Day 915: Almost (But Not Really) The Same

I have this tradition that seems to baffle people: Every time I sit and watch fireworks, I play Illuminations on my phone. This Fourth of July was no different, even as I head a couple of hours away to visit my roommates.

Fireworks have always been one of those things where, once you experience all Disney has to offer, there's no going back. Don't get me wrong, fireworks can still be fun and beautiful, but there's something very different about sitting and watching some things explode in the sky and experiencing all that Illuminations: Reflections of Earth has to offer. As Megan pointed out on our drive, my expectations for fireworks are through the roof, and there's no changing that...but it also doesn't mean that I can't acknowledge good fireworks when I see them.

Last year, when we headed up North with the band, the fireworks we ended the trip with were some of the most dissapointing fireworks you've ever seen, and while I didn't go on the tour this year, it sounded like those they watched this year weren't much better. This year, on the other hand, I was in a completely different place, and my fireworks were actually pretty darn good. I was actually very impressed with those that we saw, which went on for a while before leading up to a grand finale that lasted quite some time. The finale also happened to remind me of another Fourth of July fireworks extravaganza I saw a few years back...one much more influenced by Disney:

It took a little while for me to find a decent recording of the exact show I happened to watch back in 2011, but this one did the trick. That's right. I was there for that. It's sort of odd thinking about how this was a video taken from somewhere else around World Showcase and from not far away I was watching as well. 

Here's a recording of this year's fireworks as well via Inside the Magic: 

What I wouldn't give to have seen these fireworks live. As for our fireworks, like I said, they were definitelly wonderful, as you can sort of see even from this one picture (which has more than one firework...meaning it already beats last year). As usual, I listened to Illuminations during the show and always smiled a little extra whenever the fireworks would happen to match up with the music. Just another way to bring a little bit of home back here to Wiconsin. 

Happy Fourth of July everyone! 

Have a magical day!

(Note: This blog post was written on July 6 due to travel).