When I was little I remember picnics and sparklers. When we moved to Martinsburg, I remember our high school neighborhood kids setting off fireworks on the road outside our house. (We spent the rest of the summer calling them the 'firecracker gang'!) As kids, our parents would take us to the hill by the hospital where we would watch the Martinsburg City fireworks with the same group of people each year. As we got older, my brothers were usually playing baseball allstars around July 4th so we would picnic with friends and head out to the ballfield! When I was a teenager I got a job at the concession stand at the park, and then July 4th meant a 12-hour work shift. As a college student, it meant that the summer was going by way too quickly!
There are a few years in my adult life when July 4th held special memories:
In 1999 I was house-hunting as I prepared to transfer back to Martinsburg from Charleston. In 2000 Brad and I were dating and went to New York City with my brother Don, my cousin Becky, and her then boyfriend Nate...those were some great fireworks! July 4th 2001 I was sitting in the park with my mom getting frustrated as she talked about which DJ to use for the wedding. We weren't engaged yet, and it turns out I was the only one in the conversation who didn't know that the ring was on its way. July 4th 2002 we had a picnic at the townhouse a guests started rolling in for our wedding! And, July 4th 2003 was Trent's first holiday. He was three weeks old.
Since that cluster of eventful July 4th, we have spent them with family or friends swimming, eating and watching fireworks. Yesterday we went to church, visited with my dad, then went to Brad's parents house to swim with the boys and beat the heat! Then we enjoyed a wonderful cookout, the kids played and we headed home for some sparklers!
Happy Birthday America and special thanks to all the men and women in our armed forces who sacrafice to give us July 4th year after year!
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