my home // dixie

I have a little spot in my heart for Southern Utah. The red rocks, coral sand, cactus, and sagebrush are signs that I am home. We took the trek Easter weekend to see my parents and to introduce Ezra to a few important peeps. Ezra did SO good in the car. Maybe we can chalk it up to him only being 7 weeks old. But I am hoping his mellow demeanor continues. He is just the sweetest babe, doesn’t make a fuss about much. I think we got lucky… fingers crossed.
After being in St. George with mis padres for a couple days, we ventured to Parowan, UT, a little town just north of St. George that hasn’t changed much in… well, forever it seems to me. My Grandma and Grandpa have lived there their whole lives, most years spent in the same house they live in now. It is a place of refuge for me, peace and calm, nothing can compare to the small town feel of Parowan. (I’m talking VERY small town… population 2,827 to be exact). We sat out in the sun on the back lawn… a perfect day for a picnic. I noticed as I was sitting there on the wooden picnic bench, the only sounds I could hear were our own voices, and birds chirping from the bird houses hung by my grandpa. This is starting to sound a little overly nostalgic. But seriously, that’s just how it goes in Parowan. Grandma made her famous deviled eggs and Mom packed a perfect lunch.

The four generation pic was a must. Jeez, I just love these guys.

Okay, this picture captures SOOO much. This is Grandpa’s typical position on any day. He is such a story teller. I love sitting down and listening to the “Adventures of Howard”.

Here he was telling us about a time he took the family on a California road trip down the coast in his camper. Everyone was waving at him as they cruised along… he assumed everyone was just being friendly, turned out he had left his keys in the trunk lock! OK one more. Also told us about a time during the war, he got into a scuffle with a 17 year old Japanese kid, didn’t know he had a black belt in karate, knocked him right out!

Are you getting the picture? Story time is pretty great.
I have always been so fascinated by the knick-knacks and do-dads at G & G’s house. Especially Grandma’s bottle collection. She has a room filled with bottles that she has found out in the desert. She dug each one herself, and each has a story to tell. I remember peeping in this little 20×5 room filled with treasures thinking it was really the most magical place, jam packed with artifacts and pieces of history. My old school… Woodward 6th Grade Center.

My Great Grandma Mary, (the one I was named after), quilted this blanket for my mother when she graduated. This blanket has just been there in the background my whole life, never really paid attention to how gosh darn cute it is until now! (It seems there are a lot of things like that lately… things that have been around my whole life but are starting to appear more valuable as time passes… maybe as I get older. I dunno.)

My childhood friend Tawsha, her husband and little girls came to meet us in St. George. We went to the art festival downtown and her little ones rode the merry-go-round. Could she be any cuter?! I miss these guys. Tawsha, if you are reading this, I MISS YOU! COME TO CALIFORNIA!
Easter Sunday we drove to Snow Canyon… because… well, it’s tradition. It’s just what we do when we go to St. George. I have so many wonderful memories of this place, picnicking on the lawn, (that seemed much bigger when I was small), and playing red rover with the cousins. Crawling around the rocks with G & G Johnson, and venturing out on my own just a little too far. I remember looking past the horizon thinking it was so dangerous where I was and I could be lost at any moment! I would then scurry back to hold Grandpa’s hand.

We just had to bring Ezra on his first jaunt to Snow Canyon, and it won’t be his last.If you have made it here to the end, through my ramblings of childhood, I am shocked. BRAVO! haha. I love taking trips down memory lane, remembering all the good that has made me who I am today. Too cliche? Yes, probably. I am lucky to call beautiful Southern Utah home. See ya later Dixie, hope to see you soon.