Park City

Park city,the arrival.Upon leaving the airport we headed directly to Park City.park city tends to be the more upscale ritzier part of Utah. Annie's parents (Gayle,Spencer) Rented a condo for three days for the family to take a small vacation together. Upon arriving i met Clark (Annie's brother) and Amy(Clark's wife,Annie's sister-in law). Clark Immediately struck me as hilarious with a sense of humor not very much unlike mine.Clark does improv comedy,but is school for nursing. Amy was a little more reserved but was the perfect compliment to clark. They balanced each other out very well.Clark immediately came over and introduced himeslf and struck up a brief conversation.I found myself impressed with him after not knowing what to expect.Amy came across as a very genuine,very intelligent woman,who know how to to tell a joke when necessary. I sowed up in Utah with a serious headache,I extremely painful toothache,and a developing cold of some sort.I went to lay down and was sleep for about half an hour when i heard wild screaming coming from the living room. I reluctantly rolled myself out of the bed and staggered out of the door and who did i see?? CEEEEEL_DAAAWG!!! for those who do not know cel-dawg is Celia.My adopted little sister and the first person from Annie's family that i've ever met. Actually,the first phone conversation i've ever had with Annie i spent half of the conversation talking with Celia.lol. she suprised Annie be secretely flying out for her birthday. I had reservations about this trip soley based on the fact that cel wasn't going to be here.Cel arrived with her friend Natalie who was a lot like another Celia.Pretty,lively and possessing a great sense of humor i liked her immediately as well.Annie's father arrived not too long afterwards.I man of less words than the rest of the family but very intelligent and informed on whatever subject we tended to be talking about. Julie a new addition to the family,is annie's cousin who is sweet,funny and a hell if a wii bowler!! Park city was a lot of fun. I climbed a mountain,went down the alpine slides and played family games. One worth the most mention(noteworthy) was a game called vampire teeth. It's like hide-and -go seek with glow in the dark vampire teeth. You turn out all of the lights put the teeth in hide and the vampire has to find you. If you are found you have to let out an agonizing yell and proceed to help the vampire find and turn others. It should be noted that more than once i hid in the middle if the room and was not found. The benefits if being a black guy!!! They also had an amazind clothing outlet that i ran rampant on!! we took a whole day of shopping. Heaven. Between games and family dinners i had plenty of time to spend with the family and enjoyed the h-e double hockey sticks out of myself.

The Air up there,

OK,HERE IT IS FINALLY!!
After a fairly uneventful flight we touched down in Salt Lake City! From the plane, the layout of Utah looks a lot like the old sim city on the super Nintendo. Also just as noteworthy we arrived on Annie's birthday! I arranged to have the stewardess announce and wish Annie a happy birthday. It was pretty cool.Although the stewardess did look at me like i was going to hijack the plane when i first approached her. Also noteworthy was the simple fact that I was the only black person on the entire plane!! About half the people wanted to call the air Marshall,the other half wanted my autograph. That aside,several of the passengers broke out into the happy birthday song, which Annie enjoyed except for the obvious apprehension she had of what i might do to her home town. People i'm harmless ;>). As we are walking through to gate to baggage claim, I hear Annie scream and start to run,embracing a young honest faced youth,later to be named as her younger brother Kent.I
immediately liked the kid. Most likely not sure what to make of me at first, i further instigated matters with dares and claims such as tying a scarf around my head and running through the airport,silent but extremely fast. along with perching myself on the edge of the baggage dispencer (if that's the name..unlikely) and threatening to ride it around. Annie,clearly slighty under pressure,took it pretty well and even told Kent i used to be a member of the Taliban.Which he also took pretty well with a dose of amusement,though he did look questioning at me a few times just to remind himself it wasn't true. Both Kent and Annie assured me her mother would greet her in tears and were not off one millimeter. Looking equally as honest(honestly!!) Annie's mother was exactly as i pictured her.Genuinely ecstatic to see her daughter (and me) she embraced Annie, immediately weeping all the way. though clearly out of my realm of comfort it wasn't disturbing as i thought it was. It felt natural,the way a parent should feel about a child they lost and recovered. Why is it, in the city we find this strange and ridiculous? I've found that openly expressing of emotions is found to be showing a weakness. In newyork any exposed weakness is quickly noticed and preyed upon, to the predators delight and advantage. This woman on the other hand had no such reservations or cares as to who had what judgement or agenda. She was clearly in a place where her love for her child encompassed all. I could pray for no less in my interactions with my own children and those of my community.Note: i was also embraced with said tears,though she apologized for crying and tried to make it brief as possible. Clearly Annie had given her an update.lol.That was not the strange thing.The strange thing was i was not at all creeped out. By the tears nor the hug.It was just someone expressing their honest excitement and enjoyment at seeing me....And i think i liked it.WE pulled of and headed toward Park city.......................

SO FAR,SO HOOD

Ok,here it is. Annie and i talked about possibly going out to Utah or on a vacation of some sort this summer.Not necessarily believing it to be a reality.It has become one.After a whirlwind spring and a wild summer we have arrived at a place where we find ourselves two days away from heading to Utah.Not impressed? Well we'll be arriving in Utah only after we head to Atlanta.Immediately departing to Alabama for my cousins wedding then and only then will we begin the Utahian expedition.not a word? is now. just like CRIDE.what is that? when you cry inside.Get used to it and other invented words,because Webster cannot define my life.So here it comes we begin the countdown. Lives, dies,or just crides.we'll find out.
Anuebis