As we celebrate our nation’s independence today, my wife and I have found ourselves with a wide range of emotions in 2015.

You see, five days ago, we dropped our oldest son, Fisher, off at the United States Military Academy at West Point. He is entering the Class of 2019 and in four years, he will likely be commissioned into the Army as a 2^nd Lieutenant and will begin his career as a military officer. As far back as we can recall, this has been his goal. From his childhood, playing pretend war games in the backyard to his now joining the ‘long gray line’, we have seen him as singularly focused on this as anything else in his life.

As we walked the fortress-like campus, with so much history and tradition (Washington chose the site as the most important position to defend while a general in the Revolutionary War), we were humbled and very proud that our son had been chosen to be here. It was a day where we cried a bit and honestly didn’t know how to feel—our hearts swelling with pride at Fisher’s accomplishment, while the reality of his commitment to the future of our country was sobering. For those who know me well, I’m not normally at a loss for words, but I was on this day. I’m certain we felt similar to anyone whose children are one of the many enlisted and commissioned servicemen and women in our country, but it was new to us and as of today, we are still adjusting to it.

Until now, we have not been a military family, so we have let days like today come and go without more than the typical remembrance and celebration of our nation’s freedom (with some ribs and a few fireworks thrown in). We are proud Americans and we greatly value the sacrifice of our military personnel, it just has never touched our family so personally.

As has been the case since we opened our doors in May 2012, every day of the year, we serve free pops to those who serve in the military and to those who are police and firemen in uniform. We are continually grateful for your service to our communities and to our nation. Please come by any time and enjoy a pop on us, but we especially want you to know this today…in our hearts, you are THE BEST of our nation.

Happy 4^th of July everyone!