Day 5

This is a sign for Teton Valley.  I spent a lot of weeks and weekends there, when I was growing up.  My grandma lives in Teton Valley, and I am thoroughly convinced that the state of Idaho has some of the most beautiful scenery in the entire world. Not just in the Teton Valley, but all over the place. 

I remember the second time I ever went skiing was here.  I remember growing up and being too young to go skiing and spending long days alone with my mom and grandma, while the rest of the family would go skiing. I remember one year when my sister stayed home to, and asking "How do you know Darth Vader likes cookies?"  She was really confused, and then I said, "Because he says it all the time.  Coo-kie, coo-kie, coo-kie." Oddly enough I got that joke from the girl mentioned in last post.

I remember magnetic marbles, they were the coolest toys my grandma ever had.  And it was so exciting to make patterns with them.  I remember all the books she had, and just loving to go there and sit back and read.  I remember the worst stomach ache of my life happened there, I woke up crying, because it hurt so badly, and I remember getting to sleep in the loft that night.  I remember I got extremely dehydrated once, and was so proud that I only had to go to the bathroom twice in one day (I was about 5), and my grandma got really worried about me.

I remember watching hot air balloons take off on the fourth of July at 4 in the morning. I remember that my dad once drove me into town nine miles just so I could see the fireworks, and neither of us really enjoyed the show, so we drove back.  I remember trying to be the first in the car to see Grammy's cabin, and straining my eyes the whole way.  I remember watching Clue and Mystery Men at young impressionable ages, and having nightmares because of Clue (a movie, which I now absolutely love).  I remember Grammy taking just me out to go sledding, and spending that time together.

I remember catching my first fish, and eating it. It tasted so good, but I'm pretty sure that was the taste of pride. I remember spending a week there by myself and being told I was so much like my dad, and relishing in the compliment.  I remember making a piece of wood in kindergarten.  It was really just a piece of wood that i had colored with a marker and stuck stickers on, and I presented it to Grammy, quivering with pride at how much of handy man I was.  I remember seeing it again in her study, years later and realizing what a piece of junk it was, while simultaneously being flattered that she had kept it for so long.

I remember waking up early in the morning to sit next to the wood-stove because it was so cold in her house.  I remember sleeping in the storage room because there was nowhere else for me to go, and wondering what one single woman could do with that much food.

So that was me being extremely sentimental.  I could have gone for pages, but I feel like I probably have put you to sleep by this point.