7/5/10 Fourth of July

Happy 4th of July Interpeeps! Hope your holiday was filled with friends and grilled meat and managing to keep all of your fingers from being blown away when you went to inspect that Roman Candle that didn't go off like it was supposed to.

I spent mine down with the extended fam in Savannah.

Tony and I went down to see a cousin get married on Saturday, and then stayed for the festivities through Monday. The wedding was lovely, the reception afterward was fun, and the food was plentiful. What more can you really ask for, right?

On Sunday, the whole family got together for a pool party/cookout/extreme croquet tourny. Mom pushed Tony in the pool with all his clothes on, I ate my body weight in boiled peanuts (a Southern staple!), everyone managed to keep their croquet balls out of the dog poo and fire-ant hazards (told you it was extreme) and a generally good time was had by all.

I guess that's really what the 4th of July is all about, right? The freedom to get married, eat burgers, and whack your cousin's ball as far away from the wicket as possible. To take turns seeing who can make the biggest splash off the diving board, listen to uncles tell ridiculous stories about growing up with your dad, and eat that second (or third, or twelfth) red, white and blue sprinkled cookie.

I know our country isn't perfect. Heaven knows we make all kinds of mistakes, but at least they are ours to make. We chose it, for better or worse, protected it in blood and lives lost, and try our best to remember those values that the founding fathers wanted us to live by. Liberty, justice, and okay, maybe one more of those sugar cookies.

God bless America.