Happy Independence Day!

What would July 4th be without fireworks?

Just the thought of it seems wrong.

Kind of like Christmas without a tree!

Well, there's a reason for that gut reaction.

Because fireworks and the fourth of July have always gone together.

Since day one. Seriously. Founding Father, John Adams wrote to his wife that the day needed to be "huge" with games, fun and most importantly… fireworks.

Well, some highly patriotic folks took him up on it. And as the night settled in on July 4th… they shot off loud, beautiful fireworks. 13 to be exact. 1 for each colony.

Wow, what a great story. It makes me so happy. You know why? Because fireworks weren't something made up by a company to sell some boom sticks. 

Nope. Real Americans — like you & me — wanted to show everyone how much they loved their country. And fireworks were the result. Got to love that!

Because each year, we get to take part in this historical tradition. From the big shows put on downtown… to the neighbor setting off black cats at the end of their driveway.

I'm so glad I looked into this. It makes me even more excited for the Fourth.

I hope you are too.

I'm going to keep this short, because I want to get out there and start celebrating.

One quick disclaimer: If you do fireworks yourself… BE CAREFUL. I always leave explosions to the pros. We all should. Just wanted to say that.