Pioneer Day

I'm not sure how popular Pioneer Day is in other regions of the country, but in Utah, it's a big deal! The history of pioneers is huge in the Mormon culture. Stories are passed down of family members who treked across the plains and deserts to find freedom from persecution and the ability to worship how they pleased. It is something we pride ourselves in. 

Every July 24th, it's a celebration in Utah. Most people get work off. If you ever come through Utah on the 24th and wonder why in the world fireworks are being set, you will know it's for the Pioneers. There's parades, rodeos, parties.We made the trip downtown to see the Days of 47  Rodeo. We're not really rodeo people, but we got free tickets from Dustin's work, and we all had the day off! 

My kids were mostly bored until the barrel racing. They didn't like seeing the animals roped and tied, I can't blame them. The bulls were outstanding and bucked most of the riders off before the 8 second horn. I think only two managed to hang on long enough to get enough points to score. The riders of the broncos did better. Britten did leave wanting to ride a sheep though. 

Oh, and I got kissed by an alpaca. We went to the petting zoo before the rodeo. A gentleman was letting his alpaca kiss people. I was brave enough. A few minutes later, I started breaking out in hives and getting a rash all over my arms, even though he didn't come in contact with my arms. I learned I was allergic to alpacas, and that it's always a good idea to carry Benadryl in your purse! Thank goodness!

The Shed And Garden

We've been doing work on our yard ever since we moved in, in 2013. First came the curbing and grass, which we loved! Then trees and flowers. Dustin even crafted some stone planter's boxes in the front! His last two projects have been really big and time consuming. 

Last fall he decided it was time to build his shed. He couldn't take not having one any longer. We fit 3 cars in our garage, but we had a 4 wheeler, snow plow attachment,  deep freezer, bikes, scooters, wagon, and tolls and lawn care items. We needed a shed! He started it mid August. I didn't think to take a picture until it was mostly done:

He found a nice spot in the corner by all the other neighbor's sheds. I'm pretty sure the neighbor's thought this would be an ordinary brown shed, but they were wrong. We wanted it to be pretty and have a pop of color. We decided on a gray-blue, so we thought. We ended up with this:

 It is bright, but with the wood accents, we loved it. Our neighbors? Not so much. One even asked if there was a sale on blue paint...oh, well. We love how it turned out. My favorite are the barn doors Dustin made himself!

This summer Dustin decide it was time to build our garden box. In our last home, he made a few small ones for me. Since our yard is bigger, we allotted a certain area as "garden" when we were planning out our yard. I love how it turned out! Dustin is so handy and loves to build things. I'm grateful I get to benefit from that love!!

 He used pine and corrugated tin. He treated pine to be weather proof.

 We also put solar lights in the corner. It looks pretty at night.

  

The shed and garden make a great combo. We stained the garden box to match the planter's box on the window of the shed.

Hot Air Balloon Ride

A lender who my work does regular business with was hosting free hot air balloon rides. It's on my bucket list to ride in a hot air balloon, but I had to work the event, so no ride for me. But, Dustin and the kids were able to. 

They had face painting, a balloon artist, and had games and prizes. It was a long wait in line for the ride, but  it was an evening activity that interrupted the monotony.  Becca and Britten got their face painted while Aaron and Kate looked for left over golf balls on the golf course. My partner and I were in charge of the put-put game. 

This also made me start thinking a lot more about my "Bucket List". I'm not sure what else to add, but I'm working on it.

A Day on the Lake

A family in our little community rents out their backyard to help raise money for their school in Africa. For Dustin's family reunion this year, we rented it out for the afternoon. They supplied kayaks, paddle boards, a paddle boat, and a lot of other flotation devices. They had a cute sandy beach where Britten and I built sandcastles, and mostly hung out working on our tans.

I have a hard time watching my kids in water. Ever since they were little, I have had this fear they are going to not make it and drown right before my eyes. And yes, they are swimmers-except Britten- and they do just fine. But, my mind sees it very differently. I wish it was something I could fix. I think water activities would be much more enjoyable for me. I'm usually a ball of nerves. I try to relax. Taking pictures helps me focus on something else, so I take lots of pictures.

 It is so nice to be able to get together and build family relationships. To us, family is everything! The day was beautiful. The water perfect! The food was delicious. It was a great day!