It was almost Halloween in Utah. I was on the front porch waiting for someone.
Beep Beep! A car slowed down and out jumped my best friend in the entire world - Inky!
"Inky! Hi! I've missed you!" I said running up to Inky. "Violetka! I'm so happy I'm here!" Inky says.
That very day Inky and I decided to Red Butte Garden and enjoy the autumn weather.
I'm glad Inky is here, I missed her! Plus, the two of us are the best travel buddies in the world!
And the colors of the gardens in fall are very pretty!
"I missed you to Violence," Inky said.
We explored all around the garden, and Inky was happy to see the Western sky again!
"Are you excited for Halloween, Inky?" I asked. "Oh yes! I wonder what costumes your Mama made for us," she said.
For the rest of the walk we guessed what our costumes might be.
A few days later we played black cat and witches in the back yard. We even cast a spell! To see the entire album, go here: http://picasaweb.google.com/jessicartrump/BubbleBubbleToilAndTrouble?authkey=N4vPEzShjX8#5263053759160374626
The next day Mama surprised us with our costumes! I was Violet Parr from The Incredibles and Inky was Cheburashka, a Soviet Era cartoon character that she LOVES! Check out her HUGE ears!
"Trick or treat!" we sang out at each house.
Yummy, so many things to choose from!
Inky and I trick or treated until it started getting dark.
And until our buckets were really full.
"Let's head back Inky, and look at our treats!" I said.
We really did well! Inky and I traded candies and talked for the rest of the night.
The weekend after Halloween we went down to the farmhouse. I was so excited to show Inky all of my favorite spots.
"This is the farmhouse Inky!" I said, "It has been in my Daddy's family since it was built in 1850!"
I also showed her where we had built a snow fort last winter, and we decided to play with our Ugly Dolls under the tree.
We walked over to the gate and I showed her the view. I am so happy to be here at the farmhouse with my best friend.
The next day we did some homework at the farmhouse. Because Inky and I are both home schooled, we do homework wherever we are!
I wanted to show Inky The Golden Spike Wiki page, this is were we are going next weekend I told her! Here is the link to the page I showed Inky: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_spike
That night we played with Play-Doh. I made a purple snake and Inky made a bat.
A few days later it was November 4th! The day to vote! We were so excited to watch a real election get counted.
That night Inky and I stayed up late talking about what it means to be free.
That's why Inky is my best friend, she understands what is important.
The very next weekend we went to Golden Spike National Historic Site, the last link in the First Transcontinental Railroad was completed with a spike of gold.
Inky and I wanted to see the last tie, where the golden spike was hammered in. "This is where it all happened," I said.
Another good thing about Golden Spike NHS is that there is really good bird watching. Inky and I both brought binoculars to watch the birds.
And guess what we saw? A Northern Hairier!
Plus, we did what we love to do at National Parks, become Jr. Rangers! (Remember, we became Jr. Rangers in Canyonlands last spring!)
The drive home was very pretty, but Mama and Daddy said we had one more stop. I wonder where?
Oh my gosh! We stopped at a site where NASA builds rockets in Northern Utah. Inky was super excited, because she loves space.
"This is a type of rocket that is on nuclear submarines." Inky told me. Wow, I didn't know submarines were so big!
Inky said it was her favorite day yet, because she got to see rockets and get a Jr. Ranger badge. I was happy she was having such a fun time!
A few days later Inky joins me for my ballet lesson. I can't miss my lesson because I have a Christmas show coming up!
Inky is really good at ballet, so she fits right in. I wish she was always in my ballet class.
We practice on the barre and on the floor to get ready for the show that is only a few weeks away!
In the evenings Inky works on her journal at my desk. I think she is writing about Golden Spike Historic Site, because I can see she drew two little trains!
One day Mama says that Inky and I are old enough to go on a hike all by ourselves. So we caught the bus and headed to Neff's Canyon.
It is almost winter time, and Inky and I paid special attention to the forest getting ready for winter.
It was cold, but Inky and I didn't mind, we stayed warm hiking.
One day Daddy asked Inky and I to help rake the leaves. We raked for a little while, but realized it was much more fun to play!
And roll in the leaves. "Violence, I miss having trees, we don't have yards to rake in NYC" Inky said.
The best surprise of all for Inky was that she got to stay in Utah for her 11th birthday! We went up to a hotel in the canyons for the night, and the view from the room was awesome!
And the beds were so big! We jumped on them and explored the entire hotel.
The next morning it was Inky's birthday. 'Wake up Inky, Happy Birthday' I said.
'Inky, wake up, it's your birthday...'
'Holy hotdogs! It's my birthday!' Inky said jumping up.
'Happy birthday!! Do you want to open presents or eat breakfast first?' I asked. 'Presents!' she said.
We got her lots of things, like Commie mints (because she is Soviet!)
And a Wooly Willy game, a boat, a slinky and more.
'Here is your main present Inky, do you want to open it now?' I asked.
'Yes Violetka!' she said, messing up my name again, and tearing the paper.
"A Young Pioneer doll!" she said looking at the little handmade doll Mama made her. The doll was dressed in a Young Pioneer uniform, which is like the Girl Scouts for Soviet children. "I love her, thank you!" she said.
'Okay, now breakfast time, let's eat birthday cake!' I said showing Inky the big cake. Once we were done with breakfast and presents we started to get dressed, but Daddy said to get dressed in swimsuits, we were now old enough to go to the Cliff Spa on the roof!
Swimsuits? In the winter? Where there is snow? Yippeee! 'Violence, this is the best 11th birthday ever!' Inky said.
We hurried across the rooftop spa and dipped into the hot tub. Once we were warmed up we could cool off in the wintry air. And check out the view behind us!
After we swam in the pool and warmed up in the hot tub we went downstairs to relax in the solarium. This is where you can sleep, sip tea or just enjoy the mountain views.
After we checked out of the hotel Inky and I put on some layers, our snow boots and headed outside for a little winter hike. It was warm, but there was still snow on the ground.
A few days later it was Thanksgiving day. While getting ready I noticed Inky was acting sad, and I asked her why. She told me that Colette is an Native American, and Native Americas don't celebrate Thanksgiving because they don't like to celebrate the fact of Europeans coming to North America. We talked for a long time. I even held Kaya, to make me feel better.
After we talked, we decided to have a little feast and celebrate the fact that Colette survived European diseases!
The last weekend Inky was here we went to the farmhouse again. We decided to take a little architecture tour with Mama, she is crazy about Utah architecture. This home was built by a judge in the 1880s in Spring City and is supposed to be haunted!
And isn't this pioneer home beautiful?
'I will really miss spending time with you when you go back home tomorrow' I said to my best friend.
The next day I helped Inky pack up her things.
And I hugged my best friend goodbye. 'Until next time!' we said.
