I love the month of July.I was born on July 7, so the month was special to me even before I knew what months were.It helps that when I was a kid, I would spend the month at the pool, at the lake, running through sprinklers, playing softball and getting sun with my siblings and friends.I am a summer girl at heart. I moved to Texas with the silly idea that I would enjoy the heat, but I soon learned it was not the heat I liked about summer (July in particular) it was the activities of Midwestern summers that I liked.I love that I can be outside until nearly 10 p.m. here in the Midwest and still have daylight, that the temperature hovers around 90 for most of the month and that everything is green.As I child I was convinced that America was really celebrating my birthday week on July 4. The fireworks, picnics and time off from work were just in honor of me. I LOVED IT!Even after I learned the holiday was in honor of America’s Independence, I still secretly watched the fireworks, thinking they were a special birthday gift to me.It is a tradition in my family to join my grandfather and his Legion buddies in Sioux Falls on the Fourth for a breakfast feast at the park. The Legion members host the breakfast when they finish hanging American flags around town.The eggs, bacon and French toast served at that breakfast are the best I eat all year. They are smoked with the memories of years past — of my deceased grandmother and how she would fuss over everyone having plenty of napkins, syrup or coffee.Above all, it is probably the memories that make July such a special month.Every year I add to my vault of July memories, and every year the old memories become more vivid.I have always been very spoiled throughout the month. Friends go out of their way to make me feel special. My parents spent more time driving us around from lake to river to camp site to park than any other time of year.After last week’s crabby column about the woes of homeownership, I figured I needed to step back and remember what I was thankful for in life and how blessed I am.Thankfully, that was easy to do when I looked at my calendar and realized that July was only days away.I would soon be meeting my grandfather for breakfast, swimming with my niece and watching my husband learn how to jet ski with my aunts, uncles, parents and siblings.Memories are important, but it is more important to enjoy the moments of one’s life so that the memories of tomorrow can be made.Story ideas or comments can be emailed to Lexi Moore at lexim@star-herald.com or called in at 962-3561.