I love celebrating holidays. And the 4 th of July or Independence Day is no exception. Some of my fondest memories while growing up were of living in the Washington D.C suburbs and catching the subway in to Washington to join some 100,000-plus other people who wanted to celebrate the Fourth of July in a big way. I'll never forget seeing the Beach Boys perform on the Mall, as well as the National Symphony Orchestra. The fireworks are the most spectacular I've ever seen.

©iStockphoto.com/William Phillips

For years, as an adult, I enjoyed visiting my parents East Texas home on the Fourth of July with my husband and kids where we'd have a barbeque and enjoy quite a fireworks show, featuring everything from sparklers for the kids to one Roman candle after another.

These days, living in Oklahoma, we have developed new traditions that suit our family well. Usually, I wake on Independence Day morning extra early — just before dawn — to go for a jog through our neighborhood. While jogging, I see the Boy Scouts posting American flags in almost every yard. After my run, the day really kicks into high gear with a 7 a.m. breakfast and patriotic ceremony at the church building, soccer and softball games with ward members at a nearby ball field as well as a potluck picnic.

In the afternoon, we go for a swim at our neighborhood pool and around dusk, we drive to a friend's house who lives in a cul-de-sac near a city park where we set up our lawn chairs and watch the city set off fireworks. By 10:30 p.m. we usually arrive home absolutely exhausted but enthusiastic about our day's adventures and more than ready to hit the sack.

Last Fourth of July, rather than falling immediately off to sleep once we arrived home, I couldn't help but reflect on some of the blessings that are ours (my family's, in particular) because of the wonderful freedoms we enjoy thanks to the sacrifices of so many. With very little effort I counted eight blessings that I enjoyed that Independence Day — blessings that mean the world to me.

While counting my blessings, I couldn't help but feel immense gratitude for the country I call home. Although our Independence Days are filled to the brim with activity, I have determined to make counting my blessings due to the freedom we enjoy an annual tradition. Here are eight of the freedoms I enjoyed last Fourth of July because I am an American:

• The freedom to have family prayer and to say that prayer to God in a way that feels personal and meaningful to us.
• The freedom to gather with friends from our church community to play softball and soccer freely and openly in a public park.
• The freedom to read whatever I want to read without fear of negative repercussions from others (today I read a portion of Mademoiselle Benoir by Christine Conrad).
• The freedom to drive our city's streets in relative safety, knowing that we can come and go from our home as we please.
• The freedom to navigate the Internet to learn what I can about local, state, national and world news without censorship.
• The freedom to jog in my own neighborhood as an unescorted woman.
• The freedom as a freelance writer to write what I want to write today about motherhood and family life, to say what I want to say without fear of negative consequences.
• The freedom to be the mother I want to be — a mother who can talk openly and freely with her children about the subjects and topics that she feels most passionate about, namely the Gospel of Jesus Christ.