Yo Shorty, it's Independence Day

I just need to be about an inch taller. Maybe two.

That way, my jeans wouldn't drag on the ground and get torn up when I wear flat shoes. I always buy jeans "to wear with heels", but of course I never wear heels. I'm a flip-flop girl. So my jeans get ruined.

I'll never forget the time the school nurse threatened to stretch me.

I went up the stairs near the library and waited for her to call my name outside of her office. When my turn came, she proceeded to weigh me (in kilograms) and measure me. I think I had grown about 1/4 of an inch since my last visit.

"We'll just have to put you on a table and pull your arms and legs so you get taller!" she said.

I was scared for my life.

I never thought that being short was a bad thing.

People always made fun of me.
I learnt to walk really fast to keep up with my friends.

Now, three of my four sisters are taller than me.
My 12 year old sister calls me "Shrimp."
My 14 year old sister calls me "her little sister."
I wear a size 0 or XS (sometimes I can fit into a size 1 or S). It's not hard to find that size at the store because most people are a M.

And all the guys are taller than me. :)

I like being short.
I can wear heels and still be shorter than most guys.

I almost always pass as being younger than I am. Everyone thinks Carolyn is older.
It's fun.

I just wish I could reach that top shelf...

On a different note, it's the 4th of July. As if you didn't know.

Carolyn and I plan on going to watch fireworks at the George Bush Presidential Library tonight. I think this year has sentimental value because it's the first year I've spent the 4th of July in the United States since 1997. Yes. It's been a whole decade.

I have good memories of the 4th of July. I can remember my dad opening the trunk of our station wagon (he had a bad wreck and totaled it when I was 6, so I must have been younger than that) and letting us sit in the back, dangling our feet off the edge. My dad had bought some firecrackers and fireworks, and he lit them in our front yard. I particularly remember the rocket he lit. I thought that was the best thing I had ever seen. I remember seeing it shoot into the air and explode. I also remember him setting black cat firecrackers on our backyard fence and then lighting them. I would stand on the back porch, covering my ears in fear and yet smiling in excitement.

But my favorite were the poppers and the sparklers. I'm not sure if they're actually called "poppers", but that's what we called them. The little things you throw on the ground and then they make a little "bang". We would pour them on the ground and dance around on them, listening to the melodious popping noises they made.

Once it got dark, we would light sparklers and write our names in the air. It was artistic and magical at the same time. I still remember the disappointment that would come once the sparkler ran out.

Sometimes, my parents would take us somewhere to watch fireworks. I remember two times in particular. One time, we went out into the country and watched them in a field. I think it had been a pretty dry summer because the grass caught on fire and the fire department had to come. The other time, we went to a hotel (Ramada, perhaps?) next to I-35 and watched a laser show followed by spectacular fireworks on the golf course. I never understood the point of the laser show. I think I got bored.

I miss getting a big blanket, laying down in the warm summer air, and watching beautiful explosions high above me. I'm sad that my whole family can't be together this year for Independence Day. I'm sad that my sisters and I have all outgrown our flag dresses. (Ok, I'm not really that sad. But everyone thought we were cute.)

Perhaps tonight will be exciting in its own special way.

Happy Freedom Day.

P.S. If I had kids, I would make them wear these today. I think they are way cute.