While in Sweden, I celebrated my first 4th of July not only away from the US, but away from my family! The 4th of July is not only the Nation’s birthday, but it’s also my dad’s and my great-grandma’s birthdays as well! So, I was a bit homesick, and a little unsure of how this 4th of July party that I had been invited to was going to go.
Before leaving the states Liz, Lina and I bought three of the most ridiculous we heart America outfits! We were all decked out in red, white and blue, and let’s face it, we looked ridiculous!
Oh yes, we all made our shirts into cut-offs, had jelly bracelets, bandanas and red/white/blue earrings too! Lina’s mom had a couple of American flags that we toted around with us. Needless to say the tram ride from Lina’s parents’ house to Jackie’s house was interesting and got us a lot of interesting looks.
Walking to the tram
Liz’s face (well, and her tee) says it all!
So many awesome memories and moments!
We got to Jackie’s and we could immediately tell things were happening there. It smelled like charcoal outside, there was music playing and we were at least 10 times louder than any group of Swedes would ever be!
Jackie is from New Mexico, and she was so incredibly fun and welcoming; a truly wonderful hostess, giving us bubbles to start the celebration off right!
What better way to celebrate than having a typical American BBQ? We had veggies and dip, potato salad, beer and absolutely delicious burgers! Jackie had classic American songs playing while our group came together: American, Swedish and Dutch all celebrating being together more than anything.
Jackie is an amazing piano player, and she and Lina entertained us by singing a wide array of music, and after an hour or so of music and conversations, Jackie was able to find some “fireworks”. Apparently, sparklers are used in Sweden during Christmas-time, but we used them to end our celebration!
This 4th of July was truly special. Although I missed my family and our quirky BBQ traditions, this is one I will always remember. It was a night that 10 people came together, celebrated life and loved every bit of it!
*All photos were taken by Liz and Lina
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