July 1st I celebrate Canada Day.
July 4th I celebrate Independence Day.
I'm a dual citizen. Tri-citizen, actually — Canada, Italy, and the US.
I moved to the U.S. in 1997 after my dad got a job at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. I was a legal permanent resident, a "resident alien," for 12 years before I became a citizen on July 14, 2009.
I'm proud of my Canadian heritage. But I've spent nearly 75% of my life in the United States.
My American friends say I'm too Canadian.
My Canadian friends and family say I'm too American.
I went to 3 high schools in 4 years (rough stretch), then college in DC, where I made the friends, got the jobs, and built the network that shaped everything after. It's also where I met Megan Bailey Darmody and became a father of two incredible humans.
I love this country.
I love the premise of it — a bunch of bold people who broke away from where they were born and built something that became the world's biggest melting pot. A place immigrants flock to, sewing a quilt of diversity that stretches everyone's horizons wider.
Proud to be an American is an understatement.
This weekend will be spent at pool, ribs on the smoker, and watching my kids make the kind of memories I still have from being a kid myself.
Grateful for the shot this country gave me.
Always will be.
Happy 4th, y'all.
Hi5,
LD
🌶️