My Country, 'Tis of Thee

Reasons We Love America:

1. We found each other here (Corny? Yes. True? Yes :)

2. Where else can you get Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, South American, Italian, Mexican, Caribbean, and good 'ole American food all within a 10-mile radius? At 3 am.

3. The automatic respect we have when we see a man or woman in their fatigues out in public with their spouse and 2-year-old daughter. Thank you.

4. Southerners. Don't get much better'n that Southern hospitality.

5. The NBA. Kobe vs. LeBron? Next year hopefully, next year.

6. County fairs with foot-long corn dogs, funnel cakes, rodeos, and ferris wheels.

7. Moab, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, The Alamo (I am from Texas), Statue of Liberty, Liberty Bell, Ground Zero, Hollywood Blvd.

8. The Constitution that still protects our rights today (well, ideally...). Also, the idea of our legal system. It is faulty, but good intentions, equality, and fair-mindedness directed it's birth.

9. Ipods blasting The Beatles, Michael Jackson, The Go-Go's, Def Leppard, Tim McGraw, Kanye West, The Weepies, Louis Armstrong, Black Eyed Peas, even Mo-Tab.

10. Our national holiday involves grilling, camping, boating, music, friends and family, fireworks, and most importantly, people of different races, socioeconomic statuses, and religions uniting together in an emotional cause to appreciate and praise the awe-inspiring circumstances in which our amazing country came to be.

Go America. 

To quickly catch up, Steve and I have just been busy with school, work, friends, family, the usual! We've witnessed a few friends partake in matrimonial bliss, 

(apparently Steve and RJ's brother have a long-standing argument on who's taller......)

gone on picnics in the park complete with blankets, food, slurpees, frisbee, and er, deep conversation (hehe),

went biking in Moab for the 4th--3 intense rides in a day, which is a lot harder than biking on flat road as our gluteal muscles reminded us repeatedly the next day :(

then cuddled and attempted to see who could stuff more Funions in their mouth under fireworks,

had dinner with my lovely girls while my husband learns about boring stuff for hours at a time in a classroom, 

and then my favorite, discussed how much cuter the name roly-poly is for what some people call a potato bug....potato bug? Seriously? I had never even heard of that until a few weeks ago. How boring is that? What child wants to grow up calling it a potato bug? I am truly grateful for an upbringing in which we called them roly-poly's. Our children will continue the tradition :)