Lehi Round Up Days

This year we went to the Lehi Round Up as we do every year. We missed the all horse parade since we were driving back from Reno that day, but we were able to do some other fun things when we got back.

Pioneer Party had a Kids Day on Friday - there were games, candy, a pig to pet (both Jack and Madeline declined to pet the pig) and you could learn to rope a "cow".

Here is Madeline showing off her cowgirl skills. Love the boots with the shorts - cute if you're 3, not so much if you're 40!


After all that fun and excitement we walked down the block to Reams Boots & Jeans where the Lehi High School FFA club (Future Farmers of America for those of you who don't know) was selling hot dogs, chips and a drink for $2. Such a deal!!

Here are Jack and Madeline sitting on the porch of Reams. Yep, that is a regular Coke that my boy is drinking. What can I say?! Mother of the Year!!

The next morning we went to the parade. Each year the whole clan gathers at the same place and we all watch together.

Here are Jack and Madeline waiting for the parade to start. All the kids get front row seats.

Since Jade and Willy didn't want to be considered kids, they sat a little further back with the adults.


Here is the love of my life and me. He really doesn't like parades, but is always a good sport and comes with us anyway. Notice my B-I-L Stephen in the background - - should he really be in the adult section?!?


Later that night we went to the Round Up Rodeo. This is an old fashioned rodeo, held outside and complete with hard metal bleachers to sit on.

My entire family gets tickets together on the first day that they are sold and we all sit together. This is only some of my family - the rest are at the snack stand getting a rodeo burger and cokes. You need fuel to be able to yell, whistle and clap for 2 hours!

Here's my cute nephew and niece - Bridger and Oakley. They actually came without their parents (my sister had her class reunion) and were very well behaved!

Now comes my favorite part - when the queens come out with the flags while they play God Bless America as a prelude to when the National Anthem is sung. It moves me to tears every year!


Here we are - happy family at the rodeo. My dear husband doesn't really like the rodeo, but again gets bonus points because he goes every year with me and actually seems to enjoy himself.


While we were waiting for the rodeo to start I snapped these pictures of my two angels. I swear they are either the best of friends or sworn enemies. Lucky for me they are usually friends.


Happy Trails . . . until next year!

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.