That's What We Do Here

Christmas and Easter hold a particular sentimental religious meaning for me (for obvious reasons), but my two favorite secular holidays are Thanksgiving and the Fourth of July. Granted, both are rooted in thankfulness for our current state of life in the good ol' U.S. of A, but aside from thanking God for our freedom at the onset of the day, we spend the days eating.

And hanging out with family. 'Cuz that's what we do here.

The Fourth of July is great because it usually means a long weekend with friends and family. This year, for instance, we were in SB Saturday and Sunday for what can only be described as the Pool Fest 2011. I didn't really need any clothes except for my bathing suit and towel.

Does a towel count as clothing? Absolutely, when that's your "cover up" when eating flame-grilled burgers, corn on the cob, and berry shortcake or playing cornhole between pool escapades. That's just what we do here.

Saturday was a momentous occasion for Jack. He met his dad for the first time in sixteen years. We took Jack's dad and his wife to dinner and it was nice catching up with them. A three-hour dinner does not exactly make up for sixteen years, but at least it's a start.

Anxious for some craziness, Jack and I crashed Brady's party on Saturday night. Brady has had the same friends for his whole life and I knew these boys from when they all played t-ball together and I served as umpire to call their balls and strikes. It was fun seeing them again. My cousin and his girlfriend also came and we hatched a plan to get the entire family to Florida for Christmas by 2015. Because that's what we do here!

Yep, July 4th is a fun holiday. Jack's family joined our festivities this year, as did Zibby and his fiancee, Libby (now that she's in our life for good, I guess she's due for a cool Just Keep Swimming nickname). Jack's brother's children were there and they were CUTE in the pool. That whole experience made my folks (SkyBlue and Lou) excited for Zibby's baby who will be big enough for some pool action next summer. Heck, it made us ALL look forward to the three <5-year-old's we will have at the party next year! We had a great time together and with all the food and games afoot, we went home tired puppies.

Arriving back home in Chicagoland, Jack and I had the delight of watching thousands of dollars of other peoples' money explode in the sky. Quickly throwing our bags inside the house, we rushed to spray ourselves with DEET and sit in our driveway, watching the horizon brighten every second or so in a different direction. We didn't know where to look next. I guess that's the perk of living in a county where fireworks are as legal as beer and people buy them (beer and fireworks) in equal quantities. Aside from it sounding like a war zone, it was fun. I went to bed reading David McCullough's 1776. 'Cuz that's what we do here.

And the weirdest part is that, after two entire days without my blackberry on my person, I felt refreshed. I felt ready for work. So today, on July 4th, I'm working on a business plan for a new clinic at the hospital. With a cold Heineken beside me because, after all, it's a holiday. You got it--that's what we do here!

Happy July 4th.