Happy Birthday USA!

I love Independence day. It's absolutely one of my favorite holidays. This one was especially nice because I got to spend it with family and friends. I have to mention that last night we all went out to the amazing Boondocks restaurant just north of Panama City Beach. If you ever get the chance to go...you should. Get there early though. It's worth the two hour wait. Anyway, early this morning we joined around a thousand of our closest friends for the annual 4th of July bike parade at Rosemary Beach. After that we were so hot that we immediately hit the pool for some family fun. (Sorry for the shirtless photos of myself). As if that weren't enough for one day, we (Michelle) cooked some fabulous burgers and hot dogs on the grill (a nice all-American meal) and we were joined for lunch by our friends Willie and Carl. But first there was the visit from the ice-cream truck...too cool! Sadly, after lunch it was time to say goodbye to our friends Dusty, Paige, and Anna, who had to leave early and will be sorely missed. As darkness approached, we headed back to Rosemary Beach for the highly anticipated fireworks display, one of the finest shows on the coastline I must say. Wow...what a busy day we've had. And I couldn't help but think as I was enjoying myself all day long that there are many who didn't get the day off because they were busy working to maintain the freedom that I so much enjoyed. I'm talking about those who serve our country in the military. As we celebrate our country's birth, now more than ever we should take time to remember those who serve, and have served our country so bravely. Because of them, we are free.