Fourth of July

First and foremost, I LOVE the Fourth of July.  It's not a crazy big holiday in my family, in that we do the typical stuff (grill out, launch fireworks, hang out with friends, etc.)  But man is it great.  I just realized today that this will be the first time in my 23 years on this earth that I won't be spending the 4th with my family . . . So, in honor of them, here is a list with pictures of  my three favorite parts of the 4th celebrations:

Of course First on the list is FIREWORKS!!!

This photo is of the various fireworks celebrations around San Diego, taken from Mt. Soledad facing over Mission Bay.  Every year until I was a teenager my entire extended family would converge on San Diego for three days, the highlight being setting up a picnic in the park to watch fireworks.  

Next, Grill Outs!

Airshows, more specifically the Blue Angels, greatest fliers on the planet!

So, there you have it, my favorite things about the Fourth of July.  Oh, and obviously friends and family are THE integral part that makes the day special.  So, go forth and have a great day of friends, family, fireworks, grilling, and whatever else makes this day special for you.                                                                                                                                                                                                                  And one last note . . . PROBABLY good to remember that the true name of the Holiday isn't the Fourth of July, but rather Independence Day, in honor of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, by which our forefathers began the steady, costly march toward freedom, the benefits of which we are still reaping today, and something that must be constantly be protected and paid for.    I leave with a historically real letter many of you will recognize from it's use in the movie Saving Private Ryan:

"Dear Madam:

 I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant-General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering to you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.

 I pray that our heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. 

Yours very sincerely and respectfully, 

Abraham Lincoln."