july4th.

Today is July 4th!

Happy Independence Day!

I can't say that I have any big plans for the year, despite the fact that I love this holiday. To be honest, my lack of plans on this particular 4th of July may actually be encouraging my love of this holiday! It's 3:30 and this has been my day:

• Wake up at the lakehouse and talk to Sarah.
• Walk outside and soak in the gorgeous day!
• Teach my dad a thing or 2 about driving the boat for an hour or so (maybe that's not exactly what went down, but he is teaching me so I can be more confident and ultimately drive by myself. I have lots to learn from him!)
• Eat yummy leftover pizza for no good reason at 10am.
  
• Go to Target and develop pictures (sidenote - Target is probably my favorite store everd).
• Come home and talk to Carly.
• Make lemon bars just for fun.
• Cut the lemon bars into squares and sample all of the excess. I did good!
• Start laundry while listening to Shane and Shane.
  
• Start cleaning my room...only to end up here, blogging my heart away.

So, today, even in its simplicity, I'm remembering all the reasons I love this holiday. I'm thinking back on years of celebrations at the Huffman's house with the Huffmans, Misenheimers, Lewises, Huckins, Kings, and more all through my childhood. Friends everywhere - our brave parents! I remember water balloon tosses with Rachel and Janelle, water balloon fights with the boys, trying to play matchmaker with Justin Huffman and Sarah who were probably 4, thinking Jaclyn and Alyssa were the coolest, gathering round in their pool or in lawn chairs to watch the Bedford Boys Ranch fireworks. Naturally we thought there had never been anything more spectacular. We grilled out, we swam, we laughed, we built memories for a lifetime. It was awesome!

I'm also thinking back a few years of 4th of July's at the Bluffs and the Outback. Celebrating with family campers, playing with their kids in the pool while we watched the fireworks, having deep conversations, laughing at crazy skits, being the perfect amount of exhausted and realizing it would all soon come to an end. I love those memories!

Then there's 2 years ago on this day - another sweet memory celebrating with some of my closest friends, Summer and Ryan Duffie, who had just gotten engaged. A weekend at the lake, filled with delicious food, wedding dreaming, jetskiing, boating, and fireworks. My first 4th of July at the lake. For hours and hours, people all around the lake set off fireworks. We could literally see fireworks no matter which way we turned our heads. Precious, priceless memories.

Last year, another year at the lake, another slew of memories, another round of laughing with sweet friends.

4th of July - consistently a great day! So thankful!