The Utah State Fair 2011!

 

I haven't been to the fair in years, I think the last time I was 10 or younger and cheered my dad on in a Dutch Oven Cookoff! I do remember his rolls tasting delicious! In my three years up in Salt Lake, I've yet to experience the fair, but I wasn't going to let this year get by me. I woke up after sleeping from my night shift, drove out to the fair with my friends Sarah and Jessica and kept my fingers crossed that my request to be on call would be granted. Within the first half hour, close to 5pm, I received a call from work that I had been canceled! Whooot, whooot! Now we were free to enjoy every inch of the fairgrounds!

First stop, gazing at the tractors and the animals!

The cute goats, but wow do the boys stink! Jessica, having grown up with animals, was the one to share such many treasures of farm knowledge with us!

The dairy cows!

Cedar, the 4 year old male steer, who weighs 2,460lbs and stands 5'10" tall at the shoulders! He was ginormous!

Cattle, mooooooo!

And of course the pigs! I love this pig who has his butt in the feeding pail!

Oh don't forget the ducks who Monday-Friday eat your fingers, Saturday your hands, and Sunday your toes! Basically keep all extremities out of the cage, always! They were cute though, they all had handkerchiefs tied around their necks and clothes draped on them!

Sarah and Jessica preparing to go down the GIANT SLIDE! $2 and totally worth it! Where else can you sit on a potato bag and slide down a giant slide? Answer: Only at The Utah State Fair!

The view from the Giant Slide!

The view from below after we slid down the Giant Slide! Fun huh!

How do Sarah and I measure up? The height of a horse is measured in hands, one hand equals four inches. I'm 17.5 hands and Sarah is 18! That proves that I am 5'10" and Sarah is 6'!

Every year they have a new sculpture, sculpted from butter! Yes, butter! It was amazing to see. This year they held a contest, and an elementary students idea won. They sculpted The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Also was the Queen of England, a bridesmaid, and the cute little girl who at the balcony of the palace covered her ears during their first kiss!

We toured many art galleries and this was one of my favorite paintings. I love the abstract design of the mill and I love their brownies!

Ok this was our highlight of the night! We saw this and eventually came back to do it! Yet we stood waiting for 5-10 minutes debating the fact that it was $8. We finally decided we would regret doing it and gave in. I mean when else can I be in a huge bubble and walk on water.

Jessica is on the right, she was the first to get in a bubble and discover it wasn't so easy to walk on water. We more like...rolled!

Sarah in her bubble awaiting the air to be filled and zipper closed!

And the treat to top the night! A funnel cake! Sarah and I shared one and wow, it was delicious! Cinnamon and sugar on top, soft bread, done just right! I can't wait for next year!

Just another day at Costco!

Last Tuesday, September 13, 2011, I had just finished a session at the Bountiful LDS Temple with my Grandparents and after a great lunch with them at Chuck-A-Rama, I headed over to the Costco within the same parking lot. THOR was being released and I wanted to buy it! After purchasing the movie, I was waiting to give my empty box to a guy who would then exchange it for the real thing within the locked gate (that's where all the expensive stuff is kept). I hadn't been standing there any longer than 10 seconds when I heard a lady yell, "catch him, he's going to fall". I quickly turned my head and saw an elderly gentleman staggering and just as quickly as I had turned, he passed out and fell to his right side. I couldn't get my feet to move fast enough, but soon enough I was at his side and frantically assessing him to make sure he was ok. My first impression was he was sweaty and unconscious. After working with pediatrics for 3+ years, the problems usually associated with the elderly and not with kids have escaped my thoughts,but I found myself frantically recalling them from the recess of my brain. A heart attack was next in my thoughts. The gentleman came to after 10-15 seconds of calling his name and rubbing his arm. I asked him if he knew his name, where he was at, and if he had any pain in his chest or anywhere. His answers were, "Richie" with a smile up at his wife, "at Costco, on the floor", and "no, I just ran out of gas"! I loved this guy, what a cute old man! His wife told him he was on the way to the bathroom, but didn't make it. He also knew the season was "sometime in early fall...September", he said. I was relieved he was alert and despite his Alzheimer's condition his wife said he had, he was correct. I asked a sales associate if they could bring him some water. I assumed he could still be having a heart problem, or the sweat was related to being dehydrated. A policeman was on the scene in minutes as well as an EMS team. I asked if I could stick around to see it all played out. The policeman was very nice, thanked me for my response and said I could stay as long as I liked.

The EMS team performed an EKG, which turned out normal. His blood pressure was low, as expected, 100/49! That alone screams dehydration. His glucose was 122 and all other vitals were normal. The EMS team gave him the option of being taken to the hospital for further evaluation since their skills, tests, and knowledge couldn't explain his episode nor his low blood pressure and sweat. Or he could be taken by his wife to the hospital, which would be Against Medical Advice (AMA). Another option was inserting an IV at the scene and administer some fluids. It was at this time that I left, thankful he was ok. I don't know why these things always happen to me. This was my third response since becoming a nurse. I'm just glad I've been able to be there for these people, at the right time and place.

I went back to the gate, gave my receipt and empty movie box to the guy, who exchanged the case for THOR and I was off. As I left the building, I turned around and took the picture above to show what I had just experienced. A life saved!