Let freedom ring!!!

The 4th of July was fantastic.  We started with a ward breakfast and then headed out to the city!  We got lots of fun exploring in. :)

Cloud Gate...aka "the bean"

this is just....cute.  so handsome :)

so...touching.

I was touched by this too.

#beanselfie #photobomb

We kept wandering around the city and found this beautiful garden

And then we found the fountain of youth

We just didn't know what would happen next.

We ate dinner at Fontanos, which according to zagat has the greatest sandwich in America!  It was pretty good :)

 

So busy at Grant Park for the concert.  I love that architecture so much.

Eventually it was time to go to the Butler Field to watch the fireworks from Navy Pier.

We actually went there pretty early just in case it got super crowded.  We waited a couple hours, just hanging out on the grass and watching families play.

I made a crown while we were waiting.  Derek liked it a lot.

beautiful Chicago at night

And then, about half an hour before the fireworks were scheduled to start I had to use the bathroom soooo bad.  We debated for a while and decided this couldn't wait.  So, we rushed back through Millenium Park over to the bathroom.  Oh boy--the line was horrendous.  Women all over were trying to convince the men to let us into their bathroom (I was all for it...like seriously, I feel like they should have twice the bathroom size for women) and the whole line of us was doing the happy dance.

Somehow, I got out alive.  With clean pants. 

And then we ran.  

And we made it!!  We found a good spot, settled down, and waited.

The fireworks started!!!  We soon found out though:  the trees covered the fireworks.  

So we walked to the intersection and watched them happily standing up. :)  

We were so tired, but so happy at the end of the day.

Now a little bit about America.

Sometimes I just sit back in awe about how blessed we are to live in America.  I am protected day to day and do not have to live in fear because brave men and women are willing to leave their homes and loved ones to fight for people like me.  I have the chance to be educated, and in college I have been able to study whatever I wanted to.  Every Sunday I'm able to go to church and not only that, my church has been able to build temples to further worship God.  As I drive across America I see red rock structures and canyons, mountains, swamps, forests, deserts, farmland, lakes, rivers, and beaches.  I see big cities with skyscrapers, suburban neighborhoods, and cities that barely make it on to the map but mean everything to the people who live there.  I see people of all cultures and from all over the world, with stories that blow my mind.

I LOVE America.  I'm so grateful for the inspiration of our forefathers and for the generations of Americans who have kept this nation great.  It's not a perfect country, but it's the land I love.  

Insert fireworks here.  After a speech like that, blowing things up sounds like the right thing to do.