Independence Day!

 I would like to be able to claim that I have instilled in my daughters a profound awareness of the privilege of being an American.  I'm hoping that they are proud to be citizens of the greatest country in the world and that they thank God every day for the freedom that is theirs.

 But it may just be that they have a flair for the dramatic. :-)

Not sure. But, without question, they were certainly displaying some national pride this Fourth of July.  And I would be less than honest if I didn't acknowledge that I'm very proud of them and that I got quite a kick out of their fashion choices in celebration of this year's Independence Day.

In the evening there were the necessary sparklers and mild fireworks. (Mild, at our house. The rest of the neighborhood sounded like a war zone.)

Elle (Jim's girlfriend) giving some serious instructions about the sparklers while Mary poses for the picture. :-)

God bless America, land that I love...