Gentlemen, Start Your Engines!

Every once in a while my job has perks. Because we are a sponsor of Miller Motorsports Park, the marketing department had a few free tickets for the Nascar Camping World Series race last Saturday. I entered the drawing for the tickets and won a pair! My dad and I used them and had a really fun time even though we aren't big race fans. The part we enjoyed most was the fact that we had business club tickets which kind of made us VIPs for the day. We were given lanyards to hold our tickets around our necks and had access to the clubhouse and everywhere else. My dad bought us lunch in the clubhouse restaurant, we took a tour around the facility, and watched some of the action from a nice, grassy spot close to the track. Those cars certainly are fast--and loud!

Pioneer Day

The 24th of July is one of my favorite holidays! It marks the anniversary of the pioneers arriving in the Salt Lake valley in 1847. What a trek! No wonder they began celebrating this date just two years after their arrival! I'll bet I had ancestors participating in some of those early celebrations. My immediate family's history with the annual parade goes back decades. It has been a tradition since long before I was born. We were determined to watch this year even though our usual viewing spot is no longer along the parade route due to road construction. Luck was on our side! We found a fantastic spot. Not only was it close enough to have a good view, there was a nearby tree keeping us out of the sun for the whole thing! It was a great parade, too. It's so neat the way so many people volunteer their time and creativity to put on a grand celebration of heritage and diversity.

A fairly new tradition in our personal Pioneer Day celebration is to enjoy lunch immediately after the parade at the Lion House Pantry. It's so delicious! We ate outside in the garden this year which was pretty and peaceful. (It also brought back nice memories since it was the location of my wedding reception!)

Happy Birthday, Rusty!

I Love Modern Living

Our typical weeknights are usually filled with watching TV or movies. I realize that this is probably not the most rewarding or responsible use of our time, but it makes us happy. Last Monday, we had the opportunity to see what it’s like to go without our favorite pastime. The power went out just after 5 p.m. and didn’t return until almost 10:30 that night. Rusty hates when we are without power; I usually get a kick out of the power being out but this was almost too long of a stretch! We played a game (Chutes and Ladders is a classic—I don’t care how old you are!), chatted a bit, and I read the entire issue of my newest Entertainment Weekly. Rusty was smart enough to remind me to get ready for bed before I was doing it in the dark. By the time the sun went down the novelty had definitely worn off. Without air conditioning or fans the temperature rose. I was amazed (but not surprised) to discover how limited we really are without electricity. I couldn’t run the dishwasher or throw in a batch of laundry while trying to fill the time. I also tried to keep the fridge-opening to a minimum. We finally gave in and began watching Simpsons DVDs on my portable DVD player. After two episodes the power was back on and we could go back to our normal lives, fully dependant on electricity. I am thankful to live in an age of technology and comfort. Considering the entire history of the world that we could have lived in, it’s really a privilege. I am also kind of humbled by the fact that nature still has a way of besting man’s efforts—our five-hour power outage was caused by a flock of birds. ;)

You're a Grand Old Flag

Happy 4th of July! I began the day early so I could celebrate the way I have for most of my life. Rusty is not much of a morning person, so he happily exercised his freedom to sleep in. I enjoyed a nice breakfast with my family, then we went to watch the Tooele parade. I used to be embarassed by how cheesy and small-town it is, now I appreciate the fact that this is what America is all about! People all over the country were celebrating the very same way. I like to see kids waving flags and families participating in traditions. I watched with my brothers, parents, and grandma. This was the first time I ever remember being chilly on the fourth of July. It was cloudy and breezy, but it never rained on our parade! (Oh, and by the way, you know it's a hokey Tooele parade when the grand finale is a Wal-Mart truck!) Now that I've had an afternoon nap and watched "A Capitol Fourth" it's time to go out to the backyard and see if Rusty and I can catch some fireworks--yay! Happy 233rd birthday, America!

Park City Anniversary

Rusty and I spent two nights in Park City to celebrate our anniversary. It was a really fun getaway! We stayed at The Yarrow hotel, which was very nice. We began our anniversary with a delicious breakfast at the restaurant in the hotel then visited Utah Olympic Park where we enjoyed exhibits and displays from the 2002 Olympics.

The U.S. Freestyle Team was practicing while we were there. It was cool watching them slide down the mountin into the water. I can’t imagine flying into a pool with ski gear on!

We also tried to walk down historic Main Street and play some miniature golf, but sudden rainstorms derailed both of those plans. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t as warm or predictable as we would have liked.

Luckily we found a movie theater where we saw My Life in Ruins. It hasn't done too well with the critics, but we laughed at all the jokes and liked it anyway. It was fun exploring Park City and enjoying the mountains, but the best part of the trip was just getting away and spending some time together.

Looking Back and Ahead

Rusty and I will be celebrating our 5th wedding anniversary this week. When we were first married, looking ahead to five years seemed so far away, but here we are! Not quite as thin, but just as happy. ;) We've learned a lot about each other and been through a lot together. We're looking forward to many more years to come!