The 4th of July is my favorite holiday (I just love it!) and if you are a regular reader you know that I don't like holidays to go by uncelebrated. I think in some ways it's even more important to celebrate them on a boat and make a big deal out of them because you aren't surrounded by friends and family.

I love the 4th. For me it's a no stress holiday with something amazing to be celebrate. You can do what you want, where you want, and with who you want. Don't get me wrong I am not saying I don't love spending holidays with my fam but it's nice that you don't have to worry about big travel and the cost of airfare, you don't have to go crazy trying to find the perfect gift (although in my family a lot of the time we go shopping together pick something out and hand it to the other to buy and then wrap it up for under the tree - trust me this works great), you don't have to worry someone might get you a gift and you didn't get one for them. Plus a lot of people blow a lot of money they don't have at Christmas on things people don't need or want.

So that being said. I love the reduced stress of the 4th, the good (and much easier prepared) bbq fixings, and of course a great fireworks show. I also love what we are celebrating (and everyone who lives in the US should be!) Just because Mark and I don't live in the US full-time does not mean we don't love it (we fly a huge American flag off the back of this boat). In fact the more I travel the more I appreciate all the opportunity and freedoms we have in the US as well as all the material things that we have available to us. Even though I know somethings are rough at home right now I have also seen that in comparison to many places in the world we really don't have it that bad and it could be far worse...

...and so I always have a burning desire to celebrate the amazing country that I am so fortunate to call my own. There aren't a lot of American's in Port Denarau right now (a few more over in Musket Cove but we couldn't get over there in time) so we invited our American friends from Caledonia and Broken Compass over for a BBQ celebration. Mark and I (mostly I) made up burgers, chips-and-dip, baked beans, salad, watermelon, and an apple pie to top it off (I made up some ice-cream too but it didn't freeze in time). Caledonia brought over another salad and fresh-squeezed lemonade and Broken Compass brought some Kentucky State (a mixed drink in a can that the isn't really from Kentucky but we pretended it was). So together we put together a real American meal. It was great to celebrate with some other American's who too are proud of where they come from and much of the evenings conversations included talk of home. After our apple pie desert we had our very own Fireworks show! Earlier in the day Mark and I had to go into town and at the supermarket I found a little surprise for the day. Initially I was going to get the little party poppers (you know the one's you use for New Year's) but half the bag was already popped so after a little debate I went for the big guns. I wasn't really sure how well they would work or how much stuff would actually come out of them (after all they were in a grocery in Fiji) but they ended up being a big success (and a big mess - so worth it). We intended for them be done overboard but it was more fun in the cockpit and I think Clara (a little girl on Caledonia really enjoyed the show). We had a great celebration here and I hope all the celebrations back home are just as amazingly fun!