Ode to Manti.

With each passing day I think that I am falling more and more in love with the quaint town of Manti. Who knew that one town could be filled with some of the nicest and most helpful people I have ever met. It's not just a couple of people either, it's almost every person that I have met. Many things have happened since my last post, for example I got a glimpse of my first rodeo! Saturday night while Ashley and I were lounging around the house we could not help but overhear men on a loud speaker. We decided to investigate so we hopped on our bikes and rode over to the Manti fair grounds.  What we saw was amazing! There were people of all ages participating in the rodeo from little kids to grown men. This has inspired me to raise a family here so that my children can participate in the rodeo and wear cute western clothing and boots. There was also a fair going on at the same time. Although it was smaller than the one in Arizona, I believe it was a lot nicer and less trashy. The next day Ashley and I attended our first singles ward sacrament meeting here which was still as weird and uncomfortable as always. On monday we had family home evening with the singles stake. This activity reaffirmed my deep and burning dislike of choreographed line dances. There were a few positives to the evening such as free ice cream and exchange students from Hong Kong. The following day was my first day working at the Manti Market. Oh what an experience that was. Thankfully when I took over the cash register for the first time my boss supervised and corrected the many mistakes I made. I think that anywhere else the people would have been very frustrated with me but all of the customers were very patient and understanding. Working at the Manti Market turned out to actually be quite enjoyable. One of my favorite parts of working there is my new friend Shaya. She is four years old and is one of my bosses children. She loves to climb up on the check out counter and draw pictures for me, help bag groceries, and spray windex all over the conveyer belt to "clean it". Another person that I work with is named Mitch. He's a pretty cool kid that I talk to during work and that Ashley and I play jokes on after work. For example, Mitch thinks that it is a good idea to leave his car keys in the ignition with his windows rolled down so Ashley and I thought it was in his best interests that we teach him that this is not wise. So, after work today we drove his car across the street to the town hardware store. Eventually I felt a little remorse and confessed to the deed. So far living in Manti has been overall a very enjoyable and rewarding decision. I cannot wait to see what experiences each new day brings.