For the second year in a row, we attended the Evergreen State Fair in the town of Monroe (the town where I was born).This year, we went with Marta AND Ivan.
We watched race cars zooming round the track, listened to a small group of guitarists and fiddlers singing some religious tunes, and squealed at the brand new little baby pigs.
I met a woman who was there with her 8 kids, the youngest of which were twin girls. They looked just like Marta and me when we were little--short blond hair, big blue eyes. They were running around their big brothers and sisters. Her oldest son was shearing a sheep and I had the impression that they were involved in 4H, lived on a small farm, and had an admirable sense of responsibility and independence. I hope someday we can live on some land and our kids can collect eggs from the chicken coop or even shear a sheep--we'll see : )The best part of our fair day was driving with Adam and the kids back to the house where I lived between the ages of 2 and 6. 20 years ago, when the front lawn was dirt and grass seed, Marta and I were running around that yard in diapers. Now, I was standing on the grass with my own little ones. We ran around the yard. I was so excited to see my old house, yard, and the neighboring fields and woods. Everything looked smaller. Somethings were different--there was garage that hadn't been there before, and the chicken coop was no longer standing. We ventured into the overgrown path that used to connect our yard with our neighbor's yard. We saw two people on their property. Sure enough, it was the mother of my best friend when I was a preschooler, walking around with her daughter. Adam hollered over, "Excuse me, did you know the Richardsons? I'm married to one of the twins." She said, "You must mean Kari or Marta." Adam said, "You remember them?" She replied with a smile, "How could we forget Kari and Marta."
When we drove home, I told Adam that I could not believe we were only 2 hours away from our home on Chain Lake Road. It seemed like it should be 20 years away.
Attending the Evergreen State Fair with my family is such a treat. It reminds me of the days when I was Michael's age visiting the same fairgrounds with my mom, dad, brothers, and sisters.
What a wonderful post. So full of detail and feeling. The fair looks like so much fun. We've wanted to get chickens too. :) I love that you visited the place you used to live! That's an amazing experience. It really feels like so long ago, but at the same time, you can't believe it's so long ago, and that you're totally grown now with little ones of your own. I visited two of my old homes this year, and had similar experiences. Except without the coolest ever bonus of meeting neighbors who remember you and love you. :) How fun is that? But honestly, Adam will back me up on this one: Who could ever forget Kari after meeting her? Not likely. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad that you read the post and enjoyed the extra detail. I am so constantly debating in my mind whether or not to keep the blog going. I like it, but I also wonder about sharing so much info, especially family photos, with the whole world potentially. Got an opinion on that?
ReplyDeleteIt was a lot of fun to see our old house, but the best part wasn't even that. It was seeing the neighbors. It still such a delight to remember. Unforgettable.
If you have the time, my vote is to keep the blog going: we love it! And no, I don't think you write too much. It made me want to go back home to Monroe, Utah where I grew up. The pictures are classic and so fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat great memories. I can't believe they were there on the day you visited too. Cool.
ReplyDeleteI want to go to that fair. Do they have show cattle there? Rob is very interested. It's fun living on a farm. Our kids might not have chickens, but they can at least feed calves.
Also, Marta and Ivan look like rockstars.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this post Kari! I always enjoy your writing.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you are enjoying it--okay, that gives me motivation to keep at it.
ReplyDeleteMary--Marta and Ivan are total rockstars!