I Should Have Worn Waterproof Mascara or Summerfest

Okay, so you already know that we started Saturday morning in a tent. I'm going to add here (not a complaint but simply a fact) that Tyler told me today that when he took the tent down, he saw that I had been sleeping on an irrigation pipe (the kind where you turn the water off and on). Is it any wonder that I didn't sleep well? But, camping is old news, let's get into the rest of that crazy day.

See, I really wanted to go to Summerfest. I like to let the girls go on rides and I love the booths. Tyler may have blackmailed me by saying that if I did not accept camping graciously, there would be no Summerfest for me. I'm sure he didn't mean that...maybe. I had it all planned out as we left the canyon. We would take the kids home, bathe them, let the baby nap, and feed them lunch before we left (because hungry kids = no cash left at the end of the trip). Everything was working out according to plan.

Shortly after noon, we arrived at Summerfest. Each child was allowed to choose one ride. June chose the carousel and I told Tyler to take the kids while I stood in the long ferris wheel line. He even did a great job taking pictures.



They joined me a short time later and we were making good progress toward the wheel.

Then we started watching the skies.

It was such an awesome sight to behold, I'm not really sure how to describe it. You could see the clouds rolling in. It was like watching a documentary where they speed the film up, except this was no film. The clouds were moving so quickly, you could see the ends curl out of the way as the the mass of gray proceeded. This picture does not do the scene justice. Look where the clouds are touching the mountains; now imagine the clouds swallowing the mountains before your very eyes. There were also banks rolling in above us but we didn't get those.



We also noticed that the ride guy had stopped putting people on the ride. This was very annoying as we were only five or six people back from the front. He finally turned and explained that he would open the ride again after the storm passed. What storm?? It was only a massive bank of gray clouds.

We tried another ride but they were closing up shop too. Then the first few drops plopped around us. Gradually they came quicker and Tyler suggested that we go back to the car and wait it out. We shoveled all four kids into the stroller (thank goodness we took the kidaroo which protects them from the elements) and we headed toward the car. We only made it about twenty feet before the deluge began. It was like a monsoon out there. We were instantly soaked. We made it to the intersection but it wasn't our turn to cross so we just looked at each other and laughed as rain poured down around us.

The wind was whipping really good now and I looked over to see a gargantuan tarp come loose from the ground and land partly over a car in the right hand lane. It was a tarp that was left there by people hoping to see the parade later, and I think it must have been a 30x30. I didn't even think and I just ran and started pulling it off the car and back onto the grass. Several other people joined in but even with five of us, it wasn't going very far because the wind was picking it up like a sail and dragging us back into the street. I told everybody to keep it as low as possible and pull it across the ground so the wind couldn't grab it. (Imagine me yelling this over the chaos.) Tyler wanted to help, but I told him I would meet him at the car because he had the stroller full of kids. Finally it was just me and this guy pulling the tarp back while hail stung my arms and the wind whipped around us. He lost his ring somewhere in the tarp but found it shortly afterward while I continued to drag the tarp under a nearby tree hoping that would be enough shelter from the wind.

Finally I had done the best I could and I could see the walk signal down at the intersection. I yelled a thank you and went splashing away. My jeans were soaked and heavy and I ran in my flip flops through gigantic puddles, but who cared...there wasn't an inch on me that was dry anymore. Tyler had the kids in the car and he was stowing the last of the gear. We laughed as we jumped in the car, drenched beyond belief. The kids fared pretty well, they were a bit shaken up, but surprisingly dry.

And so we headed home after having gone on ONE ride. But this is Utah...you only have to wait a little while for the weather to do something completely different. We went home, changed out of our wet attire (even my underwear was soaked) put two down for a nap and curled up to watch a movie with the older kids. By the time the movie finished, the other two were starting to wake, the sun was shining and we decided not to waste all those damp ride tickets we still had in our pockets.

Back to Summerfest we went. We bought a pizza on the way and called it dinner (because $5 buck pizza is cheaper than anything you'll see there) and we hit some more rides.



Daisy hung out with me (I don't think I actually got on a ride this year).



I really kept her happy by feeding her graham crackers non-stop. Can you see the chipmunk cheeks?



We did splurge on a Jamba Juice or two, but I always forget that Ivory is really susceptible to brain freezes. I think she got at least 14. It is such a battle for her because she wants the drink so much, but it hurts her. Sip, cry, repeat; that is how it goes.

Then we finally had a chance to check out the booths. I saw some cute stuff, but in the end, my girls are just like me. They are face painting junkies.



I actually opted for a hair extension. It is just one strand of blue hair that will last 4-6 weeks. I didn't play dress up a lot as a girl, so I am making up for lost time.

Then we headed back for the car but the parade was going by then, so we stopped and watched it for a while. However, at the first drop of rain, I was no fool and I got every kid in the car in a flash. Good thing too, because the night decided to end in rain. Mother Nature certainly could not decide which way to go on Saturday; although regardless she put on a dazzling display.



As it was, we still got home around nine (past little ones' bed times) and went about tucking kids into bed. I let the girls sleep in their paint and even wear it to church today (hee hee), because why not? It isn't going to last forever. Plus, I always tell them they have to look nice for church and as you can tell from the pictures...they know they were looking nice.

And you would think that would be the end of the day, but I actually had not done the grocery shopping and we were out of some key ingredients, so I did the 10pm shopping trip. Seriously—Longest. Day. Ever. It seemed like we had gone camping years ago, when in fact it was only that morning.

Whew...so there you have it. I wonder how many of you made it through this narrative. What can I say? Long day = long post.