Happy Independence Day!

I LOVE the Fourth of July!! I had so much fun today. I didn't have to work which was pretty much the best thing. This morning I went to the Rupert parade with my mom. It's not a super thrilling parade, but it's tradition and the Fourth wouldn't be the same without it. The rest of the day was spent on the river, boating with the family, the extended family, and some of the best friends. So much fun! Remember how I love boating? Yeah, it was a happy time. Plus today was suuuper hot and the water wasn't quite as cold as last time, so it was a much better experience. I think boating on the Fourth of July is my favorite tradition. Our other Fourth tradition is driving the boat down to where they set the fireworks off and watching them from on the river. It's really the perfect view. Ah I just love it so much! I'm pretty sure that no matter how old I get, and no matter where life takes me, I will always have to come to my Snake River on the Fourth of July to keep up these traditions. I love them.

Besides all of the wonderful traditions, there is another reason that I love this holiday: I love this country! I wish that I could write an eloquent paragraph that would adequately describe how much I love this country and how grateful I am to live here, but I really can't put into words how I feel about America. I have had a lot of experiences in my life that have combined to give me such a huge sense of patriotism. The Fourth of July always makes that flame burn even brighter. I realize that our country is not perfect. Our government isn't perfect. Our economy isn't perfect. Our justice system isn't perfect. Our citizens aren't perfect. Our school system isn't perfect. Our health care system isn't perfect. But, I think that if you compare this country to so many others around the world, you will realize that while we aren't perfect, we are pretty darn close. I wish that, once in a while, people would stop looking for all of the faults and realize that we really have very little to complain about. I realize that there are a lot of people in America who don't have the wonderful life that I do. There are plenty of poor and homeless and hungry, but I would much rather be impoverished in America than in any other country. We have it sooo good here, and there are sooo many people that we owe for that. Our founding fathers astound me. I plan to someday shake each one of their hands and thank them, in the best way that I know how, for giving me this incredible place to live. I wish that I could personally thank every person that has given their life, or sacrificed something to make this country what it is. I am so grateful. I think that this is why I love D.C. so much. It's not because I'm a political person. At all. It's because that is the heart of this great country. That's where it has all happened. It may not have all started there, but it has definitely played a huge role in building this country. I also love it for all the monuments and memorials. They increase my gratitude so much and maybe, in a way, going to those places helps me express how thankful I am. I could go on and on about how much I love this country and the people who were brave enough to make it what it is. Unfortunately, I really have to go to bed. Just know, I LOVE America!

I'm proud to be an American

Where at least I know I'm free

And I won't forget the men who died

Who gave that right to me

And I'll proudly stand up

Next to you and defend her still today

'Cause there ain't no doubt, I love this land

God bless the USA!!

Despite the bad grammar, I feel like this song was written for me....and every other patriotic song.