Utah. It's the state not a lot of people talk about. To me, it's a little secret gem full hidden beauty. The majestic mountains, beautiful views, and...quirky practices. I love Utah and all it has to offer, but sometimes I find myself shaking my head while saying "Only in Utah".

1. If its 60 degrees today, it's probably, maybe snowing tomorrow.

In Utah, we get all four seasons, which is pretty cool if you're a California girl like me. However, if you are familiar with Utah, you know that the weather is...finicky at best. Only in Utah do you have temperatures rising up to the 50's then the 60's and you think to yourself "Yes! Finally! Spring is coming!" And the next morning you wake up to snow. Not just a few inches, but a few feet. And this has all happened in one week.

2. Red Light = Green Light

Here in Utah, driving can be a real pain. Not only do drivers drive 10 mph under the speed limit, but they drive that slow in the fast lane. It's like they know you are trying to speed and they move into that lane just to mess with you. And don't even get me started on merging. One thing Utahns are known for are their lack of acknowledgement of a red light. Yes, you read that correctly. In the normal world, yellow light means slow down. In Utah, it means speed up, and if you happen to run the red light...eh, nothing happened. Yet.

3. Fry Sauce

In America, we have our traditional dipping sauces like ketchup, ranch, mustard, bbq sauce, etc. I mean, trying to eat french fries without ketchup is just wrong for a lot of people. Well here in Utah, we have something called Fry Sauce and it's a big deal. It's such a big deal that if you ask any local what fry sauce is, they might just look at you like your from Mars instead of, I don't know, any other state. It's mayonnaise and ketchup mixed together, and it's not bad. Don't believe me? Try the recipe here.

4. Funeral Potatoes and Jello

Another interesting Utah food staple is funeral potatoes and jello. Anyone not from Utah is likely confused, wondering what potatoes have to do with a funeral and if anyone actually eats jello anymore. So what are funeral potatoes? Well they are a kind of potato casserole that is, well, served a lot at funerals. No really. Not just funerals, but other religious and non-religious parties and functions. Same goes for jello. Here's a recipe for our famous funeral potatoes here:

5. Caffeine

Only in Utah can you find any kind of caffeinated soda with no caffeine. Caffeine free coke? Done. Caffeine free Dr. Pepper? Yep. Barq's Root Beer? You betcha!

6. Made up Swear Words

Dang it! Oh my heck! What the frick? Son of a bee-otch! Shiz! Crap! Shut the front door! Judas Priest! Freakin A! Gosh dangit!

I could go on, but I think you get the point. Instead of using the actual swear word, you might here these "alternative" swear words while walking down the street.

7. Accent

Along with funny swear words, Utahn have an accent. And when I say accent, I mean they just say words weird. For example, instead of mountain, they say moun'in. Basically mountain without the T. Creek is pronounces crick, acrosst instead of across, and they add a K at the end of a word with -ing: hikink, drivink, swimmink. Also, normal words like hurricane are pronounced Hurrikuhn and Spanish Fork suddenly becomes Spanish Fark. Must be the high altitude.

8. Mawage is what brings us together...

Utah is one of those states where it's not uncommon for a 21 year old to say things like "Sorry, I can't go out tonight, it's date night with the husband/wife". Not only do we marry young around here, dating that person and the actual engagement are short. I have friends that met and dated their future husband for 2-3 months, before getting engaged and setting their marriage date 3-4 months later. Not a lot of people can imagine marrying someone they just met 4-6 months ago. In Utah, not only is it common, but it makes some people feel like if they aren't married by 25, they're a spinster. Oh gracious!

9. BIG Families

It seems to me in other places in the US, most families have about 2 kids, 3 at most. It seems big families were a thing of the past, something your grandparents did. Psh, 2 kids? Well here in Utah, we're having close to 8. No really. It's not uncommon to meet couples who have 8-10 kids. So not only do we marry really young here, we turn into baby making machines.

10. Weird Baby Names

Not only are we making babies like its our job, we're naming then something..unique. For some reason, parents here think they should name their kids something different or something common, with a different spelling. Basically, just come up with a name or a new way to spell a name and you'll fit right in. Here is just a taste of some of the names you'll find here in Utah.

Girls: Aunistee, Britainny, Kaylee, Mckinlee, Kynzlee, Merri, Nakkole, Taylee

Boys: Braeden/Brayden/Bradeon, Braxen, Ammon, DeeJay, River, Kyvin, Daxon

We might have bad drivers, crazy weather, different foods, big families, marry young and name our kids with strange names, but we have heart. I can't imagine a place more devoted to strengthening communities, families, and individuals, regardless of political or religious background. I can't imagine another place where the people truly care about those around them. Come visit us sometime, I know you won't be disappointed.