fireworks missing in my sky

It's not easy being away from your other half on such a great holiday weekend. It makes it even more difficult to know that he's not even in his home country to celebrate her birthday. Fireworks, music, hot dogs, days at the beach... these are all things I would love to experience with him, along with our friends. He's giving the best gift to his country for her birthday: his service and dedication. He's sacraficing being away from his loved ones so that we can be with our loved ones. So thank you, Philip and all the other troops who are away for this big birthday bash that we call The Fourth of July weekend.

Do you know what is so great about my future husband? He wants me to be happy and to enjoy every day, even though he is working so hard and experiences times of complete boredom. I feel selfish for having such a great time with friends while he is over there, but he reassures me that it's okay. We're a great team and I am so lucky to have his love and support while he is there. I'm also lucky to have the support of my family and friends here. Surviving a deployment, especially on holiday weekends is not easy, but surrounding yourself with people [like Courtney Brown] make it a lot easier.

Next year, we will celebrate the Fourth of July together. We will make up for lost time and create memories that we didn't get the chance to make this year. There will be fireworks, hot dogs, cornhole, music, friends, and most importantly, Phil will be here, not there.