Diamond Jubilee

I'm not a die-hard Royal watcher, but after living in London for 5 years, I can't help but have some love for the Royal family.  I cried when the Queen Mum passed away, and I have a huge amount of respect for Queen Elizabeth.  From the ages of 10 to 15 I lived with her and Margaret Thatcher being my "leaders."  Yes, I was very lucky to have such strong females as my role models.

Americans sometimes have a hard time understanding the British dedication to such and old institution.  What tends to make it into the media over here is the stuff in the gossip magazines, and not the day to day activities of the royals, and all the good they do.  Not to mention, we're a very young country, and don't have the centuries of history Great Britain does.  Don't get me wrong, there have definitely been some crappy monarchs over the years, but the current ruling monarch is arguably one of the greatest, and here's my tribute to her.