My Town

My family has lived in the same small town for 27 years. When we first moved here we lived on what was then the outskirts of town - known as "The Bench". There wasn't much up there - our block was 2 miles around and had about 8 or 9 houses around it.

The town didn't have any stop lights - just stop signs. Several intersections didn't even have a stop sign at all - you just used common sense when you approached them.

Mark and I built our first house about 2 miles from my parents house and lived there for 11 years and loved it. It was just far enough away that we weren't in their hair all the time, but close enough that the kids could ride their bike up to Grandma's house on a Sunday afternoon.

Soon the town started to grow and things started to change. The day they put a stop light on Main Street, I had a little fit. Mark (being from the little big city of Reno) tried to reason with me and explain how much it was needed etc., etc. I was having NONE of it! I told him this was the beginning of the end, things would never be the same. In a way I was right. The population of our town has exploded over the past 10 years. However, there is one thing that has remained the same.

Every year the city has a City Celebration called Round-Up Days. They have various activities throughout the week. There is the All Horse Parade on Thursday night where you can see the Rodeo Queens, the Sheriff's Possee, and lots of other talented (and some not so talented) horsemanship. Also if you sit next to my smart alec sisters you get a lot of "horses ass" jokes. Funny every year!

Here is the start of the all horse parade - I just love it when the flag comes by and we all stand to pay our respects. I almost always get teary eyed thinking about how lucky we are to be able to live in such a great place.


Here is one of the Rodeo Queens - Madeline kept telling me "Look Mama - it's a princess!!" She loved it!


They have a parade on Friday night and Saturday morning where each of the LDS wards in Lehi decorates a float and enters it in the parade. It is very much a hometown parade - along with the other larger floats, marching bands, cheerleaders, etc.

Our family always goes to the Saturday morning parade - and we always meet at the same place. This year was especially hot and Jack brought his squirt gun. It was entertaining just watching him squirt people in the parade - although we told him no squirting the queens - only the kids pullling the floats. Here they are scoping out their next victims!


Then there is the Rodeo.


This is a three night event that goes Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. This has gotten to be very popular and sells out very soon after tickets go on sale. This year we sent my sister Julie down on opening day to get us all tickets together for Saturday night. We got lucky and got seats together.

Again, my most favorite part is when they bring out the flag. This year they handed out small flags to everyone as they walked in the gate and before they sang the National Anthem they played God Bless America and the horses trotted around the arena and everyone waved their flags. It was cool.


This is not a great picture, but here we are before the rodeo started.


And this is the love of my life - he came late because he was out of town, but he made it and that's what counts!


I have very fond memories of Round-Up Days and hope to pass the tradition on to my kids. I know that there will always be change and it isn't the same small town that I once knew, but maybe if we keep some of the traditions alive, some of that feeling will carry on.