Flat Rosa Parks' Big Adventure

 Rosa Parks was a pioneer in the civil rights movement. When she was told she was inferior to others because of her race, she proved to the world that she was not. She was an American hero.

Rosa passed away in 2005, but as luck would have it, she lives on in the form of Flat Rosa Parks.

You may have heard of Flat Stanley, who is the size of a piece of paper, and travels the world, having all kinds of adventures. Well, it turns out that Flat Stanley has many friends, some of whom are American heroes, and among his friends is Flat Rosa Parks.

Flat Rosa has been staying with us for about a week. She is visiting the United States, from her home in Germany, where she lives with my niece Annie. Annie was kind enough to arrange for Rosa to visit Utah this week, and we've been showing her around.

She's attended two soccer games, and gone driving with a fifteen year old girl. She said it was not as scary as she thought it was going to be, but she was glad when the ride was over.

But today was a very big adventure for Flat Rosa Parks. Today, she traveled to Provo (or the Promised Land, as Matt calls it...), with Matt and me, to watch the Blue and White scrimmage between the offense and the defense of BYU's football team.

It turns out that Flat Rosa Parks is a big college football fan, and she predicts the Cougars are going to have a very good year, but she can't believe that football doesn't start for another five months. 

Frankly, neither can I. 

Her date for the afternoon was Matthew, whom she described as the perfect gentleman. 

We had front row seats, because Flat Rosa Parks should always sit in the front.

She even got to meet Cosmo the Cougar, although he slipped away, before we could snap any pictures. 

Cougars are very evasive. 

While Flat Rosa Parks enjoyed watching the Cougars practice today, what she really found exciting was after the game when we were all able to go out on to the field (or, Holy Ground, as Matt calls it...).

Flat Rosa liked the view from the field, and she even got to watch Matthew kick a twenty-five yard field goal, straight through the uprights, on his very first kick. Flat Rosa was VERY impressed. Matt also caught a few touch down passes, a pick six, punted the ball, and threw a forty yard pass...and pretty much died and went to heaven.

Flat Rosa Parks is not actually standing on this young lady's head. 

Flat Rosa Parks would never do such a thing. 

On the way home we also had one more adventure. It turns out, that Flat Rosa Parks is a big fan of Kevin Bacon, and it just so happens that Mr. Bacon's biggest film, Footloose, was filmed right here in Utah. So we surprised Flat Rosa, by taking her to the Lehi Roller Mills. This is the grain mill in the movie where Ren (Kevin Bacon) is employed, and also where the final fight scene and dance were filmed. That red porch was where Ren jumped off and kicked Chuck right in the face. It's a great scene. 

Matt and Flat Rosa were so impressed that they spent several minutes exploring the area, and got so excited that Flat Rosa jumped out of Matt's hand, and nearly blew into the traffic on a nearby road. But Matt, always a gentlemen, saved her at the last moment. 

She is an American Hero after all -- it was the least he could do. 

 Our time with Flat Rosa is nearly done, and she is looking forward to getting back to Germany, and telling all of her friends there about the time she went to see the BYU Cougars practice football, and got to see the Lehi Roller Mills, where Footloose was filmed.

Flat Rosa Parks has been an ideal house guest, and we're grateful for the time we've had to spend with her.

Good luck in your future travels, Flat Rosa Parks!