July 4

The fourth of July was never anything special to me growing up. My family never did anything special. Maybe when I was really little we would get together with the cousins and play with sparklers, and the neighbor kids and us would play with smoke bombs all day. But as I got older all it really meant was that we were going to grill out. If it didn't fall on a weekend it meant my dad would come home at 4 instead of 5 or 6.

When I was younger this didnt really matter much to me. All I cared about was summer and staying out til the street lights came on. As I got older and got friends (that sounds weird but you know what I mean) I became increasingly aware of how not "normal" this was. My friends would always have these HUGE parties with their families that consisteted of the day on the boat and fishing and camping and fireworks and food and all their family in one place. It was like the large summer gathering for their family. And I would be at home with my parents and my sister (cuz by that time my brothers had either moved out or were with their friends) and we no longer did as much things with the cousins.



Now as an "adult" it slightly bothers me, mostly in the I am usually stuck with nothing to do sort of way, that my family never really celebrated this day. Which is really kinda sad and pathetic when you think about why it bothers me.



This fourth I will most likely be celebrating with one or maybe more of our nations finest. Which sounds super weird to call them that bc they are my dorky little cousins. One who broke his arm on mother's day at our grandma's house by running into a street sign and the other who I am truly amazed didn't kill himself years ago. It is rather hilarous to me that those two men are fighting and serving and protecting our country. But I am proud of them and our other older cousin (brother) who is also serving (and moving to his family to Jersey cuz of said service).

I am very proud of those men even if I am not really sure what exactly they do except leave their wives and kids and go overseas.

But even if I won't get to be with them this year, I will still celebrate them and all they do.