Happy 4th of July!

This year was so fun! I loved being home for the 4th of July! Especially knowing Chanelle was going to be coming home just in a couple days. My uncle and 2 cousins drove from Arizona; its been such a blast to have them in town! I used to live in Arizona while going to school and I missed them. We went to a parade, walked around the fun booths, and had a BBQ and went swimming at my parents house.

 I was the photographer for youth conference this year so these next few are from when we had a flag ceremony

Arvo Van Alstyne said this about the U.S. Constitution:

"These important precepts—freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and equal justice under law—are in my opinion among the “just and holy principles” contained in the Constitution. The central purpose of agency, which these principles seek to promote, is to permit all people to learn by experience to love the Lord and to love their neighbors as themselves. Within the framework of the law of love, our inalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness imply an additional commitment on our part to accept and respect one another, while seeking constantly to overcome the sin and temptation to which we are all exposed. The existence of these rights implies an attitude of compassion and understanding based upon a deep sense of eternal brotherhood, a rejection of evil and selfish thoughts in our relationships with one another. Their existence emphasizes the need for each of us to listen and to learn from one another, but also a willingness to teach and seek to influence each other toward righteous behavior. As we seek to abide in “the liberty wherewith [we] are made free” (D&C 88:86), we should not lose sight of the spiritual significance of these divinely inspired principles. That significance is solidly rooted in the fact that the laws of human liberty and the exercise of agency are inseparably related to the eternal law of love. This idea was eloquently expressed by Governor Christian Herter of Massachusetts, who in 1955 declared:

“Liberty is not any one man’s possession. When a man asks freedom for himself alone, both he and his neighbor lose what he thinks he has gained. The spirit of liberty is more than jealousy for your own rights. It is a decent respect for the rights and opinions of others. We are free, not because we have freedom, but because we serve freedom. The love of liberty cannot be separated from loving your neighbor as yourself."

I'm so grateful to be a part of this free country and recognize the many sacrifices that have been made for that to be true. I was searching the word "freedom" on LDS.org and found these quotes by Gordon B. Hinckley that I love: "No nation, no civilization can long endure without strength in the homes and lives of its people. That strength derives from the integrity of those who live in those homes." 

"It has been my privilege on various occasions to converse with presidents of the United States and important leaders in other governments. At the close of each visit, I have reflected on the rewarding experience of standing with confidence in the presence of an acknowledged leader. And then I have thought, what a wonderful thing, what a marvelous thing it would be to stand with confidence—unafraid and unashamed and unembarrassed—in the presence of God"