Happy 4th!!!

Happy 4th of July. Our freedom from Mother England. Our Fresh new start...Happy Birthday.

As a kid, I used to LOVE the 4th of July. School was out and time to hang out at our lake cabin. Family all gathered at the lake and enjoyed spending the tim together. We would gather wood for the beach fire and plot the making of the smores.

We would HAVE to go with Dad and grandpa to the fireworks stand. There we would beg and plead for the "biggest" package. I would always want the "coolest" and the longest lasting. Dad would say, "WHY? they are just going to be over in a hour...why not enjoy everyone elses? we will just get this family pack at the reasonalbe price." (Jeesh I wonder where I get my penny pinching ways?)

My sister and I would get to bring a friend with us, and that would be a crazy thing. For the record we only had 1 indoor bathroom and an outhouse. SOOOOO you do the math w/ 7 girls and 4-5 men. LOL ;) The cabin had one bedroom that the door closed. My grandparents slept in the loft with us girls on old army cots and my parents would sleep in the camper. Dwnstairs was the fire place with all us kids handprints. The stairs were cast iron circular to the loft. w had the flat A frame and 3 skylights in the roof. GREAT for seeing stars and storms.

Of course there would be jumping off the dock and waterskiing, every year. The annual challenge of swimming across and back to the otherside...The countless sunburns and noxema rubs. There was the one year on the way home from the lake that the boat "launched" itself into the Rathrum Spring Creek. It was like watching a Bruce Lee movie in slow motion. As I saw it launching, and said, "grandpa, the boat is going for a swim" The boat was gone...LOL ;)

Then there was the summer that my sister broke out in hives from head to toe. No, not poison Ivy, from all the hiking we did to go pic blueberry and blackberries in the woods. This she got from a food allergy. She was allergic to cranberries, oranges and grapefruit. Somehow this trio in a fruit salad left us all in the ER while all the fireworks were going on outside. ~ rolls eyes~

I miss things like my grandpa sleeping in his recliner in the cabin, while we all "hung" out on the dock in the sun. My Grandma would jump in the water and a couple of times sh even went water skiing. I look back now and think...WOW My grandma is one hip chickie...I remember playing games of aggravation, and Scrabble. I would look on as the cribbage board got it's work out while the "adults" drank what my grandma called, "dirty water" turns out it was 7 and 7...hmmmm dirty my big toe...~mumbles~

I think to my future and the memories that I want to make with friends and family. I think of the lakes, and fireworks displays that people are no longer allowed to set. I think of the over populated lakes and boats that churn our once quiet and private beaches. I think of all the people that will not sit in the ER because of fireworks that blew up fingers.

I wonder what it might be like to not have the freedoms and liberties that I so deeply enjoy. What if I had been born in Russia, or Iraq or Africa. I wonder how children can truely be happy where they grow up learning how to shoot an oozie rather than swim or water skii in the lakes. I wonder if happiness is not getting an arm chopped off, as I marvl at the dimonds on my family ring.

While you hear the fireworks, and celebrate with the bers and "dirty water" drinks. Think of all the Men and Women that are fighting for all to share our freedom. cheers to the Military families that sacrifice so that you and I can have lake cabin memories.

Happy 4th!

Let me know some of your favorite 4th memories.