Thursday, July 23, 2009

I Might Be A Redneck

I'll admit it. I love the rodeo. What's not to love?


The sights,sounds(smells)and pretty much the overall feeling there is such a vivid memory from my childhood. I love watching the skydivers jump into the stadium. I always get chills when the last guy comes in with the huge American Flag.
When I was really little my Dad was one of those skydivers. Then in later years, he was the pilot of the plane that dropped the "jumpers". I remember going up in the plane with him one year. They took the back door off the plane to make the exit easier. We circled around then dropped the jumpers. Once they were safely on the ground we would swoop down and fly REALLY low over the stadium and tip the wing to say hello. (My Dad made me bring an empty wonder bread bag with me just in case. But I never threw up.)

The rodeo was always a "family thing" for us. I don't think we ever went to the rodeo without salt-water taffy and coke. And although we weren't drinkers, in my mind I can still hear the guy yelling "Ice, cold beer!" as he climbed the bleachers.

This year my parents invited us all (13 adults and 16 kids) to relive the good ol' days and join them at the Ogden Pioneer Days Rodeo. Not everyone took them up on it. Only the smart ones. And It.was.awesome. The stadium is surrounded by huge trees and you can see the mountains in the not-so-distant distance. It was so much fun to share my childhood memories with my own kids. They had a great time. We cheered and hollered for the riders. We laughed like crazy people at the rodeo clown. And we ate things we probably shouldn't have...like licorice and popcorn and candy and navajo tacos. Oh, and there was also cotton candy. Lots of cotton candy.
Who doesn't love cotton candy?

(Sadly, I forgot to bring the salt water taffy. I guess I'll just have to go again!)

12 comments:

Chelle said...

That was fun. Really hot, but very fun!

Vennesa said...

I don't remember sweating that much when we were little. But I told Brett we needed licorice and salt water taffy. And weren't you always a little afraid you'd drop something under the bleachers never to be found again?

Me (aka Danielle) said...

Such great memories! We have tickets for tomorrow night! I'm stoked!

Jacque said...

I was happy not to have dropped Livy down the bleachers. It was a good time though, despite the heat. Cute pictures.

mCat said...

I freakin LOVE rodeos! And I was reading that Ogden did a fantastic one last night with the memoriam to the soldier.

Awesome!!

tammy said...

How cool is that about your Dad?

I miss UT rodeos. And celebrating the 24th UT style.

Just SO said...

I love the rodeo and so do my kids. Sadly we have not been able to go for the last few years. *sigh* Mmmmm...cotton candy....

tiburon said...

I have never been to a rodeo...

If there is cotton candy - I might be allllll over it!

Vanessa said...

TIB?!?! WHAT?? We need to put an end to that!!

I might just be a closet red neck. SSHH, don't tell anyone. I may or may not have been attracted to the cute cowboys from the small UT towns while attending SUU (Oak City boys...hmmmm)

I love me a good rodeo...sadly we didn't make it to the SF one this year. But never fear, we will be heading to Nephi for the Demolition Derby in a couple weeks. You can't get more red neck than that!

veronica said...

I LOVE me a good demolition derby! There's one in Hooper every year. It just MIGHT be the first place I held my husbands hand.....

Sher said...

C and I used to go to the rodeo all the time, but we haven't been in years. We should take our kids!

Omgirl said...

I have lived in Utah for over a decade now and I still have never been to a rodeo. Can you beleive it? I guess I should go...you make it sound really fun!