Yes, I am writing two blog posts in one day!  I couldn't end this day without wishing anyone reading this (heh, anyone..? *crickets*) a Happy 4th of July. 


While most of my night was spent trying with all my effort to calm my frantic dog while feeling lonely, my night was quickly saved by my parents, who finally came home from their old friends' 4th of July party.  I was never so happy to see them.  My dad came in the door and I heard his familiar voice exclaim, "Let's go out on the roof!"  They hadn't forgotten about me and our own little tradition.  Our tradition of sitting on our rooftop, watching the fireworks burst in great color around us.  And that's what we did again tonight.  Who needed to go to a big firework viewing somewhere far away, when we had the best view right there.  We sat on blankets.  Me and Mom laughed at how goofy and embarrassing Dad was as he whooped and yelled "Rock and Roll" every time our neighbors across the street set anything off (he loves giving encouragement).  And then we cowered a bit when the neighbors set off the huge bursting colorful ones as they went off right above our heads, leaving us both mesmerized and uneasy at the same time.  It felt nice though, sitting on that rooftop with my parents, all of us laughing our heads off, enjoying being with each other.  My dad told me while we were up there, Enjoy life, remember each moment, and put it in your memory bank.  He doesn't always say deep things about life, but this one stuck with me.  It kind of goes along with my philosophy of cherishing the small pleasures in life.  Enjoy each memory and keep it with you.  That's what I intend to do with this memory, and with future memories yet to come.  That's partly the reason for this blog, to contain all of the memories I wish not to forget.  But even more than blogging and finding other ways to preserve memories, I really just needed to hear that from my dad as us three sat on that roof, watching the fireworks.  I'm incredibly thankful to have my parents, to give me these memories, to make me feel loved and less alone in this world.