last thursday was the 24th of july, which for most people was just another work day. for us in utah it's Pioneer day; which means that most people take off work, go to parades, watch fireworks, and honor the mormon pioneers that settled here. in my husband's hometown in NEVADA, it was also settled by pioneers, so in between pulls on the slot machine, we celebrate it there too.

and it's a BIG deal there. my husband's hometown is normally about 300 people big/small. but for this one weekend it grows to accomadate about 2000 people. there is a rodeo on friday and saturday night, a dance at the firestation on friday night, a skit show and town lunch on saturday, and fireworks down at the square in the evening, you'll never see fireworks this close. many of the original settling families still live there and have their reunions during that week, hence the massive influx of people. if you want to see someone from your past, just show up for pioneer day, they'll be there. you can probably guess by the slideshow and by the size of the town, but this place is country. and i mean Cawn-tree.

i talked the hubs into going to the dance at the fire station and i was not disappointed. the hubs wouldn't let me take my camera up, but let me try to paint a picture for you. the dance floor was the concrete driveway of the station, complete with an oil spot in the dead center. i was the ONLY person wearing a dress. everyone else was wearing wranglers with boots (yes, with stirrups), t-shirts or plaid cowboy shirts tucked into those tight wranglers, and most everyone had either a cowboy hat or a regular baseball cap (worn high on the head). the dance music was an assortment of new country, old country, and dirty rap. which we all know what happens when you cross country with rap... you get crap. the firemen were adament that this was not a bar, so there were signs in various locations stating that alcohol was not permitted. but as the night progressed i was amazed at how skilled these people were, they could country swing while holding two beers in one hand, with more waiting in the back pockets of those super tight jeans.

the hubs and i love to go dancing. in high school i was part of a group of swingers, like swing DANCERS. and in the hubs' town school, square dance was a mandatory class starting in 4th grade, he also went on to learn to country swing. so between the two of us i'd like to think we're pretty damn good dancers. we danced several dances that night and rested on some folding chairs in between. so what were we missing? let see:

cowboys? check

alcohol? check

fights? _____

oh YES! so that's when a fight broke out over a girl and they shut down the dance. the end.

ok, not the end, but the dance was over after the fight. we had great seats for the fight, it happened right next to us, but far enough away that we didn't get hurt. honestly i have to say i was a little shocked by the evening, even though the hubs tried to prepare me. the fight wasn't nearly as shocking as the conduct of the young people. man, i sound old. maybe it's just been too long since we went dancing or clubbing but i was shocked by how vulgar everyone was. there was one couple in particular that i just couldn't get over how nasty they were being, especially the girl. i kept thinking, "where is her mother???" i turned to our cousin and asked who they were, he replied that he didn't know her name, but her mom was sitting right next to him! the mom (who didn't look like she was over 35) then took a 25 year old out to dance in the same way her daughter was. un believable.

other than that, this weekend was probably the most fun we've ever had out there. the kids are surrounded by all of their cousins and they just play, play, play, play, play until they pass out in random places. i was in charge of our family reunion this year, which was a stress i wasn't happy to have, but it turned out perfectly. we served halibut and shrimp to over 50 of our family members. i just love my in laws, i feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have married into such a loving and wonderful family. they are as redneck as you'd expect, but with that comes all the love and laughter you'd expect as well. they're hard-working-give-the-shirt-off-their-back type people. i've learned how to ride four-wheelers, shoot a gun, enjoy a rodeo (there's nothing better than mutton bustin') and demolition derbies, and i've always got a listening ear when it comes to birth stories or mastitis because every member of the family has participating in spring time calving and dealt with udders.

slideshow

can someone please tell me how to post a slideshow directly here? i can't get slideshows or videos to load properly!