Crunching Metal and Family

The sound of crushing metal, cheers and jeers from the crowd, the revving of engines, smell of exhaust, sparks flying in engines, someone with bizarre dance moves winning 1 of 3 during a dance contest, 72 ounce carbonated beverages, cheering for the underdog, cheering for the winner, waiting for the next big ‘crash’ to make the crowd go wild, sense of community, mud flying toward the bleachers, shouting ‘did you see that’ after every hit….these are just some of the thing I love about demolition derbies!

This past weekend, I got to share it with my family…but not just with my parents and brothers…oh no, my aunts, uncles, cousins, cousin in-laws, best friends from college, cousins’ babies and maybe a dog….just kidding, no dog. This past weekend, I went up to Logan, where my family was visiting Grandma and Grandpa Blau.

Mom, Dad and I went ‘into town’ to see the opera, Aida. The performance was absolutely amazing. I was very impressed with the lead actress that played Aida. The music was moving and the set design was very innovative. Costuming was very colorful, yet didn’t take away from the overall dramatic appeal. Though the singing was incredible, I felt that Amneris, who tries to thwart the love between Aida and Radames, displayed an uneasy edginess that threw me off a little bit. Though proclaiming that her love for Radames (main warrior character that both Amneris and Aida love) was pure, and though the words hinted that she really was in love with him, I couldn’t help but feel that she lacked sincerity. The uneasy feeling, whether it was her voice or her acting ability, did not seem to tug on that heart string of mine that says ‘yes, she really and truly is genuinely in love with him.’ Perhaps it was scripted that way to drive a wedge between the audience and her character, so that the other love scenes and exchanges between the main characters remained more powerful, engaging and meaningful.

Aida’s voice was amazing and she had this look in her eyes every time she sang with or about Radames. I was entirely captivated by every exchange she had with her love and fully believed that she would do anything to be with her one and only. She had warmth, humor, seriousness and overall a sense of love of family and for her lover. All in her eyes…it was awesome!
The next day, I convinced my family to go to the Farmer’s Market in Logan. I was unaware that it was a Gardner’s Market….:) My dad said, “This isn’t a farmers/gardner market. This is a craft fair.” Oh, how my mom and I deceived him!! Mom and I had fun walking around talking about all the things there that we said we could make, but really couldn’t ever make! There were some pretty innovative things there, like this bowl that could twist around and around. It had dirt in it from Snow Canyon and you could make designs in it…very healing for creative minds. I should come up with slogans…

Then we all went back to he grandparents house and had dinner with them and a whole bunch of my other family members. Cousins, and cousins kids, and yes….a dog. It was so fun to be with so much family. It really makes me wonder if I should stop considering getting out of Utah, which I contemplate at least once a month.

My mom asked me if she moved here, would I pay attention to her the way I do when she visits. It is a good question. I would love to, but what makes the present circumstance so awesome is that I do put everything else on hold while she is in town. And I don’t mind doing it. It isn’t a burden. BUT it would be so fun to have her here….would save on the phone bill too, that’s for sure.

The evening ended with a demolition derby.


Ah…Logan. The whole time, I kept saying how much I love it there. The memories just added to the wonderful time I was having. It is good to be with a family I love so much…even when they tease me about being single…I’ll take ‘em.