Recap: 4th of July!! (Location: Lincoln Memorial!)

Better late than never. And I finally give you: THE BEST 4TH OF JULY IN MY LIFE.

Thankfully through friends, we knew some locals who assisted in camping out for the best spot possible on the Mall. We stretched out on the Lincoln side of the Reflecting Pool (fireworks were shot off from the middle), where the grass is angled, providing the most perfect angle to layback and enjoy the show.

Perfect. Amazing. Well worth the wait/heat exhaustion/slight sunburn/cramped conditions of the Metro (I swore it was like rush hour in Tokyo).

First off, some love for my beloved state. Thumbs up. I miss you Oregon.

And a complete thumbs down for Florida. And a pouty face. Moving on.

Here duckies, duckies, duckies. Gross part: People waded in the water to cool off. That's alright, if you want your genes mutated and to bear children with 3 eyes. Then wade right ahead.

So we just arrived. A little after Noon. Heat bearing down on us with 8 hours to wait.

As you can tell from the scenery, not many came out this early. But by God, when we tailgate...we mean business. What a view we had. Phenomenal.

I think the words that came out of my mouth were, "omg, there's f***ing nuns!"

This is after we took a stroll to Macy's looking for better shoes for Katie, an umbrella, maybe a Derby Hat to keep covered, but instead found some awesome scarves. Too bad it was a little late, we were already pink, and the strongest part of the sun was over. Oh well.

Not sure what time it was, but people started to make their moves out and about.

Collin and Crowe discuss the political essays in the Economist. In D.C. Shocking.

And we're looking more like sardines. But what else do you really expect?

Oh ya, baby, fill 'er up. Oh wait, that makes me miss Oregon again.

Okay, so Crowe was making fun of Collin for looking like a model. So Crowe copied him, but Crowe put his arm up like a douche. Right as I took the picture, Collin itched his head. Perfect.

Assume the position, lay back, relax, and enjoy the show. That's what she said.

Why, yes sir, it is time to doctor our sodas from Subway. Now where's my flask? :D

Almost ready. The excitement was beyond my control. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew it would knock our socks off. It was like being 5 again and it's Christmas.

And so I give you, some shots that I was able to squeeze out, without actually looking in the viewfinder and aiming, in the few minutes I alloted to trying to capture the moment.

It was stunning. The best 20 minutes of fireworks in my life. And the 4th of July is my 2nd favorite holiday. Because of the fireworks. 2nd behind Christmas, of course. And the pictures can't do the justice of how cool it really was. Just plain cool.

I thought it was so cool to have the Washington Monument as the backdrop. And what you don't think about when you see the fireworks on the news, we were so darn close that the concussions of the blasts made it hard to breath. It was beyond words. So fun, so magical, so literally breath taking. Superb. Delightful. Magnanimus.

A Once in a Lifetime moment. Purely sensational. I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

And while some people were disappointed that the fireworks only lasted 20 minutes, it was an exceptional display of patriotic enthusiasm. Recession or not, one of the best times of my life.

Then while all of DC were fighting for spots on the Metro to make their way back home, we made the 15-minute walk to our hotel to refresh for a night out on the town. This image captivates how we felt on the walk home after hitting a couple Georgetown hotspots.

And to the Fireswamp, I had more than a great time with everyone. I wish we could all live together again. It was like the old days. The good days. The college days. Minus now we have paychecks. And no homework. And we're stylish. I really look forward to our next rendezvous. However we choose to try and top this reunion. And maybe a game of golf will be in for the boys. And a spa day for the girls. And the vacation won't be cut short by the government.