Then we went to Sam's Club to pick up stuff for the party. Another argument ensued over whether Matt and I were allowed to pay for any of the party supplies or if we were confined to paying only for "our" things. We won that argument by stealing things off their cart when they weren't looking.
They tried to take us for a walk along a trail in a new park along the track of an old railway. It was heavily forested area, and Matt and Braz soon decided they were going to turn it into the next big money-making themepark: a Vietnam theme park, complete with live ammo and tiger traps. While they were having fun describing the multitudinous ways to be eviscerated in their new park, Kris and I were being eaten alive by gnats. We decided after only about a quarter mile or so to give up and turn around. Maybe we'll go back sometime when it's not so hot and buggy - the trail was actually very pretty (barring the boys' strange senses of humor).
Sunday was the Independence Day picnic. We spent most of the day setting up for it, and being eaten by the gnats in the backyard. Kris and I finally decided that we couldn't stand it anymore and went up to the drugstore for big citronella candles, an outdoor fogger, and an incense-like anti-bug device. We figured between all those things, one of them had to be able to discourage the bugs. Kris and I argued about whether I should help pay, which I solved by just stuffing $15 in her purse while she wasn't looking. The four of us started the festivities a bit early with a "preliminary" watergun fight, and then people began arriving. The picnic was a great success. If I'd known how many people were going to bring food, I'd have told Kris not to bother with half the stuff we picked up at Sam's! I never did get to try a "Brazburger" - but don't let that fool you into thinking I went hungry at all!
We had several watergun fights over the course of the afternoon, ate a ton, and eventually set off the fireworks at about 8. (Yes, the sun was still up, but we were getting tired and other people had to be heading home anyway. They were still quite impressive.) As a result of poo-poohing Matt's concerns, I developed a splendid sunburn across my shoulders. (I'd been wearing my bathing suit and some shorts during the watergun fights.) 
We spent Monday mostly just being lazy and recovering from the party. I got Braz to take me to the store for some aloe for my sunburn, and he tried to trick me into letting him buy it along with the things he was getting. He did a good job of it, too - if Kris hadn't found the $15 just before we left for the store, I might've believed him when he said he'd get it rung up separately and let me pay him back! We went to the Silver Pig for lunch - Carolina barbeque and hush puppies that were just fantastic. Then we went to the mall to see Me, Myself, and Irene, which was hysterical (though not for the squeamish or puritanical of mind).
That evening after dinner, we played a game of Spades, Matt and Braz partnered against Kris and I. It was great fun, though I'm still convinced that if Kris hadn't actually taunted the boys, they'd never have been able to recover enough to beat us! I'm looking forward to the next game, though I think to keep things fair we should rotate partners every so often.
Kris' family had plans for the Fourth that didn't include Matt and I, so we parted ways Tuesday morning around eleven. It's probably just as well - Matt and I had laundry to do, and by the time we'd finished burning our sparklers on the front lawn, we were exhausted. It was a good weekend, with the additional bonus of a short week in front of us.
Two short weeks, as Matt reminded me over dinner last night - next week we'll be taking Thursday and Friday off to fly to Montana for my brother's wedding. I think by the time we get to August, I'm going to be so tired I'll barely be able to stand up!
Word of the Day: procrustean - arbitrary, often ruthless, disregard of individual differences or special circumstances
I've long thought that out school system should be changed. The relentless march of grade levels from kindergarten up through graduation - especially combined with laws that prohibit anyone from being held back more than once - display a procrustean attitude toward education that really satisfies only the few average students. Exceptional students go unchallenged, leaving potential wasted and the student bored; while slower students are harried along, "learning" what they have to learn by rote without ever really understanding any of it. It's a disservice to the child, a disservice to the community, and a disservice to the country.
The entire system needs to be scrapped, and built over again from whole cloth: a system of education in which a child's age matters less than their intellectual capacity; in which physical maturity is secondary to emotional maturity.
Of course, it will never happen. I'd be happy if teachers were only paid what they deserve.
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