This season has been a very successful one for the park. Sadly, all things must come to an end... and the season is winding down. But not without a few more posts about it from yours truly! ;) I have noticed that my entire life comes from my pioneer alter-ego... but I promise, I'll post on real life when I come back to reality... :)
This week I have been asked to be a "counselor" for a day camp. The ages of the kids run 6-11 years old. They come for four days (Mon-Thurs) from 9:00-12:00. We give them little burlap sacks with a little water bottle, a bandanna, and room to hold crafts and treats. They also get a cool neon green shirt with the logo on it... so we can tell our day campers apart from general public... There are three counselors this week. The one in charge is Larissa. She has been doing them all summer and is teaching me the ropes so I can run one next week... Amy is 15 and is volunteering up here for the summer because her aunt is up in management... and me... you already know too much about me... ;) We have 22 kids this week and they are easily the best behaved group I have ever been around. They are great. I have had a couple attach themselves to me... they won't go to the other counselors with things they need and they think I will answer all of their questions... of course it could be that I'm a pushover...
The last two days have been great! I love going around with the kids, having them learn some things about pioneer life. We make some fun crafts, do some fun activities, and see some of the sites around the park. Yesterday we had them push hand carts and we had an old fashioned picture taken of us. Today we visited the Marshal (who let one of the boys put him in a straight jacket so he could prove he could get out...), the cabinetry, the apothecary, the bank, had a lesson at the school and played some pioneer games for recess. We even made the button wizzer and "graces" with the kids as their craft today. It was a blast!
After we send the kids home with their parents, I am basically left to my own devises. I have spent the past two days trying to help where I am most needed. Monday I spent at Gardiner with poor McKenzie who was there all by her self... but today I decided I would check out the help situation at the pony rides and animals. They are always fairly busy and sometimes there are not enough people there... Plus, I've only ever worked there once... for an hour, last summer... It was fun to have the new experience. The ponies were well behaved today and Oreo (one of the baby pygmy goats) kept slipping out of the petting coral to wander the park...
Now if you can remember your favorite western movie. The stagecoach speeding along the trail afraid to stop for fear of attack? Take a moment to get a good picture of this scene in your movie... I was in the petting coral chatting with some guests about goats when I heard a metal clanking. I looked up just in time to see this very picture come to life... only it wasn't a stage coach... it was one of our covered wagons (without the cover). My heart skipped more than one beat as I watched them speed (draft horses can get up to about 40 mph.) down the street with our expert at the reins doing everything she could to slow them down to no avail... the 20 or so screaming children in the wagon didn't help the situation at all either... Luckily, no one was injured... our expert driver was a little shaken, and the pregnant mom fell off the back at the top... where they started (she is fine and so is the baby), but the kids all say it was the best ride they have ever had! Haha! So its all miraculously well. It is the first and only time I have seen them bolt this year. It was a combination of a child scream and a bee sting to the horse... my what an adventure...
Ever since I had my encounter with horses down at the ranch in Kanab (about 6 years old) I have not been on a horse, or any other equine-like animal. Today was a first for me, I got to ride a pony! :) Bareback too! It was rather exciting for me and Dale (the pony I rode) seemed to be in a good mood so he cooperated.
Until next time... Giddy up!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
All in a Pioneer's Day!
In Utah July 24 is a big day... even bigger for us pioneers... But with the large crowds of the weekend we changes our scenery with some special events and activities.
We spent the week preparing our houses for large crowds of people. Anything we didn't want to explain, have touched, or chase, was put away. I roped off my garden so it wouldn't be trampled and prepared the laundry buckets for a big day... throughout the village the settlers also spent a great deal of thought and time into making "floats" for the parade we walked through the village. Each site got a hand cart and were told they could use their imaginations. We were supposed to represent our site on the float and children can't ride inside. They would then be put to vote as the guests were asked to vote for their favorite one for the "People's choice."
Our float was awesome. With the help of Darci and Steve our hand cart was ready to go! And for the first day, we won people's choice! We lost on Saturday to the Hospital because of their skeleton holding the laudanum bottle... but still... :)
We also had Native American dancers dance for us, the Mormon Battalion was there giving cannon demonstrations, there was a pie eating contest, a watermelon eating contest, and of course a village full of pioneers. :) It was actually a fun weekend despite the stress of misfiring cannons...
Surprisingly short post today... but more to come soon!!
We spent the week preparing our houses for large crowds of people. Anything we didn't want to explain, have touched, or chase, was put away. I roped off my garden so it wouldn't be trampled and prepared the laundry buckets for a big day... throughout the village the settlers also spent a great deal of thought and time into making "floats" for the parade we walked through the village. Each site got a hand cart and were told they could use their imaginations. We were supposed to represent our site on the float and children can't ride inside. They would then be put to vote as the guests were asked to vote for their favorite one for the "People's choice."
Our float was awesome. With the help of Darci and Steve our hand cart was ready to go! And for the first day, we won people's choice! We lost on Saturday to the Hospital because of their skeleton holding the laudanum bottle... but still... :)
We also had Native American dancers dance for us, the Mormon Battalion was there giving cannon demonstrations, there was a pie eating contest, a watermelon eating contest, and of course a village full of pioneers. :) It was actually a fun weekend despite the stress of misfiring cannons...
Surprisingly short post today... but more to come soon!!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Life Continues
The funeral services for Annie were held this morning. It was a wonderful service of celebration of a wonderful life lived.
The first speaker was a President from BYU. He brought with him a message of love and sympathy from the leaders of our wonderful university. The flag on campus was lowered to half mass today in honor of Annie. He also read a letter sent from the Dean of her school...in it they explained that Annie was in her last semester of college before she would graduate. The Dean and his committee looked over her requirements and found, that with all of her advanced math classes (she really liked math) she had reached the graduation requirements. They want to present her family with her Bachelor's in Economics as well. It was really a nice start to a beautiful memorial.
In her life sketch her brothers (who happen to be twins) told a story of how she used to make them Macaroni and Cheese when they were kids. (One of the twins is about to be married, the other is on his last month on his mission and has flown home for a week to be here for this...) They remembered how it always tasted better when she made it and she told them that she had a secret ingredient. She would boil the noodles and when it was time to make the sauce, she would send them out and shut the door, knowing that they were listening through the door trying to decipher just what that ingredient was. Years later they were told that she was just following the instructions. :) She would move around and open random cupboards and things just to keep them guessing. She definitely had sass... :)
All in all it was a great service. It left me with a desire to be better, to love harder, and to live life to the fullest. Annie is on the other side with those pass along cards finding anyone she can who will listen to the message of the Gospel. Everyone in attendance today knows that. She loved the Lord more than anything. Her simple lifestyle, and desire to serve with that unfailing smile has served everyone around her, everyday that she spent here. I don't know that I ever saw her without that smile. :)
Thanks to all the love and support. Life continues on and because of this simple fact I pray to have the strength to be better. I love you, my family and friends and I love my Heavenly Father with this amazing plan he has for each of us. This is my testimony, that we are all meant to be happy. The church is true!
The first speaker was a President from BYU. He brought with him a message of love and sympathy from the leaders of our wonderful university. The flag on campus was lowered to half mass today in honor of Annie. He also read a letter sent from the Dean of her school...in it they explained that Annie was in her last semester of college before she would graduate. The Dean and his committee looked over her requirements and found, that with all of her advanced math classes (she really liked math) she had reached the graduation requirements. They want to present her family with her Bachelor's in Economics as well. It was really a nice start to a beautiful memorial.
In her life sketch her brothers (who happen to be twins) told a story of how she used to make them Macaroni and Cheese when they were kids. (One of the twins is about to be married, the other is on his last month on his mission and has flown home for a week to be here for this...) They remembered how it always tasted better when she made it and she told them that she had a secret ingredient. She would boil the noodles and when it was time to make the sauce, she would send them out and shut the door, knowing that they were listening through the door trying to decipher just what that ingredient was. Years later they were told that she was just following the instructions. :) She would move around and open random cupboards and things just to keep them guessing. She definitely had sass... :)
All in all it was a great service. It left me with a desire to be better, to love harder, and to live life to the fullest. Annie is on the other side with those pass along cards finding anyone she can who will listen to the message of the Gospel. Everyone in attendance today knows that. She loved the Lord more than anything. Her simple lifestyle, and desire to serve with that unfailing smile has served everyone around her, everyday that she spent here. I don't know that I ever saw her without that smile. :)
Thanks to all the love and support. Life continues on and because of this simple fact I pray to have the strength to be better. I love you, my family and friends and I love my Heavenly Father with this amazing plan he has for each of us. This is my testimony, that we are all meant to be happy. The church is true!
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