Family time and Home

We spent some time in Utah with our family over the 24th of July. In Utah, the 24th of July is Pioneer Day, the commemoration of the Mormon Pioneers entering the Salt Lake Valley.  We watched the parade on TV and the kids were very aware of the military tributes in the parade.  This is some thing that we have gained with Josh's service.  I do not think the kids would have noticed the Air Force veteran riding in the car or the Air Force anthem being played by the high school band before this life change.  It is fun to hear their cheers of recognition and excitement.  I am glad that they are starting to have some pride in their country and that this has become a bit of their life.  I noticed military words creeping into their vocabulary while we were with family.  Bear said to her cousin, "Have you ever been to the commissary?"  She made it sound like the commissary was some new and strange place and that her cousin should be jealous.  I did not burst her bubble by stating that the commissary is just a grocery store.  Bub was telling his grandparents that he likes Las Vegas better than Springville, Utah because there are jets over our heads every day.  That is hard to top.

When I visit Salt Lake, I feel like a visitor.  We have not lived in Salt Lake since 2004 so it still remains my childhood home but is now the place that we visit family.  We did stop in Springville on our way to Las Vegas to meet some old friends.  This felt strange to me. Springville became home to us quickly.  We lived there for four years and we were very integrated in the community.  It was strange to drive the streets but not head toward Brookside Drive. I feel in between places right now. We are settling into Las Vegas but it is not home yet.  What does the feeling of home mean? I am not entirely sure except that I do not feel it yet. I suppose that the feeling creeps up on a person one day unawares.  I look forward to finding my haunts and places that make Las Vegas special and meaningful to us.

Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City

Fairy Forest in Kamas Utah

Historic Cove Fort in middle Utah.  LDS historical site