Do you ever feel like a plastic bag? Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again? No for real now. Fireworks have always been a huge part of my life since the day I was born. My parents own a fireworks stand, and I have grown with the business. Whether I was at my grandma’s watching them be set off on the 4th of July or at the stand looking at all the shapes and displays of each firework, I was completely infatuated.

When I was 14, I got to work my first summer at our stand. I was so excited to be able to finally work with fireworks. That summer I made many new friends, and I got much closer with my dad. We rode to work together every day and bonded over the conversations of which fireworks were the best. I also met Kaelyn, Laurie, Wyatt and many other people that are still my friends. The new sense of responsibility I received was chaotic but glorious all at once. People trusted me, and I felt like I had finally proved myself to my friends and family. My experience that first summer has impacted me ever since. I found myself as a person and figured out the type of person I wanted to be.

The next summer, I was so excited to go back. I got to see my friends, learn more about the business and life as a whole. I feel like working at such a young age has helped me mature and better understand the game we call life. I made more new friends, but the one that meant the most was Amber. She is one of my best friends and she made the summer one I will never forget. My dad put more trust and responsibility in me that summer. I had to train new employees, and learn how to program the registers and fix them when there were problems. It was nice knowing that my dad thought I was capable of new things like that. I learned more and my love of fireworks grew more than ever. They meant something to me, not just during the summer time but all the time. If I wasn’t working at the warehouse, I was at home helping my parents with the paperwork that came along with the business.

This past summer has been the best one yet. More new people came, as well as old friends. Lexi, Tyler and Slater are a few of the new friends I made this year. I got to be the tent manager this year and once again, I loved the new challenge my dad gave me. My best memories were made this year. One night we all went to the back parking lot and set a cake off called ICU. For those of you who don’t know what a cake is, they are the ones that shoot flaming balls that explode into the air, like the ones commonly used in fireworks shows. We are all pyromaniacs, so we thought it was a good idea. The firework managed to tip over and shoot straight at the warehouse full of cases and cases of explosives. Luckily we didn’t blow up. That’s just one of the many crazy stories that occurs at OG. Not only do the people that I work with affect me, but the customers do as well. There is a wholesale customer named Johnny that comes in every day. He and I have become pretty close and he considers me his niece now. I am also friends with his son, Joe. They have taught me so much and always manage to make me laugh if I’m having a bad day. When I say they have taught me so much, I mean anything from general life information to the knowledge I obtain of fireworks. I know more about money and business than the average teenager my age. I also have learned a lot about this world and the people in it. The experiences I have gone through here shaped me into the person I am today and shaped my ideals.

The person with the biggest impact on my life has been Daniel. He is what I consider family. He teaches me right and wrong, but also lets me be a kid and make mistakes that I need to learn from on my own. He doesn’t try and shelter me from life. He let’s me have fun but makes sure I am always safe. He has also taught me almost everything I know about fireworks. This is why I believe in fireworks. I believe in fireworks because of the growth they have brought into my life.