Fourth of July Festivities

When I'm away at school in Scotland, I identify as 100%, no-doubt-about-it American. I hardly ever give a second thought to explaining where my parents and grandparents are originally from, because to the Brits, I'm simply someone from the good ol' U.S. of A. And, to be honest, while I do respect my mixed heritage, I'm totally fine with being identified as "the American" in a group.

There's something about going to school in a different country that makes you feel an extreme sense of patriotism when you're across the pond. But when I'm at home? The one chance I have to show my American pride is on the Fourth of July.

Nothin' like a throwback pic to start off the post on the right foot.

The Fourth is especially important to us Bostonians because we like to consider our city the "birthplace of freedom." From the Boston Tea Party, to the Boston Massacre, to the Battle of Lexington and Concord, we were certainly the catalyst of the American Revolution- fighting for our freedom from those nasty Brits ;)

As with any holiday (including my birthday), I love to totally milk the celebration- turning a one day holiday into a weekend long affair.

This year, I spent the 3rd of July going out to dinner with my family at Committee- a brand spanking new Greek restaurant by the seaport in downtown Boston. Trendy dishes, a creative drinks menu, and young Mediterranean waiters (our's was named Socrates, I kid you not)- the place had it all. I'd say it was a little too hip for my parents, but they can blend in with the young crowd sometimes.

Just some insanely beautiful sunset views from the waterfront.

These Greek desserts weren't chocolate, but they still were pretty delish.

On the holiday itself, I spent most of the day hiking in the Blue Hills with a few of my friends- a rather untraditional way of celebrating the Fourth for me. Hiking is actually one of my summer bucket list items so I'm incredibly pleased to have been able to check that one off! Unfortunately, my body was not incredibly pleased with the strain I put on it that day. Even as a seasoned runner, hiking up (and down) a steep incline, while attempting to avoid rocks and roots along the way, proved to be quite a challenge. But reaching the top and having a picnic was definitely worth all the pain, sweat, and tumbles.

Even on a cloudy day, the view was still spectacular.

It looks like we were managing the hike quite well, but don't be fooled- we were so tired. 

While hiking was a rewarding and death-defying experience for us, there's no better way to spend Independence day than by watching fireworks! I used to be completely terrified of fireworks- from the loud noise to the little sparks raining down, it was absolutely traumatizing as a child. I honestly don't think I overcame my fear until about three or four years ago when I actually started to enjoy them.

Boston's fireworks show is second to none. I mean, it's no New York City fireworks spectacular, but it's always pretty epic if I do say so myself. There's nothing like sitting by the water (we actually got a spot this year!), surrounded by thousands of other spirited Bostonians, and singing along to our city's anthem, Sweet Caroline, while waving around an American flag to the beat of the music. Not to mention, after five failed attempts, two of my friends finally got a "U.S.A" chant going in our section during the fireworks show.

All in all, I'd say it was a pretty fantastic Fourth of July spent with friends and family, doing what I love (namely, eating food and singing at the top of my lungs). Even though we all tend to express our pride for our country on just one day each year, I'll always be proud to be an American- even when I'm not decked out in red, white, and blue!

P.S. I just updated my "favorite blogs" sidebar to include Hayley of Water Painted Dreams who also happens to be an Edinburgh Uni student. Go check out her blog!