Winter fun- part one

It is Monday morning and I'm back in the office. Looking out my window I see a blizzard, it is rare that is snows like this in Utah, it is not only coming down like mad, but there is major wind to contend with. Visibility is next to nothing.

It is hard to believe less than 24 hours ago I was loving winter. Here is a run down of what E and I did this weekend:

On Friday we went over to Yonosh's house for a fantastic dinner. Mike is back in town and he cooked mole enchiladas with steak, which were to die for. After dinner we just hung out and chatted, everyone has been away so long, it was great fun to catch up. Oh, and for the record, there wasn't enough room at the main kitchen table so Yonosh and Mike shared the couple's table, which was quite funny.

On Saturday E and I woke up late, packed our overnight gear and snowshoe stuff, and headed up to The Homestead. (We got a gift certificate to spend a night up there for Christmas). The Homestead is a really old Utah hotel that was built on some natural occurring hot pots, so in addition to the historic feel of the hotel, you get hot mineral baths to soak in, so we were pretty stoked.

We were also lucky, because Saturday was beautiful, weather wise. We have had so much snow and cold weather this year, that most days have been gray with a very weak amount of sunlight. We Saturday was clear and warm (it is sad when you say 35 degrees is warm) so before checking in, E and I drove up the canyon near Midway Utah to find a snowshoeing spot. We pulled to the side of the road and explored in an area that was prime for snowshoeing. In addition to a great little summit with some awesome views, we walked along a little river and really enjoyed our time outside. At one point E and I were both so warm we hiked in only our base layers.

After about two hours on the mountain, we headed to The Homestead and checked in. Our room was nice and large, and even had a little sitting room. We explored the grounds of the hotel (which is spaced out between many buildings) and checked out the hot pots. At dinner time we headed to Heber (only about 15 minutes away) and drove around the old main street looking at the wonderful homes and multitude of deer roaming the streets. Soon we arrived at the Snake Creek Grill for dinner. We had heard of this place through reviews and awards they had won, and were quite excited to try it. We were blown away! What a great place! We ordered really really tasty onion rings for an appetizer, spinach salad, E got trout and I got pasta for dinner, and then a HUGE gingersnap cookie ice cream sandwich for dessert. I really like this photo because the lights are blurry but the sign is clear. Weird...

Once we were fully stuffed with very tasty food we returned to The Homestead to soak. The mineral baths were nice and warm, and the hot tub under the stars was fantastic.

The next morning we packed up and had a really yummy (and included!) breakfast in Fanny's Grill. I ordered crab cake Benedict and OJ. As we sat there next to the two story fireplace we watched a half dozen deer walking through the fields on just the other side of the windows. The snow began to fall lightly, and more heavily, and it was beautiful to watch.

Before we headed home E and I went to Park City. I wanted to look in a couple of shops and also take some photos of Hazel (a new doll!). It was cold and busy with Sundance in Park City, so after a quick look around we headed home.

What a nice weekend.

PS- Last night we had dinner at my aunt's house, but I'm hungry for lunch now, so that will have to wait for another post.