I am usually out of town for the Fourth of July, so a good friend and I took the time to explore a few local treasures. Although we didn’t have a typical Fourth of July filled with BBQ and picnics, a laid back day of adventuring was perfect 🙂

We started out at Peace Valley Lavender Farm. I heard about the farm last year, right after the lavender was harvested (my luck), so I have literally been waiting a year to go. Despite a bit of rain as we were driving up, the sun peeked out as we got to the farm giving us gorgeous weather.

The smell of lavender hit us as soon as we stepped out of the car. We stopped in the shop before wandering out to the actual lavender fields. It’s a good thing I don’t have my own house, otherwise I would have bought way too much from that store! The staff was very helpful and gave us some recommendations of other things to do in the area.

Rows of purple were too perfect not to take photos of (and a few yoga photos too, let’s be honest). I’d definitely recommend making the trip up there. And if there weren’t so many bees, I’d say I’d like to have my wedding there someday 😛

The lavender farm closed fairly early, otherwise we probably would have spent much more time there. Taking one of the staff’s advice, we stopped by Tabora Farm for a midday snack and to catch up on life. After recharging, we headed into Doylestown to wander around.

We soon found ourselves in a used bookstore, gawking at the wide variety of beautiful, old books. They had books on so so subjects (and we might have found our next road trip destination!). We quickly lost track of time. I assumed I’d just peruse the books, as I haven’t made much time for reading since high school (except for college assignments), but I found a book for $4.95 that peaked my interest. You’ll probably find out what the book was on in an upcoming blog post 😉

After the book store, we decided to grab food, head home, and get some work done while waiting for dusk. We may or may not have got a little sucked into a TV show and possibly had to flip a coin to decide whether to stay in or go out when it came time to leave for fireworks… But tails won, so we went in search of fireworks (oh, and Starbucks).

As darkness finally fell, we found a dry spot at the park with the friends we met there to watch the fireworks. During the light show, I was struck with how thankful I am to be an American.

Not because America’s the greatest country in the world, and not because we have the right to guns, freedom of speech, or a rich history. But because being an American has helped make me into the person I am. Being an American has shaped my world view, my values, my family, my education, my sexuality, my relationships, my career. And even while I am not a fan of all things American — we have a lot to learn from other nations and cultures — I wouldn’t wish to be born anywhere else. After all, “we cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game.” And I am proud to be American. Because that’s who I am.