I ran a quick errand this afternoon and as I was driving down Dakota Avenue to come back to work here at KSFY, my car must have been pelted at least 50 times by snow so heavy it just fell off from tree branches above onto cars (like mine) below.

 It had me thinking "So this is Spring, huh?" which allowed my thoughts to drift towards sunshine and warmth and, for some random reason, a 4th of July from about 16 years ago.

 I was just getting ready to leave Des Moines, Iowa (my hometown) and go to KCAU in Sioux City, Iowa to begin work as a TV news reporter. I was excited and I was spending one final summer holiday with some friends I had known seemingly forever. We had spent most of that Summer together, knowing it would likely be our last.

 There was Sara who was mostly shy and quiet until you got to know her. Barry who was the smart prankster with the dry sense of humor. Jason was the outcast whom most other people ignored but we took him into our group with open arms. Nathan was the preacher's kid who was very quiet but very nice and every once in a while would drop a joke that would drop your jaw. There was also Melissa who was the fun and outgoing one. Stan was muscular and imposing and the largest pussycat you could ever hope to know. Then there was me.

 On this 4th of July night, we wondered what we should do. How many fireworks shows could we make it to? Did we want to watch fireworks at all? Did we want to grill out or do something else? We started the night in West Des Moines, sitting in the parking lot of a Hy-Vee watching a firewrorks show. Then we realized we had enough time to jump in the car and make it downtown for the fireworks at Sec Taylor Stadium. So we get down there and the place is packed! Hardly anywhere to watch the fireworks from. Barry nudges me and gestures towards the old railroad bridge. I look at him and say "No Bar...." but he was already gone. I looked at the rest of the group, shrugged my shoulders and followed him.

 This bridge hung over the Des Moines River. If one of us fell off we would go right in the drink. We all carefully crawled out to the center of the bridge and sat down just as the fire fireworks shell was launched. Seeing the fireworks reflected in the river was an awesome sight. I looked over at my friends, realizing we were on the cusp of leaving all this behind. Of having to become adults and lose our leisure time together.

 We left that night knowing something special was coming to an end. On one hand it was terribly sad. We had known each other since we were kids and now we were preparing to step away from each other. On the other hand, it was exciting. Knowing we would soon meet other people and experience different things. As a group, we had pretty much explored all of Central Iowa. We needed to broaden our horizons; it sounds like a cliche but it is true.

 So now, a decade and a half later, here i am writitng to you about all of this. So what about my former partners in crime? We haven't spent a 4th of July together since. Sara is married with two kids and living in Texas. Barry lives with his wife and daughter in Rapid City. I have no idea where Jason is. The last I knew, Nathan was divorced and living somewhere in the south (Alabama?). Melissa lives in Iowa with her husband and two kids and Stan lives with his wife in Texas where he works as a parole officer. We all moved on with our lives. Honestly, there are times where I wish we were still sitting on that bridge and watching fireworks. But life has been fulfilling since then.

 Quote Of The Day: "Anyone who limits her vision to memories of yesterday is already dead." Lily Langtry

 This Day In History: President Lyndon Johnson announced he would not run for re-election on this date, March 31, 1968.

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