When I was little, I got to ride my bike (with about 30 other kids) to start off the 4th of July parade in Layton. My Dad was involved with the parade for a few years so I had an "in". I was so excited getting my bike ready with streamers. After the parade we would go visit my Grandma & Grandpa that lived right by Layton High School. There would be a BBQ there during the day and the whole family would be there. I mean everyone! My Uncles, my Great Aunts & Uncles & all of their families were there eating, playing volleyball, frisby or just sitting around and catching up. The anticipation of the coming fireworks was so great we would be exhausted by 3:00. My Mom would take us home to take a nap and we would fight and cry all the way home about how "untired" we were... and how we wouldn't even be able to sleep... and Grandma would never make us take a nap... and our Mom was the meanest Mom in all of Layton!! (She was pretty proud of that title for many years.) Of course, we were asleep the moment we got into our beds and a couple hours later when we woke up we were on our way back to Grandma's & the excitement started all over again waiting for the fireworks. We all sat in the football field at Layton High School and watched the amazing fireworks!
This didn't vary much from year to year and being at Grandma's & watching the fireworks in Layton goes back to my earliest memories. I'm not sure if they always had the booths in Layton Park or if we just didn't start going until a little later but soon that became part of the tradition as well. The Baptists started making an amazing BBQ to sell there & that became part of the tradition. (If you haven't tried it you have GOT to try it next year!)
My Grandma passed away, my Grandpa moved away, I don't see all of my Great Aunts & Uncles anymore except at family reunions or if someone gets baptized. An amphitheater was built (which my Dad actually helped create), I got married & so did my Brother & Sister, we all have children of our own.
Today I watched my girls in the Kaysville Parade. We ate lunch and my kids fought me all the way home about taking a nap. Turns out... I'm the meanest Mom in Kaysville! After a 2 hour (much needed) nap we got everyone up and went straight over to Layton Park. After we had so much cotton candy, slushies & junk food we thought we might explode we walked our kids with their freshly painted faces straight over to the Layton Amphitheater. There we met my Mom & Dad, my Uncles & their families, my Brother & Sister and their families. What used to take up 3 blankets on the football field at Layton Park now takes up the whole middle section of the upper Amphitheater! It's not planned out... we all just find each other there, year after year.
The symphony played, the fireworks started and I'm holding my daughters & son. I'm looking at them and the family around me and I'm missing my Grandma. I look at my children in the different stages of their life and I can remember doing those same things, during each of those stages, in this same place watching the fireworks. I feel like that just happened. I feel like I was just barely the two year old in awe of the glitter & sparkle in the sky. I feel like I was just barely the four year old that still wants to bounce from Mom to Dad and finally to Grandma's lap to watch the excitement. I feel like I was just barely the 6 year old that watched the fireworks intently because I didn't want to peel my eyes away and miss something. I feel like I was just barely the 9 year old who wanted to go sit with her friends instead of her family... I mean how uncool is sitting with family?
For 30 minutes of fireworks every year in Layton park time stands still. It's the only time & place where my past is mingled with my present and where some memories linger and new memories are made. Each year at that place, during that time, another stage of my life is marked.
I'm watching my children and I know the memories they will have of this magical place where Grandma's live forever, where family always unites and I know that every year a stage of their life is being marked in that same place.
This didn't vary much from year to year and being at Grandma's & watching the fireworks in Layton goes back to my earliest memories. I'm not sure if they always had the booths in Layton Park or if we just didn't start going until a little later but soon that became part of the tradition as well. The Baptists started making an amazing BBQ to sell there & that became part of the tradition. (If you haven't tried it you have GOT to try it next year!)
My Grandma passed away, my Grandpa moved away, I don't see all of my Great Aunts & Uncles anymore except at family reunions or if someone gets baptized. An amphitheater was built (which my Dad actually helped create), I got married & so did my Brother & Sister, we all have children of our own.
Today I watched my girls in the Kaysville Parade. We ate lunch and my kids fought me all the way home about taking a nap. Turns out... I'm the meanest Mom in Kaysville! After a 2 hour (much needed) nap we got everyone up and went straight over to Layton Park. After we had so much cotton candy, slushies & junk food we thought we might explode we walked our kids with their freshly painted faces straight over to the Layton Amphitheater. There we met my Mom & Dad, my Uncles & their families, my Brother & Sister and their families. What used to take up 3 blankets on the football field at Layton Park now takes up the whole middle section of the upper Amphitheater! It's not planned out... we all just find each other there, year after year.
The symphony played, the fireworks started and I'm holding my daughters & son. I'm looking at them and the family around me and I'm missing my Grandma. I look at my children in the different stages of their life and I can remember doing those same things, during each of those stages, in this same place watching the fireworks. I feel like that just happened. I feel like I was just barely the two year old in awe of the glitter & sparkle in the sky. I feel like I was just barely the four year old that still wants to bounce from Mom to Dad and finally to Grandma's lap to watch the excitement. I feel like I was just barely the 6 year old that watched the fireworks intently because I didn't want to peel my eyes away and miss something. I feel like I was just barely the 9 year old who wanted to go sit with her friends instead of her family... I mean how uncool is sitting with family?
For 30 minutes of fireworks every year in Layton park time stands still. It's the only time & place where my past is mingled with my present and where some memories linger and new memories are made. Each year at that place, during that time, another stage of my life is marked.
I'm watching my children and I know the memories they will have of this magical place where Grandma's live forever, where family always unites and I know that every year a stage of their life is being marked in that same place.
Wow - thanks for that! Dad and I are all emotional now!
ReplyDeleteSo where did your other posts go? Now your blog is only showing the first two...
ReplyDelete