Arimo {Land that I love}

Arimo, Idaho is probably one of my favorite places on earth. The town might be a tiny 3 blocks wide and 4 blocks long with a population of 360 but it's always been home to my Gram and Gramps and that's what makes it magical for me.

The drive from Logan to Arimo is one of my favorites and one that I made countless times after I got my driver's license in high school. We purposely took the long way from Salt Lake just so we could see the countryside rather than the boring I-15 route. Sights included the Bear River mountains, Cache Valley, the American West Heritage Center (where we volunteered as kids), Kissing Rocks and Red Rock Pass along with endless rolling fields nestled up against the tall mountains.

Kissing Rock

Red Rock Pass- where the ancient Lake Bonneville broke it's border and began to drain

When you get to Arimo you are greeted by this bustling downtown area...

I used to get gas here with my grandpa years and years ago

On this trip I really wanted to capture some images of the details around my Grandparents house. There are so many little things that make their humble home special to me and I don't know how much longer some of them will be at 130 Meadowview Drive.

This poor horse lost his tail long ago but he's still bucking away on the front of 130 Meadowview

This amazing lady will be 81 this year and is looking as young and chipper as ever. She has always been so young at heart, and the center of any party.

Hollyhocks have grown along this side of the house as long as I can remember. My Gram taught me how to make little dolls out of the blooms using toothpicks when I was a little girl.

Memories in this backyard include but are not limited to:

The Also Good for Mules and Jackasses Club in the old camper
Wienie roasts, burned marshmallows and the old green picnic table
Bonfires that brought out the fire department
Picnics under that big tree with my Grandpa
Riding lawn mowers, horses, bikes and the pony cart
Working in the garden, pulling weeds and growing carrots, radishes and green onions
Playing baseball with rotten eggs found in the haystack

My Gramps used to put this cattle rack on the back of his truck and fill it with his rowdy grand kids. He'd drive us around town, all bundled up and piled in blankets, to see all the Christmas lights. He loved Christmas and always decorated the house to the nines.

My Grandpa Keith Anderson was a real cowboy. He grew up in the middle of the country on a horse and loved being outside. I learned all the cuss words I know from him - mostly while he was trying to get his horses shod.  Gramps could often be heard telling his crazy grand kids to "Be still!". He was the Mayor of Arimo for almost 10 years, he worked at the Logan Temple and in my eyes he was a superhero.

"Insanity is hereditary, you can get it from your children"

My Grandma Jean had 7 kids by the time she was 30. She went was a freshman at Idaho State University when she was 33 and became a English and Drama teacher at Marsh Valley High School where she taught for 30 years. She won awards for acting in plays and knows a song for every topic under the sun, mostly from classic musicals. She taught me how to be a good orator by practicing Shel Silverstien poems for my stuffed animals. She is also a superhero to me.

These two got married just 6 weeks after they met. My Gram says the first time they met she thought, "Well, here's my Chip of the Flying U". Check out the book she's talking about here.

Although I love where we are in life right now I always feel like I am coming home when we roll into Arimo. I am not sure that I could live there forever but I look forward to every trip we get to take there.