As I stood in line on Friday afternoon waiting on Vic the Chili Man — my fave hot dog stand Uptown, and arguably all of Charlotte — I laughed as he prepared a patron for the side effects of his homemade hot mustard (a rough exit after digestion). I immediately thought ahead to my weekend of booze and July 4th celebrations and decided I should tell him to hold the spice.
This time last year, I was just getting settled in a new relationship with my current boyfriend and preparing for fireworks (wink, wink) on Lake Wylie as we made plans to a party on his friend’s pontoon boat. There was fun in the sun all day long.

It was my first time being on a boat since I almost drowned in Lake Norman at a Memorial Day outing in 2015, so I was bit nervous. Who wants to ask the person they’re dating for a life jacket when no one else is wearing one? Not to mention, I could tell from the looks on everyone’s faces as my cousin and I stepped on the boat —scantily clad — that we were going to stand out.

And to top it off? This black girl fulfills the stereotype of not liking to get her hair wet or get in water. That meant no bonding with new friends over a tube ride. Now, talk about awkward.
But the day and night went on without a hitch. As I prepared for not seeing fireworks, which my family makes an effort to see every year, we made our way across Lake Wylie to the perfect open viewing spot for catching the show put on by the U.S. National Whitewater Center. Date tip: fireworks under the stars makes for an unforgettable first date.

(Disclaimer: I’m writing this before the weekend has even started. Hence, the future thoughts in past tense.)

This year’s July 4th celebrations, on the other hand, were going to be interesting, to say the least. The weekend was going to be filled with juggling multiple friends and family — good friends, old roommates, old best friends, frenemies from college and my parents. Why you may ask? An old roommate was getting married and decided that all of these people needed to be in the same place at the same time. Lucky me.

I wasn’t looking forward to the fake smiles and awkward conversations combined with an open bar. I couldn’t even imagine what arguments were in store for me, especially if I decided to go on the limo party bus to Uptown on that Friday night for pre-wedding festivities.

I was, however, looking forward to taking my parents to pre-game for the wedding at Foxcroft Wine Co. in Dilworth. I had been craving a meat and cheese board after stalking the many Charlotte foodie Instagrams and my partner in crime had just tried it out on the previous weekend. She raved about her experience so much that I knew it would be the perfect place to unwind before the wedding.

I was also excited about the fact that my parents were finally going to go on my boyfriend’s boat. We’d already planned out the entire day, when my mom said, “Uh uh, I’m not getting in that water.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Outside of the fact that she was still traumatized by my almost-drowning on Lake Norman, she was also mortified by the recent death of the teenager who contracted a brain-eating amoeba after a visit. And I must say, that terrified me too. But after a lot of pursuit, we had convinced her that she still had to experience the boat ride, with or without actually getting in the water — in a bathing suit.

I was most looking forward to repeating last year’s feature: watching yet another fireworks show in the middle of Lake Wylie under the night sky. I thought about the fact that on that night last year, I was forced to get in the water to pee and how scared I was that a fish or alligator was going to devour my bottom half. This time, I was going to pace my drinking so I could avoid any pee breaks in the water, especially at night. I’m a self-diagnosed hypochondriac, though I had not (and still haven’t) read up on what exactly the deal was with amoeba.

Nevertheless, I knew one thing for sure — I didn’t have to go into work on Monday. That meant one less day sitting in the office, and one less day sitting in the office hungover!

How did you end up spending your Fourth of July weekend in the Queen City? Share it with me at backtalk@clclt.com.