Happy Independence Day

For as long as I can remember, this has been one of my favorite holidays. There's just something special about eating hot dogs and hamburgers and watching fireworks.

Probably the best Independence Day of my life was two years ago, when I spent it at my aunt's house in Fort Collins. We had a barbecue dinner at their neighbors' house, then sat in my aunt's backyard and watched the fireworks at the country club (maybe a quarter mile away). It was a ton of fun and there was just some sort of feeling to that day that I've never felt before. (Maybe it was because I had just finished school a month ago and one of my classes was American History?) Another favorite activity of mine apart from barbecue and fireworks is watching the movie Independence Day (the one with Will Smith and the aliens). Not exactly the most patriotic show, but still a great movie for the day.

This year, I decided to go all-American, and what better way to do that than go to a baseball game with the family? So we went to the local team's game last night. (Unfortunately, they beat us, 18-13. It was an incredible game, though.) And then, there was a sweet firework show, set to the tunes of Michael Jackson. I admit, there was a part of me that wanted to stand up and dance Thriller, but I resisted it.

So today, I'm wearing red, white and blue and planning on reading up a bit on American trivia. For instance, I learned today why the flag is red, white and blue. The answer is that there is no official meaning given, which is a lot better than what my brain was trying to tell me last night. (The reason why the French flag is blue, white and red.)

So have a happy Independence Day, everyone!