Fourth of July

I spent the most patriotic holiday of the year with a wonderful group of friends eating way too much good food, floating in the lake, and shooting off fireworks. Granted this year I chose to sit and watch and try to guess which guy would most likely end up in the emergency room from fireworks.
Good news, no one was seriously injured due to fireworks and I escaped any major sunburn. (A slight Rudolph nose does not count right?)
I will have to say my appreciation of the fourth and what it means to America did not really register to me as a child. It meant a day normally spent on the river with friends and family and swimming in the coldest pool I can imagine. (I truly thought my cousin put ice blocks in the pool as a child…artesian well did not mean anything to me.)

During the summer between second and third grade, I was blessed to take a back packing trip across Europe with my grandmother. It truly was an unforgettable experience. I discovered just how awesome French bread, European cheese and pasta in Italy truly is. The other thing I discovered was that the Fourth of July is strictly an American holiday. I still remember that the only thing patriotic I could find was a red drink, being dumbfounded that no one had a flag out anywhere and most importantly “where were the fireworks.”
Too this day my grandmother and I laugh at my understanding if the Fourth of July before and after that fateful trip. While I do still enjoy the fireworks (what good slight pyromaniac does not?), I do understand that this past weekend was celebrating the freedoms afforded to us by our forefathers fighting against others making decisions for us from across an ocean. I hope that you enjoyed your holiday celebrating the freedom you have in the good ole USA! I sure did!