Happy 4th of July.

So, here I am on the morning of the 4th of July in Germany. It is nice to have a friend here from the states who will grab a burger with me later this afternoon, but all in all it is somewhat lonely. Though I am not really that wild about fire works, I always love the relaxed nature of everyone on this national summer holiday. Since July is a big month of birthdays in my family, usually we would all be together and start with an early trip to the lake, come home to cook some of my grandfather's recently caught fish with corn, potatoes and watermelon, then spend the afternoon surrounded by family and friends at our pool.

Last year I was in New York and walked with friends to the East River for their son's first fire works show. His response was pretty priceless as he was truly in awe and of course I treasure all the moments I had with them during my first year in New York, but still I miss my family on this day. It is all in all one of my favorite holidays for some reason. Perhaps because it represents the peak of summer when a lot of long summer nights seem ahead of me and usually the stresses of a semester are pretty far behind me.

Anyway, I hope everyone has a Happy 4th of July and enjoys time spent in the sun with a large collection of family and/or friends.