Independence Day

I like the 4th of July. I'm not sure exactly why. I don't really like fireworks. Maybe it's because The National Anthem is one of my all-time favorite songs(Sara knows that it is one I want sung at my funeral). Or maybe it has something to do with my time spent as a Boy Scout. Perhaps it has something to do with relatives who have served in the military ( A little known fact is that I was ready to enlist in the Marines after high school. They wouldn't let me serve my LDS mission in the middle of my military service, so that was a deal breaker. It turns out that the military isn't into making compromises.) Maybe it is because the 4th usually means that we get together with family and enjoy warm weather and a BBQ. Or it could simply be that I look forward to an extra day off of work.

This past Independence Day I was reminiscing about a trip my family made to The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was an awesome experience. One that I rank as one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Here is a video of the changing of the guard. If you have never witnessed it, you need to put it on your bucket list. The video doesn't do it justice. It really makes you proud of the people who defend our freedom.



Our 4th went smoothly. I started off the day with a fishing trip with Jed and Jonas. We went to Santa Ana River. Jonas must have thought it was a water park as much as he was diving in. Except for Jed leading us through a meadow of stinging nettle, the trip went well. We caught quite a few fish. We stopped keeping track, but I am pretty sure I tripled the number of fish that they caught. I was pretty sore and tired from playing basketball the night before, but I was fine (except for sleep driving on the wrong side of the road on the drive back).
It was my first time playing again since "the injury". To make a long story short, it wasn't the most pleasant experience. I realize that after 7 months I am really out of shape and it will take time to get back into shape, but it just felt different. I couldn't jump and my defense was terrible. I don't know how frequently I will be playing, but it currently isn't fun like it used to be. I won't make a final decision after the first time playing though. I'll have to wait and see.

So, after getting home from fishing I helped Sara with the finishing preparations for the barbecue we were hosting. It was a fairly small gathering with just local family attending. Knick was Grill Master General and he did a splendid job, which was great for me because I hate to barbecue. We had the typical barbecue items of hot dogs and hamburgers, but Sara had Knick grill some pineapple to put on the burgers. It was scrumptious. Along with the barbecue there were things for the kids to play with and I dominated the other brothers at lawn darts. We lit some fireworks and had an overall great day. Here are a few more pictures of the festivities. There are many more in my photobucket album.


This one is my favorite from the day. Skyler actually took it. She is becoming pretty good at taking pictures, but doesn't really know what she is doing. It is kind of like me playing Halo. Anyway, it is Grandma McAlister in front of somebody's awesome sunflowers. One thing that I would like to do on a future 4th of July is attend a baseball game. It would be like the ultimate American thing to do. Go to an early game and then get home and eat some burgers and end the night with some fireworks.