Happy 4th Everyone!

I wish I could say that this holiday was full of fun, jam-packed with activities, full of great food and friends... but this one wasn't for me.  It's was just a day off... Which sounds sad, granted, but not to me!  I've been working 6 days a week for almost 9 months now, with little to no reprieve...  It's actually a HUGE blessing to have a day off.  I slept in.  I hung pictures in the house (about time, right?), I cleaned the house, mowed the yard, did laundry, and fixed dinner... and even had time to watch a movie or two.  It was FANTASTIC!  At first I was a little upset with myself for not making plans to see fireworks... but then it got cloudy and dark about 5 o'clock, so I figured a rain storm was coming through (no point in getting upset about no fireworks!)... It never actually rained, but Sarah and I were able to still spend a lazy evening on the sofa.  Now I hear the sound of fireworks in the distance (and Sarah is cuddling all the closer for it), but I'm not missing anything...really.  In all honesty, I'm a little jealous that I wasn't able to join my friends Kate and Meredith in Boston this weekend.  I've always wanted to see the fireworks in the Harbor... but that wasn't really an option this weekend- maybe some other time.
Instead, I remember great 4ths of years past- all of the cousins having a "parade" at the farm... my granddad lighting our sparklers with a blow torch and smiling about it(yes, that's right, blow torch)... when we were at my other grandparent's "barn house" out by Lake Ransom, we used to sit on the balcony and watch the fireworks...  I remember very distinctly when I was 7 or 8 that my brother and I sat there with my grandparents, admiring the fireworks with "ooh"s and "aahh"s... and a family with a parked car on the street in front of their house mimicking us.  Then we just starting saying silly things just to see if they would echo.  It was a fun night... and a great memory for me.
All in all, I'm proud to be an American. I'm grateful to those who are willing to defend this country because the good Lord KNOWS that it's not in my heart!
God Bless the USA tonight, and in the future too... and may your 4th be full of happy memories!