Small Town

The novelty of living in the small town I grew up in has worn off. I almost don't want to leave the house anymore. You see here in my small town there is a strange phenomenon. (It actually isn't that strange, I'm sure it happens in small towns everywhere.) It is a proven fact that you cannot go to the grocery store or the local Walmart without running into at least one person you know. When that person is someone you really care about it's great. When it's someone who you don't really know, but who happens to know your parents it just starts to get awkward.

The problem is that people in small towns are bored, so they feel it is their civic duty to talk to every person in the store they know and ask lots of questions about their lives. This is not always bad, but when you've landed back in town so you can chill out in the southeast corner of you parents estate, it can become tiresome to tell everyone in town about the fact that your life feels like a failure. I don't want to tell my whole life story to a bunch of people I don't really know just because they happen to know my parents!

So, I've made it a goal to make it in and out of the grocery store without having to talk to someone I know. I almost made it the other day. I was literally all the way to my truck when someone called my name. It was my uncle...who doesn't even live in this State...he had just arrived in town to visit my grandma. *Sigh* Better luck next trip.

America the Beautiful

The 4th of July is always an exciting time in my town. We have a very wide main street that is home to the fabulous 4th of July Parade. Fabulous may not be the best word. The number of floats in the parade has dropped drastically in recent years. (I think there were two this year.) I go to watch the High School Marching Band (I am a VERY proud former member), the Ray's Carwash boys and to get my free carton of chocolate milk. The Marching Band was wonderful and the the Ray's Carwash boys brought a fabulously choreographed dance routine providing the usual relief needed after the approximately 20 poorly drilled drill teams and cheerleading squads. I waited patiently through the endless stream of old cars and tractors, but was disappointed when I was not given my free chocolate milk. (I guess business must be slow for the local dairy.)

After the parade we ate a nice lunch on the picnic table outside and roasted some hotdogs in the fire pit. My sister had made some very yummy looking chocolate peanut butter rice crispy treats. Somehow the recipe had gone awry and we were practically breaking our teeth trying to eat them. (Literally in grandma's case.)

Later that afternoon we drove 15 miles to the a small manmade lake. (A favorite family location.) We swam around a bit and took the old green canoe out for a spin. Since my last visit, the city has installed a fun slide. My sister and I convinced Dad to go down the slide with us. I will forever have etched in my mind the picture of my dad sliding down that ridiculous slide.

All in all, it was a wonderful day with my family. I am so grateful to live in a country where all these activities are can be enjoyed.

Windy

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Who's peekin' out from under a stairway Calling a name that's lighter than air Who's bending down to give me a rainbow Everyone knows it's Windy

Who's tripping down the streets of the city Smilin' at everybody she sees Who's reachin' out to capture a moment Everyone knows it's Windy

And Windy has stor-my eyes That flash at the sound of lies And Windy has wings to fly Above the clouds (above the clouds) Above the clouds (above the clouds)

And Windy has stor-my eyes That flash at the sound of lies And Windy has wings to fly Above the clouds (above the clouds) Above the clouds (above the clouds)

Who's tripping down the streets of the city Smilin' at everybody she sees Who's reachin' out to capture a moment Everyone knows it's Windy

In an effort to treat my culture shock, brought on by the return to my parents' small town, I decided to take a short vacation with some friends. We decided to go camping in Goblin Valley.

Unfortunately our adventures were less than stellar due to the windy conditions. We did get some good laughs as we tried to use a tarp as a wind shield (it failed miserably.) We also had adventures with practically eating the dirt flying through the air, a restless night due to continued high winds and an wonderful wake-up call facilitated by the collapse of our tent. Despite the heat and wind (and eventually a thunderstorm) we had a good time camping and hiking.

Other trip festivities included: getting rained out on our second night of camping, running out of gas, stopping at a vault toilet rest-stop with little-to-no cell phone service and eventually being rescued by a nice trucker who allowed us to siphon some of his diesel into our truck. All in all, it was a most memorable trip.

Here We Have Idaho

by McKinley, Tompkins and Hume-Douglas

You've heard of the wonders our land does possess,

It's beautiful valleys and hills, The majestic forests where nature abounds,

We love every nook and rill.

There's truly one state in this great land of ours

Where ideals can be realized

The pioneers made it so for you and me

A legacy we'll always prize.

And here we have Idaho--Winning her way to fame,

Silver and gold in the sunlight blaze, and romance in her name.

Singing, we're singing of you, ah, proudly too, all our lives thru,

We'll go singing, singing of you, singing of Idaho.

You Know You’re in Idaho when…

• It’s June and it’s only 65 Degrees
• You blow through the “new” stop sign
• Everything closes by 10pm
• There are no Italian restaurants in town
• When you have to drive in the narrow space between the biker and the roadkill
• Walmart doesn’t carry the item you need
• You see a 4-Wheeler being used inside city limits as an automobile
• The door to door salesman tells you he has, “the gift of gab” with that special Idaho twang.

My Little Town

I recently moved back to the little town I grew up in. One of the things that has been great about moving home is running into people I love. I ran into a beloved English teacher at the temple. While picking up groceries I ran into my first voice teacher. I could keep naming people all day. It's great to be in a place with so many people who love and care about me. As hard as it was to leave the big city, it has been nice to be back in my little town.

Home

by Daughtry

I'm staring out into the night, trying to hide the pain

I'm going to the place where love

And feeling good don't ever cost a thing

And the pain you feel's a different kind of pain

Well, I'm going home, back to the place where I belong

And where your love has always been enough for me

I'm not running from, no, I think you got me all wrong

I don't regret this life I chose for me

But these places and these faces are getting old

So I'm going home, well I'm going home

What a better place to go when you uproot your whole life than to a place full of people that love you. This week I trekked towards Idaho I spent a few days in SLC with some of my favorite people.

I spent lots of great time with Ann. She always lifts my spirits and helps me see the world more clearly by helping me see things from a different perspective.

I also got to see lots of family. I spent time with my grandparents and my aunt as well my sisters and their families. I took some of them to Discovery Gateway. We spent a marvelous afternoon. Favorite comment of the week came that day from the almost 3-yr old “Amber, this place is cool!”