Utah

Kaiya and I are in Utah for a week. Grantsville, Utah, town I grew up in until age 14, honors the older people every year with an Old Folks Sociable. It is now on its 124th year. They have only not held it twice, one for a Small Pox outbreak and another year for a flu epedimic. Grammy use to tap dance often in the town when she was a girl. She had been asked to perform one of her tap number for the Sociable program. So, we all came up to see. It is quite a production. They do a reception honoring those who are 75 years old with a dinner just for them. Then, it is opened to the town to purchase tickets for dinner, a program, a dance, and a display of some sort about the history of the town or families in the town. It is very exciting to see old friends etc. This is only my second Sociable for the fact of getting up here. I may make it mandatory from here on out. So, here we are in Grantville.

It has been an exciting week while we wait for today's events. We have been spending a lot of time up at "the shed." Our family still owns land, a shed, some corrals, a herd of sheep that we have pass on to my uncle. Needless to say, Kaiya has enjoyed being up on the "farm." She is loving all the horses, dogs, sheep, and keeps asking to see a pig (we don't specialize in those - we only only ever had one or two that we raised and showed at the stock show). We really lucked out and got to see four new lambs be born while we were here. Kaiya got to catch and play with them with the help of M1 and Granddad. She has loved it! I wish we could live in this environment always. It brought back lots of fond memories of my childhood. And it is just a great thing to let her run around out in a field, play with animals, be in the dirt and not be supervised! I definitely need to get more involved in the family ranch and make it a bigger priority. I always think that and then it is the getting there and getting involved that is the problem. Kaiya needs to be around all of this to learn about animals, the outdoors, etc. I think it is really a self-esteem booster! She loved climbing the dirt and gravel hills! I got some really good pictures. Chasing the sheep was lots of fun for her. I just think that being around this environment keeps them from becoming COUCH POTATOES, helps foster a good self esteem, teachs hard work, imagination, and just an appreciation for animals and the outdoors. She needs to be around this type of environment.

I got the best of both worlds, I really did! I got to run around with the animals and in the fields as a kid and as a teen I got to experience being a city girl! She is also learning it is ok to be away from Mom and Dad. She needs to develope some independence!! I got some great picturs. I will post them later. Maybe even with a video of Grammy dancing!!

We head home tomorrow! I am really sad! It has been fun to be up helping around the shed - - shoveling gravel, clearing a little hay and manure. Sort of brings out the country girl in me! It is also nice to spend a little time with the extended family I ran around with growing up!!

Kaiya got to see SNOW for the SECOND time. She probably thinks it is her first since she was only 9-10 months the first time she saw it! Well, I am off!!