Homemade Hamburgers. Fireworks. And Freedom.

"It's not about not being scared. It's about being scared, and doing it anyway; that's bravery." -Ysabella Brave

There's just something about the Fourth of July.

The Ward Breakfast.

Bikes decorated with streamers and ribbons of red, white, and blue.

Popsicles.

Barbeques.

Watermelon.

Face Paint.

Waterballoon Volleyball.

Blankets on the grass. 

Fireworks at dusk. 

Something about it is simply, magical. 

It's like freshly-squeezed lemonade in August. Something about it just feels like...home. Something about those stars and stripes just (as my dad would say..) "hits the spot." 

It's a holiday filled with family, anticipation, rememberance, appreciation.

Anticipation for the return of loved ones overseas. 

Remembrance for those lost.

And appreciation for so many who die to keep us free. For soldiers who risk their lives, every second of every day, so that we can wrap up in blankets on the grass and watch fireworks explode in the sky. 

They willingly fight... 

.....so that we don't have to. 

And so each year we celebrate. Celebrate those who give us freedom. Safety. Those who give us home. 

Each year brings new memories. New favorites. New joys.

And this year was no exception. 

This year brought lots of firsts in a week filled with lasts. 

I'd never  made hamburgers...from just a massive slab of meat. (Yes, just as nasty as you are picturing...)

I'd never made brownies in a Thai oven.

I'd never had scones the size of my entire hand..plus some.

I'd never had a Roman Candle war yelling spells like Harry Potter. (Call me obsessed, we all already know how much a part of my life that world is...)

I'd never had a Fourth of July surrounded by so many who didn't quite understand the holiday. Yet I've never had so much fun explaining it, and including them on so many traditions. 

I'd never been so grateful for all of my blessings back at home...and ones I continued to receive  while away. 

And, all in all, I'd never felt so proud to be an American.

Because this year I had the opportunity to immerse myself in an entirely new culture. A culture all about the simplicity of life. All about necessities, not selfish wants. This year I got to celebrate with people I would have never imagined meeting, yet never felt so happy to know. And even though I was indeed in a foreign land, far, far from home with no facepaint, or Fourth of July parade...no sparklers with cousins, or waterballoon volleyball... my heart was full.  Why? 

Becuase I got to spend it with friends like this...

"Maple" making her first hamburger!

Jiab- one of my very first friends in Thailand. I love her!

My "nieces" at my home away from home :)

Who cared enough to help us...

Cooking dinner

Roman Candle Wars!

Oreo Brownies. Mmmm.

...feel right at home. 

....and as the last whick burned and the explosion sounded, she stood, motionless, unable to forget those who saw the real, bitter, end of sister explosions. She saw her Grandpa's purple heart, and her cousin's Sniper uniform. She felt the salt sting her eyes and her heart swell with appreciation. And at that moment, she knew she had never feel more proud to be an American.