"let freedom riiiing..."

our 4th of july was very different than any we have had in the past. usually it is filled with lots of family&friends! this year it was down to the basics, him&her was all we really needed. the 4th of july two years ago was when dan and i got lost together at rigby lake, he wow-ed me with his rock skipping skills, &we held hands for the first time at the idaho falls firework show!

i worked the night of the 3rd &was a seriously tired MESS. we went to church, loved the patriotic songs in sacrament meeting with the gusto organ player, loved our little ward, drove home karin &the missionaries. got home&we fell asleep [dan was keeping me company:], &i woke up to a beautiful home-cooked meal dan made for me! steak, biscuits, corn, parmesan potato wedges, &pink lemonade- pretty good american meal right there!

we then played a game of LIFE [rolltidedan vs rachamajama], had some pink lemonade ice cream shakes [dan's delicious creation] made rice krispie treats in the utmost patriotic way, played uno, &dan played me some songs of the guitar. it was the greatest night with the couches pushed up against the walls and a big blanket on the floor, we love just cuddling and laughing and playing:]. we then headed off to see the firework display at sokol park, we found it just in time. it's extremely difficult trying to find a place to watch fireworks on land with no elevations and dense overgrown trees everywhere... never had that problem out west! we tuned into the radio&enjoyed the show. on the way home my phone rang&i got called off work [if the census at the hospital is low, they call of a nurse or two so they're not "overstaffed" or paying more nurses than they need. i happily obliged& we continued our night! we watched band of brothers, and continued to eat the entire united states in order of states we didn't care as much for to our favorites. we left california, nevada, idaho, &alabama for last.

i am so thankful for those men who fought for the freedom of their families& their countries. they truly are heroes and will always be remembered. i respect and love deeply my own grandfathers and forever grateful to them for their sacrifices and what they gave up so i can enjoy the life i have today. i will always honor&remember them throughout my life and teach my children so they know and are grateful for the events that took place in the history of our country. regardless of our countries lack of God-fearing leadership & massive economical problems, we still live in the greatest land and must always we proud of and thankful for that!