Happy Birthday, Grandma

A very happy birthday to my Grandma Dahl. It's hard to believe it's been four years since she and Grandpa passed away (within just three weeks of each other) but it's a great comfort to know they're together now, that they didn't have to be separated for long, and that they're reunited with Dad, even though they're Mom's parents. Dad always got along with them famously, especially with Grandpa, considering he lost his own dad when he was just 16.

Some of the things that remind me of Grandma the most:

Horses. 

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She grew up on a farm, so she always had a soft spot for horses. I remember seeing her on a horse at the Utah State Fair; she used to be the boss there.

The Utah State Fair.

Like I said, she was the big boss for several years, and she always gave us free tickets whenever she could. She even provided free tickets to music concerts; I remember seeing *NSYNC, Britney Spears, No Authority, O-Town, and Destiny's Child there. Of course, we had to stop by Grandma's office every time.

Politics. 

Oh, boy, Grandma was BIG on politics. I remember going to some kind of convention with Dad (I think it was about the mayor of Layton, or something) and Grandma was there. What I remember best is that she had a bit of a cold that day, and I asked Dad when we were alone, "Shouldn't she be home right now?"

Dad's answer ran along the lines of, "No way. Grandma wouldn't miss this for anything. Not even a broken leg would keep her home. She'd rather die than miss out on a political convention."

And I could only think, "Wow. That's dedicated."

I also remember Grandma kept a few political books lying around her house, and it seems almost fitting that she died on July 4. She was respectful about where other people stood, of course, but again, she had an incredible passion about that stuff. She didn't care so much about who the rest of us voted for as she cared about the simple fact that we had voted.

I also think of Grandma when I see red Jello. 

She made amazing red Jello with fruit salad underneath and tiny marshmallows on top. I hardly recall a single dinner in which red Jello with fruit and marshmallows wasn't somewhere on the table.

Turkey gravy. 

I'm not really fond of gravy, but oh, man, Grandma made the BEST turkey gravy at Thanksgiving. That was something I definitely put on my mashed potatoes!

Soft dinner rolls. 

Grandma and Grandpa always knew how much I loved rolls, so they made sure there were plenty of rolls to go around, too.

Cake, ice cream, and cookies.

Grandma used to make strawberry ice cream the old-fashioned way, she made a fabulous chocolate mint cake for birthdays, and Grandpa was just as famous for his gingersnaps. I also think of them when I have plain Oreos or graham crackers, because we often ate those when we visited in the last couple of years of their lives.

And finally, Grandma springs to mind when I listen to Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line."

There was a family slideshow put together years ago, with this song included, and I don't know; it's just that particular song that stuck with me the most, and I've sort of made it Grandma's official song. Likewise, I think of Dad the most when listening to "Yesterday Once More" by the Carpenters, and "Love is All Around" by the Troggs is definitely Mom's song.

Happy birthday, Grandma. We love you and miss you so much. Hope you're having a happy time up there with Grandpa, Dad, and all the others.

Utah State Fair

My grandma used to be the boss of the Utah State Fair, and every September, she would send our family tickets to the Fair. 

This year, we got tickets thanks to an old friend, we went with Mom's friend Kayalauna, and it was a very nice little trip down Memory Lane. We actually went yesterday; I was too tired the night before and too caught up in resting the next day (had the day free from work) as well as a few art projects to make this post, but here it is. Christine wasn't able to come with us (her kids have school) but Mom gave her some money to go on Friday.

We didn't go on that many rides; the tickets are expensive and Mom didn't want to spend even more money on wristbands, so we just divided the tickets we did have and we managed to go on three rides, four for myself and for Chris. We went on the Ferris Wheel (I have a slight phobia of heights but the Ferris Wheel is okay), some kind of spinning ride, the bumper cars, and Chris and I went on the Pharaoh's Fury, which is basically an enormous playground swing. That one, I'll admit, was just a tiny bit scary.

I wasn't able to take many pictures (they don't allow photography in many of the exhibits and we were all trying not to get separated in the huge crowd) but I managed to snag a few. I was a tiny bit jealous of all the art pieces I saw there; I'm quite tempted to give my own artwork a try at the Fair one of these days. Only time will tell. 

My boss's daughter had submitted a piece of art and won second place this year, but unfortunately I was unable to find her in the exhibit. But we did run into a lady that Dad used to work with; she had given us our first cat, Lucky, and it's obviously been a while because she didn't even know that Dad had been gone for a few years.

There were some nice quilts (I saw a cool Harry Potter quilt that Christine would have really liked), nice baked goods, and some pretty good-sized produce. We even got to pet a couple of animals, like an adorable piglet and an adorable baby goat. I always had a soft spot for "kids!"

And at dinner, we saw a mime who pulled off some rather impressive magic tricks. One lady was particularly blown away by how he was able to "break" a long balloon in two pieces without the balloons popping. She actually yelled out, "How did he do that?"

Since payday was this week, I bought myself a few treats. I paid for my own dinner (you'd be amazed at how expensive burgers and fries are) and later I treated myself to a frozen banana pop with nuts, and then a Rainbow Shaved Ice, which is a really nice blend of cherry, banana, and bubble gum. 

Overall, it was a great day, albeit an exhausting one. I was a little sorry to leave, but I sure was glad to get home, take a hot shower, and go to bed.