july 4th

july 4th is a very special holiday for albert and i. we not only celebrate our country’s freedom but we also celebrate another year of knowing each other. can you believe we first met on july 4th, 1996? i was a mere 15 years old!

in the past 14 years we've shared some unforgettable 4ths. one of my absolute favorites was our trip to santa barbara. it was just us, a blanket and the fireworks above. they felt so close it was as if we could reach out and touch them and although the beach was unbelievably crowded i remember feeling like we were the only 2 people left on the entire planet.

another favorite was up here in oregon. we were on our friend’s boat in the middle of a lake gazing up. it was our 1 year anniversary of living in portland, we were pregnant with mateo and couldn’t be happier with where God was taking us in our lives.

this year’s celebration will definitely be added to the list. we didn’t do anything fancy but i again got one of those feelings that made me all giddy inside. it was albert, mateo, and i (eli was sleeping inside) out in the front of the house playing with fireworks. mateo had a sparkler in his hand for the very first time and he was the happiest kid alive. as for me, i was sitting there in my camping chair with a grin from ear to ear. i think i could have watched him forever.


now, i'm anxious for eli to grow up so all 4 of us could celebrate this very special holiday together.