My family moved to Utah from Nor Cal in July of 1988. I was 17 years old and impressionable. I began my senior year of high school at a new school with no friends and no car. I did get a car later, but I shared with my overpowering sister. She's only overpowering when we're in high school and finally have a car and she wants to drive. And when we shared a bedroom and she wanted to watch TV late at night while I was trying to sleep. Otherwise she's pretty nice. I hated Utah. Really. Really. So when I graduated, I moved to So Cal to live with my grandparents. I ended up staying for about 18 months and worked and went to school. I came to the conclusion at one point that home wasn't California. It wasn't necessarily Utah. It was where my family was. My family was in Utah. So I moved back home.
Several years later, all of our extended family came for my sister's wedding. I had been back in Utah for that long minus another 18 months for a mission...in California. My aunt and I were talking and out of the blue she says, "You really sound like a Utahn". I was shocked and dismayed. Really. I had grown to love living in Utah. But I still made fun of the way Utahns talked. So I began really listening to myself. She was right. I did sound like a Utahn. I didn't say Fetch or You Bet or Oh My Heck and I certainly was over the big permed hair. But my accent had become Utahn. Did you know Utahns have an accent? Well they do.
Today I ran over to the school to drop something off for the upcoming kindergartners. The secretary was so excited and was thanking me profusely for what I gave her. As I turned to walk out of the office, she thanked me again. To my horror I answered back with a jubilant, "You Bet!". Seriously? Did I just say that? I have never said that in my life except to poke fun at all the Utahns.
I know I am a Utahn. I love my State. I love my accent, which I sometimes really overuse! But I suppose over 20 years of hearing the Utah way of talkin, it has finally risen to my mouth. Oh my heck! I just can't believe it. Fetch! I must be a true blue Utah girl.
3 comments:
Hahaha!! You crack me up! Deep down though we are both truly Californian Natives! (was that a word?)
Yes, I was born there, and only there for 6 months. I always called myself a California girl, although I spent the good majority of my life here in Utah :)
Even though I haved lived here for almost 14 years, I still consider myself a true blue Wyoming-ite. I'm not sure if I have the Utah accent or not, but I do know that I'm NOT a Utah driver. Sometimes, when other drivers bug me I yell, "Dumb Utah Drivers!" Then I remember I have given birth to two Utahns. And then whenever I am home, in Wyoming, I complain about the drivers there. I have issues.
My dad is from S. Utah and talk about a horrible accent!
Oh my heck! That's all I can say. And overpowering? Nice save there with the whole "she's nice" explanation. I'll have a word with you about that later. Just remember to traysure every laysurely playsure of the fine state of Utah and to warsh your clothes and go acrost the crick before you get put in gel with a till outfit. - Katie
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