August 7th: 36 years!!!

Happy Anniversary to US!!! Thirty-six years ago at 9:30am we were married by Neal Maxwell in the Salt Lake Temple.  Thirty-six years later we’re wrangling grandkids, caring for aging parents, still trying to learn the rules of parenting AND celebrating the final day of FAIR DAYS here in the beautiful Heber Valley.

This morning we went to the Heber Valley Junion Livestock auction to buy ourselves some beef and pork and lamb raised by the 4H and FFA kids in our valley.  It was enough to restore faith in future of America in the worst cynic on the planet.  Made me cry, watching these kids present the animals they’d raised and prepped for auction.  They’d worked hard and it showed.  And we weren’t just buying a cow and a hog and a lamb.  We were buying school clothes and personal computers and  future college educations.  When you support these young people they thank you personally with a basket of goodies, a warm handshake and a plaque acknowledging the support of their efforts.

Later came the parade which in the olden days (when we first moved to the valley) was held on Friday AND Saturday and went UP one side of Main St. and DOWN the other.  Our hang out is in front of the Dairy Keen, Home of the Train Burger.  I believe every McDonalds in the world really wished it was Dairy Keen.  It’s that great…at least to us.

But the highlight of Fair Days comes AFTER the parade:  The MOUNTAIN VALLEY STAMPEDE RODEO, held (I choose to believe in Honor of our Anniversary) in the Brand Spankin’ New Rodeo Arena complete with a magnificent JUMBO TRON.  This is big time cool, and anybody who’s wearing cowboy boots and a big buckle knows what I’m talkin’ about.  Even though Bucky’s still not sure why the bulls are so mad or why the cowboys tie up those little calves, when the evening is over and we sing Happy Trails To You along with Roy Rogers it’s a pretty darn magical evening.

And did I mention fireworks.  VERY COOL having FIREWORKS on your Anniversary.  But coolest of all:  I’ve been married to Lynne Louise Egginton  every single M2B:) moment for 36 years.  Me.  She married me.  The girl no one really believes they’ll ever find….is mine.  Wow! Could there be anything greater than that?