What the 4th of July means to me

By - Crystal Olguin

July 4th, 2017

Frank and daughter Crystal - Germany 2011

I absolutely LOVE this time of year! Summertime means beach days, BBQ's, soaking up the sun in a backyard pool, bike rides in the park, lighting off fireworks in honor of this great country, and celebrating mine and my dad's birthday (July 1st and July 4th)!

But this is our second year without him. We lost him to organ failure in October of 2015 and I can't say this has been an easy journey for any of us, but it has been a rewarding one. 

My husband and I have since completely quit drinking, invested in improving our property and yard, I learned how to cook (shocking I know), we've taken our passions of photography and graphic design up a notch, and now we have this new website and blog! [Yayyy!]

*(I have to quickly thank the following for making this possible): Thank you dad for leaving us your old tools, a backyard full of usable wood and materials and the space to make it our own. Thank you to Blue Apron who has taught me step-by-step how to prepare countless delicious and nutritious meals! Thanks to my mom who has been so helpful, supportive, and has inspired my creativity and deep love of photography that we both share! And thanks to Squarespace for helping us create our Blog and website!

Lastly, I would like to thank my dad again for teaching me the joy of laughter. He always had a great sense of humor and made people laugh around him no matter what. He lived life by the slogan "Good Times" and would often round out a conversation with that phrase, (acknowledging that the conversation itself was so rewarding, it must be deemed as "Good Times" too!) He loved me as his only daughter like no one ever will. 

The bottom line is, life is too short! We will keep his positivity alive, and celebrate on this festive day. And although I miss my dad, I know he's proud of all that we have accomplished so far. 

Happy birthday Dad and Happy July 4th America! "Good times!"