We had an amazing 4th of July, celebrating with family! We woke up and ate some breakfast, laughing and hanging out with family, and then were off to the parade! We went with Candace and Thomas, our niece and nephew, and they had an absolute BLAST. Well, Thomas was asleep nearly the whole time, but Candace was just enchanted by all the floats and people! She was so quiet and just had really wide eyes, taking it all in! She loved eating an Otter Pop that got thrown her way, and was DOWNING kettle corn as fast as she could, in between giving us all a piece or two. We saw my sister in the parade with her lacrosse team, and it was fun!

Once the parade was over we went back to my parents house for some delicious food! We had corn on the cob and steak and bread, and of course, tabouli! Gotta add some international flair to American classic, that's what makes America awesome!

After dinner we headed over to Randy's parents house for some Mario Kart and time with our other niece, Charlotte! We had a blast talking and laughing for a few hours. Then it was back to my parents house to see Candace swim in the kiddie pool! She was cracking us all up, splashing and pouring water from one bottle to another, it was the best.

That night we headed up to the Davis High Fireworks, which was awesome. I absolutely love spending the 4th in my hometown, I personally think it's the best place in the world. We played card games and ate popcorn and peanut butter M&M's and then our friends joined my family to watch the show! After the show ended we hustled to our car to get home.

It really was one of the best 4th of July's ever!

Six years ago on the 4th, Randy and I went on a date to the fireworks. It was just a month later that we would start dating. In some ways, it was the beginning of a lot of things for us. I thought Randy would hold my hand that night. He didn't, but there was something there on that date that made me realize how crazy I was about him. For a few weeks before that, and then for the rest of the summer, we spent a ton of time together. Running to Wendy's before he went to work and after I got off, him visiting me at Cherry Hill, with friends at first, and then more and more often he would come alone. There's a lot of little things about the 4th of July that make me so happy, and those memories are a few reasons why!

Another thing I love about the 4th is spending time in my hometown. Some people really hate the place they grew up in, and while Kaysville/Farmington weren't perfect, the older I get, the more I absolutely love it there. I have a million memories with my family and with Randy, the people are wonderful, and there's just something amazing about that small little town that's getting bigger every year. I absolutely adore it!

The last thing I love about the 4th, is that tug I feel at my heart about the country where I get to live. I've spent a bit of time traveling outside the US and I loved my time traveling, but I will never, ever forget the feeling of walking back through customs to get my passport checked, and having the officer look at me and say "Welcome to the United States of America, miss. Welcome home." It brought me to tears.

I feel like right now it's really cool to point out all the horrible things about where we live, and yes, America isn't perfect. Because the people here aren't perfect. And that's OK. It's great to always want to improve. But I love the chance I get to think about this country and all the absolutely wonderful things about it. I am so grateful for all the people who give their time, and their lives, to defend my freedom. I am so grateful for men and women hundreds of years ago who lived their lives in the pursuit of something amazing. I am so thankful that I get to go to school, that nobody tells me who I have to marry, and that I have people who spend their careers working to uphold laws and keep me and my family safe. We are so blessed. So, so, so blessed. And we need to remember that!

Hopefully you all had a happy and safe 4th of July! God bless America!