Utah

In-between business trips to Los Angeles and Seattle, I stopped over in Utah - mostly in Orem and Provo - for the weekend.  My mother and brother were running in a half-marathon race.  In addition, my wife and kids were there, as she performed with the Time Out for Women tour in Idaho.  Lots of reasons to visit for just over 48 hours ; )

Early Saturday morning, the Utah County Half Marathon was held.  The race started several miles up into Provo Canyon - a gorgeous setting for a race.  I was so proud of my Mom and brother, as they both finished the race under their goal time.

Go little brother!

Go Mom!

A little video clip of Mom nearing the finish line.  My younger sister jumped in to run with her for the last mile:

It was a joy to watch people achieve their goals, especially after all the hard work they put into training.  My little brother's time was almost exactly 2 hours.  I can't imagine doing that ; )

After that, we spent time with my wife's family at the Orem Summerfest.  This is an annual celebration with a parade, fireworks, and a carnival downtown.  The kids got to spend time on rides...of course:

G-Man and his cousins

Baby L rests from the sun - you can't see her shining red hair underneath the hat

That afternoon, we made our regular pilgrimage to Deseret Book - one of our favorite Utah destinations. We managed to pick up some inspirational books, CDs and DVDs.  Now that my wife is an "author" for this book company, we get her discount.  What a treat!

After dinner, we raced over to see the Orem Summerfest Parade.  This is a perfect example of a small-town parade - small high school marching bands, local retailers and Miss This City and Miss That City.  The city royalty all road on floats, representing the best that their respective city had to offer.  Note:  I have to treat this subject with a great deal of respect, as my wife was Miss Orem 1992.

Some shots from the parade (note the incredible backdrop to the whole thing - the Wasatch Mountains):

G-Man relaxes while watching the parade

Here are a few clips from the parade itself.  I particularly loved the cheers from the crowd when my alma mater's mascot (Cosmo the Cougar) make his way down the street:

And finally, a float in a parade that could only happen in Utah.  This was created by the Orem Institute of Religion (a Church-sponsored learning center that is placed near most major colleges in the U.S., for students to attend spiritually inspiring classes and learn more about scriptures).  The theme is "Hold On To the Iron Rod", depicting a vision in the Book of Mormon that teaches us to stay on the straight-and-narrow path:

It was a blast. Very patriotic and just the right amount of small-town America.  That's it for now - on to Seattle to spend another week away from home : (