An Amazing 4th of July

Sat 4 Jul 11.05pm

WOW! What an amazing 4th of July celebration I had today. I went to Alicia Fowler's home - yes, it's not just a house but a HOME! Alicia's home was absolutely beautiful. It was big and cosy. They had a Japanese fish pond, a white tent specially set up for the food, a yard to play a ring-toss game, outdoor chairs and tables with umbrellas, and to complete the setting - a dog whose owner was John (Alicia's boyfriend).

But ultimately what made the experience so memorable was the amazing hospitality by Alicia and her family. They made us feel so welcomed at their home and they prepared such a feast for us! Mary-France's 2 daughters (Rebecca and Alexis Leon) and Jennifer were also there to join in the fun. Additionally, Alicia's family like her aunt Judy and uncle Santos was also present to make the entire atmosphere so homely and cosy.

I really enjoyed talking to Rebecca, Jennifer and Santos over appetizers and dinner. We talked about meaningful stuff instead of just casual banter. Rebecca left a very good impression on me as an intellectual girl.

(On the left is Jennifer, a teacher who is also an 'ox' while Rebecca is on the right and she is a 'dragon'. Apparently both ladies know about the Chinese zodiac)

After a very sumptuous and satisfying dinner, we had 'smores'! Smores are basically Graham crackers with chocolate and melted marshmellows between them. Of course we had to first barbeque the marshmellows - that's the fun part. Jara the Spanish girl really loves her 'smores' and she was the one who made the request to Alicia to include smores into the meal.

Following the desserts (smores was just one the plentiful dessert laid before the table), we played with sparklers to celebrate 4th July.

(That's Jara in the picture)

We bade Alicia and her wonderful family farewell to come back to Lehigh to catch the 9.15pm fireworks. But not before taking a picture with Alicia and her boyfriend John and also with Alicia's Dad, Dave Fowler.

A few of us went to the Mc Conn rooftop to catch the fireworks. The entire fireworks lasted 30 mins and it is simply magnificient. The fireworks display during National Day cannot even compare to what I witnessed tonight!

There were so many patterns and the fireworks covered such a HUGE sky area. I took so many pictures and videos of the fireworks because it is truly a spectacular sight to behold. Below is just one of the videos that I took. It is the best video but still it is just ONE of the many videos.

Although it is a nice video, still it doesn't do full justice to the grandeur of what I witnessed before my very eyes. It was a moving scene because of the beauty and scale of the display.

Do have a look at the pics I uploaded on Facebook of Alicia's beautiful home and also of the fireworks display. When I return home, I will show you more videos of the fireworks. It's a MUST-SEE to watch how Americans celebrate Independence Day with a big bang!