Swiss Miss

March was truly one of the busiest months for me that I can remember in a long time. I've had busy days, busy weeks, but a busy month? This is one fool who is glad that it's April 1st.

One of the biggest contributing factors to my busy-ness was a little thing called the Swiss Miss Pageant. The first settlers of Midway were Swiss immigrants, and their descendants are mighty proud of that fact. Many of the houses here (including the one I live in) are based on Swiss-themed architecture. The bell tower at the local resort plays Edelweiss* at 4:00 every day in the summer. We also have Swiss Days, a two-day festival before Labor Day that causes the entire state of Utah to descend upon our tiny town. And every year in March, there's the Swiss Miss Pageant. Local girls, age 9-13 can try out, and if so crowned, five of them become Midway's ambassadors for the year. My daughter was so crowned. And my year just got a whole lot busier.

But I am bursting at the seams for this kid. She's a good one. She came home two months ago and said, "I think I want to try out for Swiss Miss." I am sooooo NOT a pageant person. But she dedicated herself to it, practiced a piano piece for the talent number, and kept a positive attitude the entire time. The day after winning the pageant, trophy in hand, she said, "I'm a little nervous about seeing my friends at church. I don't want them to feel bad because they didn't get in." I told her that as long as she left the trophy at home, I didn't think she had anything to worry about.

Three days after winning the pageant, she played an original composition on the piano at her great-grandmother's funeral. I had the vantage point of being able to see everybody's faces as she played. There are times when I have been proud of her, but that one takes the cake.

Five days after winning the pageant, she brought home a straight-A report card.

I know. I know. Nobody likes to hear someone go on and on about how wonderful their children are. But sometimes, a mom's gotta brag.

*Yes, I am aware that Edelweiss is the AUSTRIAN national flower (but nobody in Midway seems to care).

The Most Expensive Bag of Spinach Ever

Yesterday I wanted to make a stromboli for dinner, but I was short one bag of frozen spinach. I decided I would pick up my daughter at the bus stop and then make a quick trip to The Store for the spinach. It ended up costing me $162.00.

We've all established that I love where I live. We make Norman Rockwell's paintings look like they were done in downtown Beirut. Well, almost.

Yesterday, my daughter and I were the victims of a drive-by shooting. I was doing the driving, should you have any question. We were driving along the road, behind the town square, when I heard and felt a loud pop. It sounded like something had hit the side of my car. When I turned to look back, the rear passenger window was completely shattered, held together only by the tinting film. The tell-tale BB gun bullet hole was easily noticeable. My daughter, thankfully was sitting in the rear driver's side seat; she pulled a few shards of glass from her wool ski cap.

Not cool.

Knowing that the glass wouldn't hold long against the rain and the snow, I bee-lined it for the glass repair shop. The whole window fell out as soon I parked. The lady behind the computer looked up the proper window and said "I can get you one for $160.00. Do you want me to order it?"

As the rain blew into my car's backseat, I wanted to say, "Nooooo. I think I'll shop around." So they covered it with plastic and the window will be here tomorrow.

When I got home, I called the Sheriff's Department, wanting to report that I was the victim of a shooting. Honestly, I know nothing can be done, but if it happened again, they would at least have someone else on record as well. When I stated what happened, the person taking my call asked, "Did you see who did it?"

Unfortunately I hadn't, as I was busy making sure my daughter wasn't BLEEDING TO DEATH.

"Well, sometimes windows tend to crack on their own," he suggested.

Yes, they crack on their own WHEN hit by a BB gun.

Bag of spinach: $2.oo
New window: $160.00
Having a great story to tell: priceless.

I'm From Wasatch County

It snowed really hard last night. It was flying in sideways. The wind blew to the point of stinging your face. And yet.

And yet, 1200 people gathered together at our local high school for a benefit dinner and auction. The reason? To raise funds for a local boy who, in a freak accident, broke his neck during wrestling practice. The people of this community are taking what could be a very devastating tragedy and turning it into a miracle.

My daughter proudly wore this shirt to school today. He is known to his friends as "Super Dale" and within a day or two of the accident, these t-shirts started popping up all over town. Another thing you can find all over town, or rather, at every cash register in town, are collection jars, filling to the brim. It's not uncommon to see them stuffed with twenty and fifty-dollar bills.

At the dinner last night, the people came in parkas, but instantly warmed the atmosphere with their smiles, generosity, and general good cheer. They brought their kids and grandparents, neighbors and friends. The food was 100% donated by the local Zermatt Resort - and they even sent all of their executives to serve it. Never has fetuccini tasted so good.

As we moved into the auditorium for the auction, Dale's mother said a few tearful words, bringing the rest of us to tears. I couldn't help but feel gratitude for my two children, bouncing in their seats, as her son lay in a hospital bed, motionless. As the auction began, I was amazed at the goods that had been donated: power tools, flat screen televisions, hand-made furniture, river rafting trips, and the mother of all prizes: a forty-five-dollar cow elk hunting tag that went for six-hundred dollars. Hunting is big here.

So are the hearts.

I love where I live. And this is why.

Say What?

The house next to ours is a vacation rental, which fills up with all kinds of people. In the winter we get ski bums and ski bunnies, all of whom seem to be disappointed that the house lacks a hot tub and a beer tap. The rest of the year we get golfers whose clubs cost more than my car. Yesterday, our newest temporary neighbor knocked on my door, introduced herself and told me they were holding a family reunion for the weekend. She asked about some of the local flavor, then asked if I lived in my house full-time. She gave me a weird look when I told her that I owned a small island off the coast of Greece, but due to the recent political turmoil there, I hadn't been able to visit this summer.

She then asked me something that I've never been asked by a stranger before. With pad and pen at the ready, she said, "Do you have wireless internet and if so, could I get your security code so that we can have internet access while we're here?"

I have to admit, I lied. There's a reason I have a security code.

Besides, if you're on vacation, unplug!

Community, Continued

There's this awesome little store that recently opened in Midway, called simply enough, The Store. It is the first and only grocery store in Midway, despite the fact that there are two larger supermarkets in Heber. And being the only grocery store in Midway, I never go there without seeing someone I know. The Store sells your typical daily-type groceries but they also have many specialty items. My favorite part is the bakery.

They have bismarcks. Bismarcks have always been and shall forever remain my favorite doughnut. Custard on the inside, chocolate icing on the outside. What's not to love? And these bismarcks are the best I've ever tried. Yesterday I stopped in for one. But perhaps it was one too many, because Jessica, the girl behind the counter, said, "Why do I even ask you what you want? I'm just going to start calling you the bismarck lady."

I guess I could be called be worse.

Community

Excuse me, while I have a Norman Rockwell moment.

I love where I live. Have I mentioned that before? It's a small community nestled in the mountains. It's a tale of two towns: Heber City and Midway. Think Dallas/Fort Worth, only without the traffic. Or the buildings. Or all the people.

The people who do live here are exceptional. Tonight my daughter and I went to the local production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." It was presented in-the-round, which was perfect for our town, and here's why: I had a perfect view of EVERYONE. Both on the stage and in the audience, I saw: kids I taught last year, kids I teach this year; children I teach at church. People I work with, people I go to church with, and of course, friends.

There is much to be said for community. To see people and feel connected; to feel as happy about running into someone as they are to be running into you. In this age of personal devices, and i-thisses and i-thats, what a treasure it is to do some real life, face-to-face social networking.

Even better, set to music.

On our way out, my daughter was reading the back of the playbill and asked, "can I try out for the next one?" How can I say no?