Benefits of living in Utah

I have been pondering the lack of snow recently and have been torn. I have very much enjoyed the snow-free commute and snow-free blustery days of winter. However, I very much am aware of the danger of drought if we don't receive enough moisture. Needless to say I was excited to see the rain yesterday. We got the moisture without the snow!! I could live every winter in Utah like that! But then, when I was at the gym last night, I looked out the windows and saw that the rain had turned to snow. After just 45 minutes in the gym, my car had about a quarter inch of snow gathered. My dreams of a snow-free commute have to be put back on the shelf...

Regarding the title of this post, I have started teaching Utah History at school. We started out by talking about the good things about Utah--and they aren't few. I think the residents take advantage of the great things about Utah and bemoan the fact that there's "nothing to do." But people come here from all over the world to enjoy our backyard. So, I have two positives about Utah this week. (and they may be a stretch...but oh well!)

*Utah Grizzlies games. I mentioned before that Mike and I got a "Pass of All Passes" that allows us to enjoy several venues of entertainment in the Utah and Salt Lake Counties. One such form of entertainment is the local hockey team in Salt Lake. Mike and I went with Jeremy and Erin for free! When we got there, our seats were taken by another family. Is it just me, or is that a very dreaded conversation!?! Who knew it could turn out to be a GOOD thing? The family had been on the third row, right next to the visiting team's "box(?)" and had decided to move back...and wanted to switch with us! That means we got to see the squished faces of the players when shoved against the glass! We were THAT close! Jeremy was sure the puck had his name on it and was coming straight for him...several times. We also got to hear the season pass-hecklers the whole game. At first it was annoying, but as time went on, and they got more drunk, it got more entertaining: "Fight! Fight! Fight!.... For America!!!" Speaking of fighting, the refs were, unfortunately, on their toes and stopping fights before they began; all but once. And the one fight was a sore loser sucker punch from behind. Lame. In the end, we enjoyed the game, our seats, the hecklers, and the win (further affirmation that we are good luck for any team because we have never been to a sporting event when the team has lost, and baseball doesn't count because we rarely are there for the whole game).

*Celebrity sightings. I have mentioned Kid History (look it up on YouTube) in the past, and just recently found an excuse to show it to my kids at school (you know, demonstrating how the story can change, based on who is telling it). Well, Mike and I were at Shakey's (a local pizzeria--not as good as Pizza Pie Cafe), when all of a sudden I see the main guy from Kid History (the taller, skinnier one)! I was near the dessert, waiting for an Oreo Cookie pizza and looked over at the salad bar and recognized him instantly. Mike was sitting down, but I just HAD to tell him! So I texted him... (I couldn't get out of the dessert line because there was another lady who was planning on getting two plates full for her and her family). Mike took FORever to view his text (he was watching some football game...psh!) and finally turned around to look. BUT looked in the wrong direction! So I called out his name, and failingly tried to subtly point/throw my head in the direction of the guy...and he finally notices. It's so weird when you see someone "famous"...what are you going to do? Especially at a restaurant!?! We did go over and ask for a picture...but we didn't notice that it didn't save on the camera (which is ok because we don't even have a way to hook the phone up to the computer to save/share the picture). It's memorable for us, even if he's already forgotten about it!

Oh, and by the way, I am finally going to get my pottery back soon (I signed up for February) so be looking for pictures of my newest pieces soon!