Sunday, July 5, 2009

4th of July

I have enjoyed a beautiful 4th of July weekend in Salt Lake City. I started off by arriving Friday afternoon and taking a nap. Friday morning, a holiday, I met my group at swim practice at 6am and then did Saturday's workout on Friday: an over 2 hour bike ride and 40 minute run.

But then on the plane I could relax. I then went over to visit my uncle and cousins.

Saturday, I actually shopped, which is not one of my favorite activities, but I love the Gateway in downtown Salt Lake. It is an outdoor shopping mall complete with fountains and a theater. Saturday evening I went to my aunt's house in Magna and saw all my mom's side of the family. I ate too much and made myself sick, but that's the way it should be...consuming too much picnic food and cake and ice cream. I then went over to my uncle's house where my cousin light off fireworks in the street. Coming from the heat of the unbearable desert, Utah is a welcomed reprieve.

I also went to Park City and enjoyed a beautiful arts festival and all the lovely outdoors people Utah brings.

My grandmother suffers from Alzheimer's and is very forgetful, but also very mean. I don't think there is a filter from her brain to her mouth now. So I have endured a weekend of "What's wrong with you? Why can't you get a man?" "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you married?" My grandfather asked "Have you been in the paper lately?" I said no, and my grandmother yelled "Why? What's wrong with you?" It's like a broken record. I usually take her out shopping, but I just can't handle it anymore. I left to go running at Brighton High School, one of my favorite places to run, as it has a view of all of Salt Lake, just to get away from the house. My grandfather can't hear, so everything has to be yelled and repeated and repeated. Ohhh, growing older must be hard.