USA! USA! USA!

The Fourth of July will go down as one of my Top Five Favorite Holidays. For one, I am a proud American. For another, I get chills when I see everyone coming together to celebrate our nation's birthday, having BBQ's and picnics and settling in for awesome fireworks shows.

In some respects, USA doesn't have a lot going for it. Our economy sucks, the cost of living is out of this world, we have way too many people than we know what to do with, we have no idea what to do with this immigration problem, we're responsible for the largest oil spill in U.S. history, and we think it's perfectly acceptable to bash the leader of our country. We're lazy, inconsiderate, snobby, and ruthless. We always want what we can't have and we're never perfectly satisfied with what we've got. We have an obesity epidemic and an insane crime rate.

Yet I am proud to be called an American. I am proud to be a citizen of this amazing country. Our history may not be as vast and rich as other countries, but what we have done is just a little over 200 years is incredible. We have fought through the Depression, multiple world wars, presidents being murdered, terrorism attacks, recession, and slavery. Did we come here on the best terms? No. Have other nations had it worse and are still struggling more than we can ever imagine? Yes. But there is something in the American soul that breeds a conquering spirit. We are survivors, we will continue to be survivors, and we don't need to depend on the president to do so. (My opinion on his job, and how people are reacting to him, is a whole 'nother post.)

Our country has something for everyone. Not a fan of cold weather? Move to Florida, where we only dip into the 30's a few weeks into the year. Love the mountains, skiing, and curling up by the fire? Move to Colorado or Virginia or Wisconsin. Love the hustle and bustle of city life? Move to NYC or Chicago. Want a more quiet, country life? We have those as well.

There are so many opportunities for advancement in this country. We have state-of-the-art schools and universities, some of the best medical centers in the world, and so many ways to make a difference. Yeah, we're dealing with unemployment and people out of work, but I still have faith that we're going to get through this and we're going to get back on our feet.

We have sports. Boy, do we have sports! We are a sports-loving country, that's for sure. We love to rally around our U.S.A. teams during the Olympics and World Cup. We have the best sport in the history of sports: football. (Real, tough, knock-you-down football.) You can't walk too far without seeing someone wearing sports paraphernalia.

There is so much to do in this great country. There is so much to see. You could travel for ages and never really uncover everything the U.S.A. has to offer. Our country may not be the biggest in the world, but it is packed with tourist destinations, beaches, shopping malls, parks, sports stadiums, museums, amusement parks, etc.

I love our country. My heart swells with pride whenever I see our flag. I get choked up hearing the National Anthem. My palms get sweaty whenever I see one of our military men, with everything I want to say to them, all the ways I want to thank them. I get annoyed when people bash our president because the lack of respect astounds me.

We are the U.S.A. We are survivors. We are conquerors. And we are going to rise above this recession, oil spill crisis, and health care dilemma to show the world that you can't keep us down for very long.

Happy birthday, America.