Happy Fourth of July!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Fourth of July to all of you. I hope that this day is a wonderful one for you.

This is the most wonderful country to live in and be a citizen of (despite the liberal democrats who think it is broken, evil and needs to be remade in the image of the world). I have no desire to be a "citizen of the world". I want to say, proudly, that I am a citizen of the United States of America. I can't say that I have been to every country in the world but I have been in enough countries to be able to say that I wouldn't live anywhere else. You don't know how wonderful America is and how blessed we are in this country until you have walked in the slums of Lima, Peru or Chennai, India or Kumasi, Ghana where there is no running water and electricity is spotty at best. Where children have no shoes and life is hard. This is the best country in the world.

Later this morning daughter Ashley, surrogate daughter Ahren and I will go over to the library to stake our claim on our favorite spot for the parade. We go early (almost 2 hours) so that we can snag, hopefully, the spot that gets the best shade. Of course, today we may not even see the sun but it is still our favorite spot. We will set up the blanket and chairs, I will sit and watch the traffic and people go by and the girls will go over to Starbucks (yuch) to get something to drink. Dan and the rest of the girls, and another friend or two ,will arrive 30 minutes before the parade. It seems rather excessive I know to stake out a spot for the parade 2 hours early but that is the "Debbie Way". It has become a tradition for Ashley and I and we wouldn't change it. Traditions are a good thing.

After the parade, where they will hopefully throw us a large amount of tootsie rolls, we will come back home for a restful rest of the day. Dan will grill and we will just relax. It will be a good day.