I am so proud to be an American! I love my country and I love the Ozarks. Celebrating the birth of our nation on July 4th is the best part of summer. Our Declaration of Independence is what makes it possible for us to live freely and enjoy the rest of the year too. It’s certainly worth a party!

In southwest Missouri the air feels oven hot and humid. From the covered porch I am watching the dogs snap at lightning bugs. The smell of food cooking on a charcoal grill and fireworks gunpowder is carried on the warm breeze. I hear the ice cream truck on the next street over and the tune it plays triggers a flood of nostalgia. For a second I can feel childhood in the 80s.

Over the weekend my family was at the Honor America event at College of the Ozarks. We have attended the last four years and this time the weather was fantastic! It rained the 45 minutes it took for us to drive from our house to the university, and not a little sprinkle. It was a certified summer storm. By the time we arrived in Hollister the sky had cleared and the temperature was cool. I finally had a chance to wear my American flag sweater. We met up with a family we are friends with and had a lovely evening watching the patriotic music concert, eating food, shopping, seeing the drone show and epically long fireworks display! I romanticize life so I appreciate that the school always does a beautiful job creating a scene straight out of a vintage movie. It’s truly a dreamy night.

What I packed:

-American flag sweater

-camping chairs

-insulated cooler bag full of water, crispy bacon Mark fried up that morning, cheese whips, apples, and sugared donuts (paper plates and napkins too)

-small leather purse containing SPF, lip balm, wallet, epi pen, bandaids, ibuprofen, keys and tissues

I forgot to take my homemade bug spray and wow did I pay the price! My legs were a buffet for the mosquitoes. Don’t make the same mistake I did; and if you’re not going into the deep woods, the homemade spray works really well.

Natural Bug Repellent Body Spray

Fill a small glass spray bottle 3/4 of the way with water and the remaining 1/3 with witch hazel. Then add several drops each of the following essential oils: lemon, eucalyptus, lavender, geranium and cedar wood. I only like a single drop of eucalyptus in mine! Shake well before using.

I wish you a great holiday weekend and hope you have the best time celebrating the greatest country in the world! Hooray USA!!