America

Fourth of July. 

It's a grand day. With it following my birthday, I've always felt a little giddy in anticipation for this holiday. Independence Day 2012 lived up to the gid. 

Cute family at the Leesburg Parade

A little cultural diversity at the parade...

A huge plus of living in Northern Virginia (or pretty much anywhere on the East Coast) is that historical sites are plentiful. Little did I know, General George Marshall (as in the Marshall Plan) bought a home in my hometown and retired here around 1945. The preservation society gives tours and whatnot year round, but on the 4th they gave mini free tours. And it was very cool. 

General George Marshall's home 

TV/radio from the 50's. 

One of my favorite things about the tour was getting that feeling that these were real people. I don't know how many hours I spent reading textbooks about people like General Marshall (and him, too) but when I hear "This is where the General and President Truman would take their business after dinner with their families on Sunday. [He was Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense at the time, so there was lots to do]" it makes it more personal and more real, I guess.

Spencer was a goof...

And John followed suit. 

[Not pictured: Crashed at home after lunch, naps, and The Music Man on repeat for a few hours. We watched it 3 times today. Probably one of my favorite movies. Ever. 

Good ole fashioned hamburgers and hotdogs for dinner with a berry concoction for dessert.]

Then the fireworks.

I am sure that I don't fully understand what an incredible country we live in, because I have experienced very little other than the American way of life. But I do know that our freedom was not free, and I am deeply grateful for those who have and continue to put their lives on the line so that we don't have to. It's a beautiful thing to think of the selfless service these men and women are giving daily. 

But on a more local scale, I had an experience a month ago that I hope I don't forget. We were in LA at an In-and-Out, grabbing some lunch. Sidenote: Just like any major city, there are plenty of homeless people, but I was certain I had never seen quite so many as I had there. As we moved out of the ordering line and joined the masses waiting for our food, an obviously homeless woman approached the counter, looking very tired and very downtrodden. She pulled two dollars and a handful of coins from a pocket, searching the menu to get the most of her dollars. Before she could get a word out, the woman behind her tapped her on the shoulder and said "May I treat you?" So treat she did. She bought her the whole shebang, in addition to the huge order she was placing for her family. She didn't hesitate to help this woman. I know everyone tells stories like this, but this was the first time I had seen something like this happen in person, and it hit a chord, I suppose. But most of all, it makes me proud to be apart of a culture like that. The AllState commercial got the idea from somewhere. The people. We are what makes this country so great. Go America.