Pioneer Day Celebration

In Utah, July 24th is a State holiday. It's Pioneer Day, the day to commemorate the arrival of the Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. To a Utah native, their pioneer heritage is very important, it helps define who they are. It's the only time when you can actually see pride in people's faces when they say that they are descendants of polygamists. Don't get me wrong, I am fascinated with the stories of the pioneers, they are a great example to me of commitment and endurance. They endured a lot of hardships while they crossed the plains and suffered alot of loss. They left everything behind, so that they could find a safe place to practice their religion. As a Mormon, I am grateful for this legacy and I am happy that they settled here in this beautiful state. As a transplant to Utah, well, I suffer from Pioneer Guilt. I have no pioneer heritage. I once had a lady tell me that she was sorry for my loss when I told her that I didn't have any pioneer ancestors. Hey, don't get me wrong, I am very proud of the branches on my Mi'kmaq/Scottish family tree, it makes me unique. I am just saying that I dread Pioneer Day every year. Luckily, I married a man who has many pioneer ancestors, so Braxton will not experience the guilt. Ryan tells me that I need to work on my attitude towards Pioneer Day and I am trying. So this year, I decided to plan a celebration with my friend, Mary Jane and her family.

Mare and I decided that since our husbands both had to work that day that we would spend the whole day together. Mare has 3 cute boys that Braxton loves to play with. We planned on taking the boys to lunch and then to a movie. Having dinner when the bigger boys got home from work and then having fireworks when it got dark. The lunch part of our plan went off without a hitch. Before the movie we decided to stop at the store to pick up a few things for dinner, when Mare got a phone call from her mom. It turns out that her brother (who is currently staying with them) called their mom and said that a pipe had burst in the bathroom and the basement was flooded. We rushed back to her house and found that the water had seeped through the wall and into her storage closet, down the hall, and into her office and family room. To make a long story short, we spent some time cleaning up the water and while we were waiting for the insurance company to send some people over to look at the damage, we decided to take the boys to a movie. After the movie, we went back to Mare's house and discovered that the damage was more widespread than we originally thought. So, we moved everything from her office into the family room and moved some more furniture in the family room away from the walls. The workers that the insurance company sent over lifted the carpet, replaced the pad and put big fans in the rooms. I know that it's not the Pioneer Day that we had planned, but I was happy to be there so that I could help. The kids were such troopers, I am sure it was hard for them to have to stay away from all the action. We did end up having a nice dinner and played cards while we waited for it to get dark so that we could start the fireworks. The fireworks display was a success. We had a great time. I don't get to see Mare as much as when we worked together, so I am so glad that I got to spend the day with her and her family. Plus, Mare does have pioneer heritage, but she never brags about it :). Love ya, Mare!!!

Fans in the office

The family room post-flood

Ryan doing some "day time" fireworks with the boys

The boys waiting for the fireworks to start

OOO, AAHHHHH