she later told me she like them.  That's just like her - she's so friendly - she DID sit there totally smiling at them the whole time.  Katelyn got a lesson in asking adults for what you need.  I taught her how to approach the counter to request a drink refill and also to trade in her "kids toy" for an ice cream cone.  She was nervous before doing it, but then felt quite accomplished afterwards.  I did get a few texts during lunch that I responded to -- and she called me on it!  Yep!  I should BE WITH her.  We stayed after our trays had been cleared away to talk longer to make up for all the other talking time we missed out on with the interruptions from the employees & my cell phone. 

See?  Different.

So, whether it's reserved & eager, or fast-paced & unfocused, or long-winded & glutinous, or anxious & pure, or bold & enthusiastic, I am glad for the opportunity these lunch dates provide for me to spend time with my children.

This Weekend:

*Friday Night was Katelyn's turn for her DATE with Mom & Dad!

She picked everything we did.

We went out to dinner at The Nacho House and

then went to Get Air trampoline park.

* Saturday was Farmington Festival Days!

We started by going to the breakfast in the park.

Still the best city "chuckwagon" style breakfast we've encountered:

French Toast on thick bread, with your choice of maple or vanilla syrup

Bacon AND sausage

Hashbrown patties

Cup of fruit (watermelon, canteloupe, grapes, blueberries)

Orange Juice

Milk

Chocolate Milk

*After that the girls and I like to browse the booths.

There's always this "bag" booth that has some cute stuff,

but this year we actually made our purchase at 

a maxi skirt booth - the girls each got one - very darling!

*We went to the parade.

The other people beat us to putting out chairs and roping off sections,

(It's getting earlier & earlier every year!  Aaugh!) so we were only partially shaded.

 As always, GOOD "candy" (not taffy) was given/thrown out including:  sliced watermelon

from Harmon's grocery, otter pops, gobstoppers, Reeses PB cups, Mrs. Cavanaugh's

Mindy Mints, balls, fans, water bottles, smarties, skittles, etc. etc.

*We came home in the middle of the day to COOL off!

I read a bit & cleaned a bit.

Matt got the garden weed-free.

Katelyn went to the movie with her cousin.

Then we decided we "needed" some Costa Vida for supper.

I first tried to call in the order, but they didn't answer, so Matt just drove over.

After a little while, I tried to call again, and was able to order.  Great!  Matt won't have to stand in line.

I texted Matt, I called it in, it's under 'Suzanne'

4 minutes went by and I didn't hear from him, so I texted again, 

Did you get my message?  No need to stand in line, it's ready for pickup at the checkout counter.

And then 1 minute later, he called me.  He hadn't gotten my text.  He'd ordered on his own and was driving home with our food.
Ooops!  My called-in order was still there waiting...

(I tried calling back, but no answer.  I called again, and they guy who finally answered couldn't hear me even though I repeated myself 3 times.  Oh well....)

*We returned to the park for the music performances (singers/bands)

as we sat on our camp chairs in the shade.

 The girls spent time on the playground, too.

*While there, we got word that Ryan & Kyle had returned home from their 

4-day high adventure camp to the Wind Rivers (13 mile/way backpacking trip) with the 14-18 yr. old scouts!!
(I've never really worried about the boys going on scout camps before, but THIS TIME I did a bit.
Ryan has his mission call.  He has to go on his mission!  Please don't let him get lost, or sick, or hurt, or worse! 

*They cleaned themselves up and met us just in time for the fireworks to start.

(And Yes! It was a respectable showing, so it help in satisfying my craving.)

But, I'll tell ya - the crowd for that is growing every year, too - not so small town anymore?

*On Sunday, Matt & I were able to go to the Missionary homecoming church service

of the West Virginia Charleston Mission president & his wife who just returned.

Fun Fact: He also used to be Matt's Bishop & Stake President.  In fact, he was the

Stake President who interviewed Matt & I when we were to be married.

(Ryan will obviously have the new mission president when he is out there in a couple months, but we wanted to attend to see if there was anything we could learn.)

We learned there will be:

Squirral gravy

Windy, curvy roads

Missionary-minded local members of the church who make it their life to help the missionaries.

Miracles following a missionary's faith

*Went to our own church, too.

I taught a combo of this lesson and this lesson to my Young Women class.

And I couldn't get through this [true] story without crying.

(Try as I might.  Geez.)

*I cooked a whole chicken (with various seasonings) in the crock pot for dinner.

It was "Haylee approved" - that's always a very GOOD THING.

*I made chocolate chip cookies for Sunday night treat.

*Ryan had a girl FRIEND (two separate words) come over to watch 

the replay of the World Cup final game with us...because she LOVES soccer and missed it during church, too. 

(We hadn't watched it live, nor had we spoken to anyone to find out the results.)

*I worked on my Personal Progress program - I am SO SO close to completing it 

as a Young Woman Leader! (I already did it the first time as a young woman back in the 80's)

Our Glover Lane Home

After we first moved to our new home [almost] two years ago, I used drive in & out of our neighborhood via the route that would take me by my old home - our "Glover Lane Home" as we call it.

But, not so much anymore.

Because I kinda get sad about what's become of it.

It was purchased by a couple who had no intention of ever making it "their home."  They were only interested in buying an "investment."  Although, they did live in it for a short time to justify the type of loan they got on it, it's mostly been inhabited by renters.

I find myself being protective of our "Glover Lane Home" and I notice the details of things that are "wrecking" it - like they sprayed some yellow foam stuff in all the driveway cracks, and it's oozing out and looks.....SO not good!  But, hey! that same driveway is full of snazzy, new cars; a red truck, a Cadillac, & black sports/luxury cars.  (I'm afraid that's where their regard [& money] goes.)  I cringe when I see all the things that the various renters are letting slide.  Overgrown plants, weeds, dead grass - not that we are champion gardeners by any means - SCREAM out to me, We don't love this house.  And that's sad to me because we did (in fact,  I love it! are the exact words I exclaimed the moment our Realtor let us in to look at it all those years ago) - and I want it to continue to be loved!  Sure, we ultimately outgrew it, and there were things [functionally] that were a nuisance, it didn't meet our needs anymore, that's why we built & moved, but I'm talking more about the HOME we loved.  The HOME which holds our history, memories, & hearts.  How could it not?  We lived there for 11 1/2 years!

My friend & I sometimes walk by it on our morning walks, which we did this week, and like always, I check it out - any signs of love, attention, concern?  I wonder if she notices that she kinda "loses" me in our conversation at that moment we pass it?  It's weird....I KNOW, in my brain, it's my old home, but it's almost like it doesn't even seem like it.  It's changed.  It doesn't look as bright to me anymore.  It's more somber & drab.  (Although, to others not emotionally attached, it may still look the same?)  Our kids have wondered aloud, if we ever drive by, what it looks like on the inside, now.  Kyle, especially, wants to devise a way that he could walk through it again.  The curious part of me also wonders and wants to take a look, but the other part of me doesn't - I might want to keep everything in my mind just the way I remember it!

 {last photo as we drove away in 2012}

The day we moved all our stuff out, we were racing against a deadline and we didn't have a ton of time to get all sentimental and pay tribute to every room & such...AND we were sweating so much, I don't think there was any liquid left in my body to cry.

BUT, I still thought:

How could I let that thing go?  

How can I let go of where all my daughters learned to walk?

They each learned to grab hold of the cabinet knobs & drawer pulls and "play" (read: empty everything out of) with the measuring cups, pots, water bottles, Tupperware containers that were inside.

How could I walk away from that kitchen where I prepared ten thousand meals, my children at my side (read: under my feet)?

My children built a gazillion forts and we had hundreds of Family Home Evenings in our living room.

There was the "time out" corner over on the staircase landing, that fit our time out bench perfectly, we used A LOT! 

There were the stairs where a the children slid down laughing gleefully in sleeping bags or pillow cases.....and where brothers would chase/run from each other making the loudest pounding noise as they barreled down - which then, unfortunately, sometimes ended in a crashing sound as frames were knocked off the wall at the bottom.

We finished the basement, painted every room, remodeled one big bathroom into two separate bathrooms, and replaced all the flooring except for one room in that house while we were there!

There were big dormer window seats where the kids liked to sit upon & hang out.  Kyle split his head open on one of the windowsills.  The boys learned to shoot a basketball pretty darn well in that hoop we once had attached to the house (before the incident), then was replaced with a driveway basketball hoop.

We had 11 Christmases there.  59 Birthdays.  Brought home 3 new babies.  3 Baptisms.  4 Priesthood Ordinations.

    {Miss B's 1st Birthday - May 2009}

That home is where we built our family.

Back in Layton & North Salt Lake & Brigham City where we lived for six years before we moved here is where we were seedlings.  We had just the two boys.  We rented from apartment to apartment, and lived in a "starter home" too far north in Davis County for our liking.  We weren't ready to settle.

But when we got to the "Glover Lane" one, we put down our roots.

And it's filled to the very brim with memories that have made our lives rich and beautiful. 

There will always be a special spot in our hearts for that great home of ours we grew together in.

It's where we became "US."

There's a lot to say about a home and how it molds a family.

I'm so grateful that one that took care of us for so long.

{And, yes!  we love our new home with all our hearts, too.  (In case you were starting to doubt.)  The memories have already started heaping up in this thing.  Our next chapter is going to be amazing, as well.}

So, that's why I feel melancholy when I see the house these days - it appears they don't appreciate it the way I do.  I feel like the renters will just keep moving in & out, then eventually move on and forget about it.  I hope that someday it will be sold to a family who will be able to own it and live in it and love it again.
It just dawned on me that my feelings for our "Glover Lane" home might stem from one of my favorite childhood books, The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton.

This house went through a period of being loved, then neglected, then loved again.  The ending always made me so happy when the great-great-granddaughter of the man who built the house found it and bought it.  Once again it was lived in and well taken care of.

Maybe that can happen to our "Glover Lane Home" too!  :)

[Mis]Adventures in Fireworks

As a disclaimer, let me set the background:
I grew up going to a BIG fireworks show every year to celebrate the 4th of July.  'BIG' as in Professional. Spectacular.  Awe-inspiring.  Impressive.  "Whoa!" exclamations inducing.  Large-scale display of fireworks.
That's the way it is when your uncle owns a fireworks company!  (As in he makes the fireworks himself, dons the fireproof suit and sets off the fireworks for the show himself, some years with the help of my aunt, in a football stadium at the USU campus!)

So, with THAT to compare to, I have always thought the store bought "fireworks" (If you can even call them that) were on the boring side.  BUT, these days, what used to be illegal is now for sale to the public, so the quality of "at-home" fireworks is improving -- slightly.

So, this year, it was announced that a 4th of July shindig was going to be held on the 3rd in our cul-de-sac for the entire neighborhood.  It was scheduled on the same night as the above mentioned fireworks tradition, but we opted to stay home and join in our local party this year.  We all brought food to eat and contributed about 10 bucks towards fireworks that someone purchased in our behalf.

We ate first, and were sitting around visiting until dark so we could start the fireworks......
at least that was how I THOUGHT it goes....
UNLESS the toddler-age crowd (who have an early bedtime?) is quite numerous amongst the group...
and then they start them at 8:20 p.m. when it is still light outside. 

Huh?!?   I've never experienced THAT.

This is how it went.

You'd hear the noise/boom.
You'd look up, following the fire ball up with your eyes.
You'd only see blue sky, and lose sight of the fire ball.
Then you'd see the ash &/or cardboard packaging debris fall back down to the ground.
No lights.
No colors.
No "flowers of fire" (that's how the Japanese word for "firework" [hanabi] translates into English, cool visual, huh?!?)
Repeat.  Repeat.  Repeat.
Until all $200 worth of fireworks were all gone.
(Not the wisest use of money if you'd ask me -- but no one did!  haha)

So, on the actual 4th of July, Matt's family got some fireworks and came to our home to set them off since they aren't banned where we live.....BUT, we insisted they wait until DARK so as not to deja vous the night before.
We started out with smaller ones, and then moved towards the bigger ones as the night went on.
What was cool was that neighboring streets were setting them off, too, so we had our pick of displays to view.
We kept telling the kids to stay back on the grass and out of the road, but listening is not always their best attribute.....!
Along comes one of the bigger-ish fireworks and when it was set off, it did not seem to shoot up very high in the sky and the fire & lights were going off too LOW in my [semi-professional] opinion.  So, my survival instinct kicked in and I yelled, "Everybody get outta there!" (maybe a little unnecessarily?) and my outburst was followed by kids [actually listening!] running out of the road and my nephew literally leaping over the neighbor's fence!  (That was pretty admirable)
Then our neighbors drove into the cul-de-sac, returning home, so we took a break until their car was parked before starting up again.
For the "grand finale" we were setting off one that boasted 16 shots!
But, when it was set off, only about 5 went off, and it was kinda an anti-climatic ending to the 4th.
We were hanging around on the front lawn chatting for a while longer, not paying much attention to Matt's brother WHO WAS NOT SATISFIED with only getting 5/16 bang for his buck and was out there pretty much trying to dissect the dysfunctional firework and re-lighting it multiple times...... 
When all of sudden, mid-conversation, we hear a series of BOOMs and look up to see Matt's bro & dad running away from the firework as explosions started lighting up the cul-de-sac (it looked like slow motion running to me.)
Again, I screamed, "Hurry!  Get away!"  (but this time, NOT unnecessarily!)
THEN, the firework started going off sideways!!!
Right in the direction of our neighbors who had just returned home and were standing in their garage, emptying the trunk, just moments before!!!!
I had flashes of nightmare involving bushes, grass, & houses catching fire cross my mind.
(I think multiple people started screaming now!)
We were all thinking, Where's the next sideways shot going?  Towards OUR home and the 27 people?
Then almost simultaneously, we all got up and starting running for cover to the side and back of the house.

It was a reenactment of The Blob movie

Who needs Phoenixville, PA, we can do it right here in Farmington, too!

That's one way to clear a crowd, I tell ya - eveyone was gone within minutes of that!

It was very unsettling.

When I had sufficiently WATERED all remaining pieces of the fireworks, I was finally able to go inside to bed.

Hopefully, I can get my fireworks "fix" next week at Farmington Festival Days....my craving has yet to be satisfied this year!