America, America...How Can We Tell You How We Feel?...

...You have given us your riches, we love you so!

(That was the words to a song we always sang in rounds at Young Womens Camp)

I took this picture at my sisters house in Pocatello, following a nasty hail storm...pretty sweet hu?I didn't get a chance to post our July 4th celebration, mostly because I wanted to write about how much I really love this great land, and I haven't had a chance to write much...until now.

There are FEW things that I have a TOTAL passion for - religion, family, and our country (I'm sure there are others mixed in there, but those are my top 3).

I admire those who currently serve, and have in the past left their families and homes to ensure our continued freedoms that we enjoy and far too often, take for grantid. Our freedoms have come at a great price. I feel nervous with where our country seems to be heading, but I have faith that our treasured freedoms will prevail.

During the summer of 1989, I had my first opportunity to learn what my country really means to me. I was able to be an exchange student to Germany, and while there I went on a religious youth trip to Berlin with my exchange partner, and one other American girl, and thousands of teenagers. On the way there, I slept in the bus, and when I awoke, there were guard stations and tall chain linked fences around us, and heavily armed guards walking towards me on the bus, checking everyones passports before we could enter East Germany (Berlin was surrounded by East Germany - so we had to go through East Germany - communist Germany - before we could re-enter West Germany). I reached for my passport, and it was gone. Panic set in as the guard got closer to where I was seated. Scrambling for what seemed like forever, I finally reached between the seat and the wall of the bus, and my passport had slipped between them. However, that nervous feeling I had at that moment, never fully subsided. We proceeded to go to Berlin, where we attended lots of youth activities. One night in Berlin, a riot broke out, and the police were hitting people with their batons, and again - that panic feeling set in. Remember, there were only two of us in this sea of teenagers, who were Americans, and didn't speak real great German. Our small group of friends decided we wanted to go to East Berlin - across the great wall to communism. The only way I can explain it was like going from a color television set to a black and white. It was a completely different world across a cement wall. We tried to bring a Book of Mormon across, but the guards compensated it from us since their people weren't allowed the freedom to read or whorship whatever they chose. I will never forget seeing a fruit stand in the town that was behind glass walls, and if you were fortunant enough to have extra money for fruit, you didn't get to feel and squeeze the fruit to chose which one you wanted. You were handed your fruit, and the fruit was wrinkly and well on its way to moldy. They didn't even have freedom to chose their own fruit!

When the time came for us to go home to our great land of America, I sadly said goodbye to the great country of Germany, a land I had grown to love and respect. A country that still felt the sting of regret and shame after so many years since WWII. I still hadn't realized just how deep my feelings had grown about my own great land...until our plane landed on American soil and I saw our beautiful flag blowing in the breeze. I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of peace that enveloped me as I took my first footsteps on American land, and I knew that I was home...in the land of the free and the home of the brave. This is Ira's Grandpa Leon Smith who served in WWII. From what I understand, he was one of very few who survived in his group. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been for him to watch his friends die around him, one by one. Their last acts in this life were to fight for each of us to have the freedoms that we enjoy today.

I took the above picture of the Brandenburg Gate and wall from the west side of Berlin

The bottom picture was taken from the East side of Berlin.

Along the wall on the West side were many markers of people who had tried to escape the East, but were shot on their way across the wall. Their bodies fell on the West side, but it was too late for them. The people on the West would leave markers as a solemn reminder.

The wall came down later that same year. I happened to be with my German friend when we heard the announcement over the radio. He was so ecstatic to get to celebrate this great step for the country that he loved.

(Thank goodness for digital! Now we can make sure there aren't fingers in the way of our pictures!)

Our Independence Day CELEBRATION :

We went to Pocatello where my sister Kelli and her family hosted our party

(see what I had to put up with when I was growing up?! :) )

We went to the swimming pool for the day. Unfortunantly for us, we spent as much time inside the building as we did swimming, waiting out the lightning storms that kept rolling in.

Jarin

Kamden, cousin Parker & Jarin REALLY liked the licorice

Ira and I with our baby boys. Don't they look thrilled?
My cute neice Tiana and nephew Ryan

My silly Emi girl

No July 4th celebration is complete without fireworks. We put on our own little show - (at least Uncle Derrick did, while the rest of us grown-ups enjoyed the house being quiet!)

Pocatello has a fantastic firework show, and what makes it even better is that the best view of the show in all of Pocatello happens to be from my sisters back porch - so we don't even have to fight any crowds!
Thanks for a fun party Kelli - we'll see you next year...same time...same place...same great food...same great company (minus mom and dad, a boo and a hoo and a sob sob sob ((that's what dad would always say when he was telling us a story, and someone in the story was sad)).