Independence Day - British Style

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So, I bet you didn't think they celebrated 4th of July in England!  They do!  OK, at least we do - and our American friend does and our sweet English friends from church humoured us (OK, made fun of us, or, as they say here, took the mickey out of us).  Here are some pics of our Independence Day festivities!

So, they look American, right?  Posers!  Meet Will and Katie (yep, their real names).  Only, their last name is Corrie and not Windsor.  Way to get into the spirit of things! 

Behold!  The REAL Americans.  Can you tell the difference? BTW, there are actually 3 Americans in this picture - and I'm not talking about the guy in the mirror!  Haha!

Even Rocky got into the celebration.  Check out the Star-Spangled beads  (wonder who he had to flash to get those?)

We had a real American-style spread with hamburgers and potato salad and the works!

We followed it up by dessert -  not puddings as the English call the sweet stuff they eat after the main meal - but dessert!  I made peach cobbler, Carolyn made cherry pie and Katie, the honorary American, made the red-white-and-blue cake.  It was all delicious!

Speaking of Katie's cake - check it out!  Can this girl bake or what?!


Living in the UK has made me realize a few things about the US. It has made me realize that we take much for granted.  I have also realized that we are on a slippery slope towards socialism.  Socialism, I have discovered (first-hand) is AWFUL, TERRIBLE, there are not enough bad words to describe it and if Dante had known there was such a thing, he would probably have given socialism its own circle in Hell in the Inferno.  I love the US and being away from it has made me realize how truly blessed those of us who live in the States truly are - in so many different ways.  No matter our problems or our disagreements, we still need to remember to hang on to our liberties and guard against any form of socialism no matter the cost, lest we cease to be the land of the free.

Although we missed being with friends and family in the US, we missed the big fireworks displays and the cookouts and the flags flying everywhere, our English friends made us feel quite at home and celebrated the day with us. Mike and Rosie Sims opened their home for the Independence Day cookout (although he claimed he was celebrating his independence from us - whatever, Mike!). And Mike proved he is a world-class grill master.  It was as close to being home as we could be without actually being there.  It's funny how you can go far away from home and meet people so different from you and yet realize how alike you really are.  It's just the traditions, the trappings that change. At the end of it all when Joshua and I got home to our sweet Bentley I think we were all agreed that it was a great day.  Happy Birthday, USA!