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Monday, January 02, 2006
We painted our kitchen
I had another nice long weekend, and I've been wanting to paint my kitchen and dining room a beautiful gold color I've had my heart set on. Here are some before and after pictures. It actually went very easily, and we were done in a day and a half!
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Thursday, December 29, 2005
Last Year's Trip to Hell
It’s been just about a year since E, D, BH and my trip to hell (and back). Once I got home, I typed everything up; the only problem is its long, really long! But, because it's almost the one year anniversary I thought I'd post the experience on my blog. If it’s too long, I'm sorry in advance!
Enjoy!
Chapter 1- Getting There
It all began with a great idea of a weekend away. My cabin was the destination. It was peaceful, quiet, and truly beautiful in the winter. BH, E, and I had snowshoed into my cabin twice before, but it was D’s first time on snowshoes. We left on Saturday morning at about 9:00 and had to pick up a few things before driving up to Park City.
As we hit Park City it began to rain, and the rain quickly turned into snow. We were confident, however. E was a great driver in the snow, and we were excited to get hiking. As we neared the silver mine, we noticed the road was closed. We turned around, went through Deer Valley, and entered the same road above the mine. At this point the road was terrible to say the least. And we still had a couple miles to Empire Lodge where we would park.
E, and his car, were doing great. He was calm, and his little two-wheel drive car was steady at two miles per hour. At one point BH, D and I all jumped out to help push. We were almost to the lot, and not going to give up. Finally, we rolled into a snowy lot at the base of the mountain. We kept telling ourselves that the hardest part was over.
It was snowing pretty heavily as we got our snowshoes and packs on. We were happy though, and confident. We got started up the road and soon started chatting. We were going uphill, and although the wind would pick up every once in awhile, we were making great time. Before I knew it we were under a bridge, with a Deer Valley ski run over us.
I broke out my camera, and took a couple of pictures. We then started up the steepest slope towards the ridge. E told D he was doing great, and this was the hardest part of the hike. Little did he know what lay ahead.
As we reached the summit the wind began to pick up. It was cold and the blinding. At the summit we began to realize this was not wind, this was a white out. We huddled together and decided to stay close, and keep walking. We kept going, thinking that as soon as we were off the ridge, there would be no wind. But as we kept going, the wind got stronger. I was positive this was the hardest thing I had ever done. At one point, we all fell over, because the freezing gusts were so intense.
Not only were we concerned about the wind, but also the avalanches. The threat was high, especially on wind blown slopes. And after we had crossed over the summit, there was not avalanche control. We were now in backcountry and we needed to get somewhere safer and quickly.
However, whenever we would try to huddle and make a plan, our voices would get drowned out by the howling wind. Finally BH and E decided to yell in each other’s ears, and D and I stood there until the plan was decided. We needed to get off the ridge and quickly. We started walking south down into the valley below. The walk was hard and scary. I couldn’t see where I was stepping, and I knew we had to stay together, if one of us got lost, we would never find each other again.
We got lower and lower into the valley. Finally we could see the woods in the distance and the wind lessened slightly. Now we were facing a new challenge. The snow on the ground. It was still snowing and windy, but the snow on the ground was deep, really deep. And powdery. Each step we took was a workout in of itself. The snow was up to our knees. We had to take turns leading the group, and switch off frequently.
Also, we were lost. I know approximately where we were, but we decided to turn E’s GPS on, for further assistance. E’s GPS wasn’t much help. Because there is not a compos build in, and we were moving really slow, it could not give us a direction we needed to head. It gave us a distance, but said the cabin was behind us. I knew this was incorrect, so we kept going west.
We were literary fighting for our lives. At this point I was scared, and hungry. We decided to try to get to some trees to stop and eat. This way we could be slightly shielded from the wind. Also, E’s GPS batteries were dead, and we needed to replace those. As we stopped and got out our food, we realized how cold it was.
The wind was icy, and our hands were frozen. We could not keep warm unless we kept moving. We decided to try to head up and out of the valley and towards the road, where we hoped the snow was more packed. I quickly finished a half of my sandwich and told the other’s I was going to head for the road. BH followed me, and E and D stayed back to work on the GPS.
At the road I admitted to BH I was scared. Really scared. I told him I was cold, and exhausted. BH said to keep moving, and not to panic. That was the worst thing we could do. He said that we could make it, and we were doing great. Those few words really did inspire me to keep going.
At this point E and D caught up to us, and E sadly informed us that the new batteries didn’t fix his GPS problem; it still said the cabin was behind us. At this point we needed to make a decision: to keep moving and try to get there, or turn around and try to get back to the car. Most of us wanted to turn around, but BH said lets just walk to the next bend and see if we can figure out where we were.
We followed BH, and the wind again knocked us to our knees. We were so tired, and ready to turn around. Finally we got to the bend in the road, and down bellow us was Bonanza Flats, the large meadow that symbolized the entrance into the cabin complex. We even saw a small Park City sign poking out of the snow.
I was so happy! I knew where I was, I was not lost. I decided there that we were not turning around; we were going to keep going, and get there. The cabin was safe and dry. We would be okay.
We dropped down off the road again, and started snowshoeing across Bonanza Flats. To those of you who don’t know, Bonanza Flats are huge, as large as 4 football fields. As we began across, we remembered again how terrible the deep snow was. At this point D informed us that is hip was hurting him badly, and he could no longer break trail. This meant BH, E, and I would have to be the first to trudge thorough the knee deep powder.
The trek across Bonanza flats took us about ninety minutes. I watched the GPS count down the area between us and the cabin. We had .38 miles to go, and I averaged that would take us two or three more hours at the slow speed we were going.
We finally got into the woods on the south side of the flats, and here I started getting nervous about finding the cabin. All the woods look the same in the winter, and we had always used the GPS in the past to find the cabin. I was the only one that knew the woods well, and I would be the one to lead our group in the right, or wrong, direction.
I thought I knew roughly were we were, and I told our group to keep going forward and to the left. Each step was terribly exhausting, and the wind and snow were not getting less intense. Also, it was getting late, and it would be dark soon.
E finally admitted after he fell down again, that he was having terrible lower abdomen pain, and he couldn’t really help break trail. This left the last .25 miles up to BH and me. We were in a part of the woods I didn’t recognize, but we had to keep going. There was no other choice.
Finally, I thought I saw a meadow I recognized. We call it Moose Meadow, and it was not far from my cabin, not far in normal conditions that is. Down a hill and to the left we thought we saw the meadow that backed onto the cabin. BH and I kept breaking trail, and we mentioned to each other that the snow was getting deeper. Now it was thigh deep instead of the knee deep stuff.
Each of us could only take a few steps before we had to switch the lead person. I was exhausted, and it took everything I had to keep moving. We finally dropped down into our meadow and it was over an hour until we were to the cabin.
Enjoy!
Chapter 1- Getting There
It all began with a great idea of a weekend away. My cabin was the destination. It was peaceful, quiet, and truly beautiful in the winter. BH, E, and I had snowshoed into my cabin twice before, but it was D’s first time on snowshoes. We left on Saturday morning at about 9:00 and had to pick up a few things before driving up to Park City.
As we hit Park City it began to rain, and the rain quickly turned into snow. We were confident, however. E was a great driver in the snow, and we were excited to get hiking. As we neared the silver mine, we noticed the road was closed. We turned around, went through Deer Valley, and entered the same road above the mine. At this point the road was terrible to say the least. And we still had a couple miles to Empire Lodge where we would park.
E, and his car, were doing great. He was calm, and his little two-wheel drive car was steady at two miles per hour. At one point BH, D and I all jumped out to help push. We were almost to the lot, and not going to give up. Finally, we rolled into a snowy lot at the base of the mountain. We kept telling ourselves that the hardest part was over.
It was snowing pretty heavily as we got our snowshoes and packs on. We were happy though, and confident. We got started up the road and soon started chatting. We were going uphill, and although the wind would pick up every once in awhile, we were making great time. Before I knew it we were under a bridge, with a Deer Valley ski run over us.
I broke out my camera, and took a couple of pictures. We then started up the steepest slope towards the ridge. E told D he was doing great, and this was the hardest part of the hike. Little did he know what lay ahead.
As we reached the summit the wind began to pick up. It was cold and the blinding. At the summit we began to realize this was not wind, this was a white out. We huddled together and decided to stay close, and keep walking. We kept going, thinking that as soon as we were off the ridge, there would be no wind. But as we kept going, the wind got stronger. I was positive this was the hardest thing I had ever done. At one point, we all fell over, because the freezing gusts were so intense.
Not only were we concerned about the wind, but also the avalanches. The threat was high, especially on wind blown slopes. And after we had crossed over the summit, there was not avalanche control. We were now in backcountry and we needed to get somewhere safer and quickly.
However, whenever we would try to huddle and make a plan, our voices would get drowned out by the howling wind. Finally BH and E decided to yell in each other’s ears, and D and I stood there until the plan was decided. We needed to get off the ridge and quickly. We started walking south down into the valley below. The walk was hard and scary. I couldn’t see where I was stepping, and I knew we had to stay together, if one of us got lost, we would never find each other again.
We got lower and lower into the valley. Finally we could see the woods in the distance and the wind lessened slightly. Now we were facing a new challenge. The snow on the ground. It was still snowing and windy, but the snow on the ground was deep, really deep. And powdery. Each step we took was a workout in of itself. The snow was up to our knees. We had to take turns leading the group, and switch off frequently.
Also, we were lost. I know approximately where we were, but we decided to turn E’s GPS on, for further assistance. E’s GPS wasn’t much help. Because there is not a compos build in, and we were moving really slow, it could not give us a direction we needed to head. It gave us a distance, but said the cabin was behind us. I knew this was incorrect, so we kept going west.
We were literary fighting for our lives. At this point I was scared, and hungry. We decided to try to get to some trees to stop and eat. This way we could be slightly shielded from the wind. Also, E’s GPS batteries were dead, and we needed to replace those. As we stopped and got out our food, we realized how cold it was.
The wind was icy, and our hands were frozen. We could not keep warm unless we kept moving. We decided to try to head up and out of the valley and towards the road, where we hoped the snow was more packed. I quickly finished a half of my sandwich and told the other’s I was going to head for the road. BH followed me, and E and D stayed back to work on the GPS.
At the road I admitted to BH I was scared. Really scared. I told him I was cold, and exhausted. BH said to keep moving, and not to panic. That was the worst thing we could do. He said that we could make it, and we were doing great. Those few words really did inspire me to keep going.
At this point E and D caught up to us, and E sadly informed us that the new batteries didn’t fix his GPS problem; it still said the cabin was behind us. At this point we needed to make a decision: to keep moving and try to get there, or turn around and try to get back to the car. Most of us wanted to turn around, but BH said lets just walk to the next bend and see if we can figure out where we were.
We followed BH, and the wind again knocked us to our knees. We were so tired, and ready to turn around. Finally we got to the bend in the road, and down bellow us was Bonanza Flats, the large meadow that symbolized the entrance into the cabin complex. We even saw a small Park City sign poking out of the snow.
I was so happy! I knew where I was, I was not lost. I decided there that we were not turning around; we were going to keep going, and get there. The cabin was safe and dry. We would be okay.
We dropped down off the road again, and started snowshoeing across Bonanza Flats. To those of you who don’t know, Bonanza Flats are huge, as large as 4 football fields. As we began across, we remembered again how terrible the deep snow was. At this point D informed us that is hip was hurting him badly, and he could no longer break trail. This meant BH, E, and I would have to be the first to trudge thorough the knee deep powder.
The trek across Bonanza flats took us about ninety minutes. I watched the GPS count down the area between us and the cabin. We had .38 miles to go, and I averaged that would take us two or three more hours at the slow speed we were going.
We finally got into the woods on the south side of the flats, and here I started getting nervous about finding the cabin. All the woods look the same in the winter, and we had always used the GPS in the past to find the cabin. I was the only one that knew the woods well, and I would be the one to lead our group in the right, or wrong, direction.
I thought I knew roughly were we were, and I told our group to keep going forward and to the left. Each step was terribly exhausting, and the wind and snow were not getting less intense. Also, it was getting late, and it would be dark soon.
E finally admitted after he fell down again, that he was having terrible lower abdomen pain, and he couldn’t really help break trail. This left the last .25 miles up to BH and me. We were in a part of the woods I didn’t recognize, but we had to keep going. There was no other choice.
Finally, I thought I saw a meadow I recognized. We call it Moose Meadow, and it was not far from my cabin, not far in normal conditions that is. Down a hill and to the left we thought we saw the meadow that backed onto the cabin. BH and I kept breaking trail, and we mentioned to each other that the snow was getting deeper. Now it was thigh deep instead of the knee deep stuff.
Each of us could only take a few steps before we had to switch the lead person. I was exhausted, and it took everything I had to keep moving. We finally dropped down into our meadow and it was over an hour until we were to the cabin.
BH, D, and E as soon as we got to the Cabin. Notice the sky is almost dark and it's snowing! I was the one taking the picture.
Chapter 2- The Cabin
Finally, we were there. However, we were not inside yet. The snow was about ten feet deep, the deepest I had ever seen it, and we had to start digging. There were shovels on the cabin that we detached and started. Again, D was in pain and tired, so E and I started to dig, and dig, and dig.
BH went to the side of the cabin with the other shovel to try to dig out chimney cap. To light a fire inside the cabin, we needed to uncover the chimney cap, get the stack from inside, and attach it to the cabin.
E and I dug eight feet down before we decided to push open the door. We knew that all the snow that we hadn’t dug out would spill into the cabin, but we needed to get away from the wind. Finally we were inside.
I began shoveling the snow out of the cabin by passing buckets of snow up to D. E was helping BH locate the chimney, so we could get a fire started. E taped on the roof from the inside, and BH listened from the outside.
Finally the cabin was free from snow, and the stack was attached. BH climbed in the cabin and we all sank into chairs. We needed to get warm; the cabin thermometer read a toasty 21 degrees. BH and E began working on the fire. It was now completely dark outside, so we had to light the lantern. We opened the upstairs windows to help vent the carbon monoxide, and finally got the fire lit.
Soon the cabin was filled with smoke, but we were happy for the first time since that morning. We talked and laughed in front of the fire, I turned off the lantern, and we told jokes. Soon, however, the conversation changed to “how will we get out of here tomorrow?” We decided we had two plans, one, to wait out the storm and leave on Monday or Tuesday, or two, to try to get someone to help us to leave.
Nobody was hungry, so we didn’t make dinner. I had some beef jerky and gum.
Luckily E brought his cell phone. That night we gave my dad a head’s up on what was going on. We told him that there was lots of snow, high wind, and that we would call him in the morning.
As we got later, and we got more and more sleepy we decided to set up our beds. My family has some cots and sleeping pads that are actually very comfortable. We set up our beds, and (thank goodness) none of our sleeping bags were wet.
Before we went to bed, we decided to each go out to pee. We didn’t want to have to get up in the middle of the night to go. As I opened the door, I realized it had snowed a foot or so more and snow started to cascade in. I was not going to shovel the cabin floor again.
I guess it was time for plan B, find a chamber pot, and something with a lid because I can’t stand the smell of urine. We did a couple of tests with different things around the cabin. The first two tins leaked, but finally on the third try we found our winner, an old fashioned milk jug!
After the guys used the milk jug (I didn’t even need to go) we all climbed into bed. Oh my god, this was the best feeling in the world. My sleeping bag was so warm and toasty I didn’t even mind the snowflakes hitting my face (we decided to leave the windows open, and I was right under one).
The next morning I woke up needing to go out, the chamber pot was too nasty for me. I opened my eyes only to see a little mountain of snow at the front door. It was about a foot tall and two feet across. The door had not sealed overnight, and all this new snow had come in through the small crack.
I pulled myself out of the sleeping bag, and started putting on my winder clothes. When I opened the front door to let myself out, I realized it had snowed close to three feet overnight. The snow came cascading into the cabin, and the thought of shoveling again overwhelmed me.
After I peed I realized I had a huge job ahead of me. I started shoveling the cabin alone, because everyone else was in bed. I couldn’t even shut the door until all the snow was cleared. At this point I just started to cry. Nobody seemed to care that I had shoveled, by myself, three times now. E and BH finally got up and helped me a little bit, but by the time they were dressed, the job was mostly over.
I was frustrated and grouchy. I didn’t want to stay in this cabin for another day. We decided to call my dad and see if we could get a rescue mission, because D felt he couldn’t walk out. Also, the snow and wind were not lessoning.
Chapter 3- The Rescue
After awhile of sitting in front of the fire (well the guys were in front, I was near the cold door that didn’t seal) my dad called and said he had found someone that could come and help us! His name was Robbie; he lived in the area, and had a SnowCat. We were so excited. We quickly started packing up our gear and cleaning the cabin.
Everybody at this point was very helpful, and I began to feel better. After awhile we heard a knock on the upstairs window, it was a young man that had a snowmobile. He said to send the first person up, and maybe grab a shovel. D and BH walked out to his snowmobile only to find it stuck. The young man’s brother was also there, with another snowmobile. After a lot of work, they got it unstuck.
They took E and D first, and BH and I stayed back to finish closing the cabin up. (I was shoveling the cabin out again). E tells me that after they left on the snowmobile, it got stuck many more times. The snow was so deep and powdery; the snowmobiles didn’t work very well. He said at points he would have to crawl to stay on top of the snow as the young man worked on getting the snowmobile unstuck.
I worked on the front door for another hour or so, but never was able to get it to seal. Finally the cabin was ready to be closed down. BH and I walked to where we would have to load onto the snowmobiles, and before long a young man was back to pick me up. BH said I could go, and he would wait for the next one. I strapped my backpack onto one shoulder and held on.
The snowmobiles were not able to move very quickly in the powder, but I still had to be careful, because my heavy backpack could have pulled me off if it got caught on something. Soon I saw the SnowCat up ahead. I got of the snowmobile and saw D. He didn’t know where E was.
Then I met Robbie. He was thin, had a long black beard, and seemed really nice. Also, I noticed that he was very good with outdoor machinery. He told D and me to clear off the SnowCat’s deck, and so we started digging.
Soon Robbie told us to sit down, and he started the cat. The young man followed the groomed trail behind us on the snowmobile and we were on our way. I had not seen E and BH though. We traveled on the cat along the main road in the complex. Around the next bend I saw E and the other young man near a snowmobile that didn’t appear to be working. E climbed in the SnowCat with me, and told me that he was in pain again, and that the snowmobile had gotten stuck four times, and then it broke. Robbie seemed to fix it though, and then we saw BH coming up behind us on another snowmobile with another young man. This was quite the rescue!
We all piled into the cat and we were off. The young men followed behind on the snowmobiles. We weaved up and around the mountain to an area I didn’t recognize. We stopped at a cabin that I soon realized was Robbie’s and his son’s. We got out of the cat to help the young men pack up their stuff; they also needed a ride down to Deer Valley.
After loading the cat as tightly as we could, we all piled on it again. There were five us in the open back with all the luggage and packs, and two inside, and Robbie driving. It was very full, very wet, and truly a Godsend.
We traveled strait up to the summit, and we kept commenting on what a monster this machine was. We couldn’t believe it just blasted through all the snow. And behind the cat we could see Robbie’s two dogs following us. We laughed at how funny they were, this trip could not be easy for them, yet they refused to stop.
At the summit the snow was falling hard, but there was not as much wind. This was the way to travel! As we descended the slope on the other side of the summit we noticed huge cracks in the snow. E commented that this could be an area were an avalanche could easily happen. We were glad to leave it behind!
The SnowCat was amazingly fast and smooth. In the tunnel under the ski slope, the cat had to plow a huge amount of snow out of the way. I wanted a few pictures, and thought that under the tunnel would be a good time, because I didn’t want snow on my new camera.
As we reached the upper parking lot Robbie stopped the cat and told all the young men to go start digging out their cars. Each had a car, and each was buried under four feet of new snow. E and I jumped out and Robbie had us start to dig out two snowmobiles that were in the middle of the road. He said he needed to get the SnowCat down to his truck to refuel and he couldn’t with these in the middle.
I was happy to help Robbie, and so E and I started to dig… again. Then we realized that to move the snowmobiles would likely ruin them, so Robbie decided not to refuel that day. E and I unloaded the cat so we could carry all the luggage down the rest of the road. Then Robbie decided to take the risk of riding on the edge of the road, so we re-loaded the cat with the luggage. He was able to ride the edge, barley missing the snowmobiles. After he was down near the cars, E and I started to help the others digging.
We got two cars out, and there were three more to do. D and BH were helping with those three. I asked them if it was alright to walk down and start getting our car unburied. They mentioned that our car might be towed, because the Deer Valley lot is very restrictive. Oh man, I really hoped our car was still there.
I thanked all the young men again, and hugged Robbie. I told him he really saved us. Then I was off, with a shovel to see if our car was still in the lot. I jogged the entire way.
It was there! E’s car had not been towed. I was so thankful. It was buried, but it was there! I started digging, and digging and digging. There was at least four feet of snow. Soon E joined me, and before long BH and D were there too. We all dug. And pushed. Soon the car was loose.
BH and D pushed the car out of the lot, I gave the shovels back, and we all piled in. We were all soaked, but so happy to leave.
On the way back we stopped to get burgers in Park City. None of us had eaten since the few snacks the night before. Everything tasted so good. After we had eaten, we drove home, with dreams of a hot shower and warm beds.
It was quite an adventure.
The End
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Ten things I got for Christmas
1. New black leather boots
2. Gold formal china- setting for eight!
3. Electric tea kettle and ginger peach tea
4. Nellie’s Holliday Outfit (American Girl doll clothes)
5. Gnome plate
6. Handmade scarf
7. Angelina Ballerina toys
8. New PJs
9. Polar Bear stuffed animal
10. Trip to the Grand Tetons with E which was our gift to each other!
2. Gold formal china- setting for eight!
3. Electric tea kettle and ginger peach tea
4. Nellie’s Holliday Outfit (American Girl doll clothes)
5. Gnome plate
6. Handmade scarf
7. Angelina Ballerina toys
8. New PJs
9. Polar Bear stuffed animal
10. Trip to the Grand Tetons with E which was our gift to each other!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Luminary
One of the thousands of luminaries were all lit with candles.
One of the traditions I love (see Top 10 Things I love about the holidays) is the Luminary walk. A cemetery near my grandparent’s house light up thousands of white paper bags the Saturday before Christmas. Most people drive their cars through the cemetery, but my family always walks.
We bundle up in warm clothes, and bring flashlights so the cars can see us, and we set off. This year it was cold! We wound through neighborhoods until we came upon the cemetery. It looked splendid.
Afterwards we went back to my grandparent’s house and had chili and potato soup. I had a great time, and didn’t want the night to end.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Moose, eucalyptus steam, and hot tubing on a roof…
Last weekend was one of the best weekends I’ve ever had, and I’ve had my fair share of great ones. I think about how lucky I am quite often, and am so thankful for every minute of it.
My brother B works at Snowbird and was able to get E and me a free overnight pass at the Cliff Lodge. We were so excited! We left the city around 1:00 and headed up to Tanner’s Flat campground to go snowshoe. The snow was perfect, and the weather was fantastic. It was clear, and warm, and still.
E and I snowshoed to the river and both took in the majestic beauty. The river was flowing fairly fast for this time of year, and there was about 12” of snow piled up on all the rocks and logs. Thin fragile ice covered small areas, and we could see water bubbles under its clear surface.
The light in some areas was so blue the snow didn’t look white, and in other areas the light was pure pink. E and I commented on how pretty and quiet it was. Soon we started seeing animal tracks, and lots of them. I love to look for tracks in the snow, and haven’t ever seen this type. I guessed they were moose. Soon we also noticed scat and agreed there must be a healthy moose population nearby.
We wandered down the river for a little while more before turning back up the canyon, when we saw something move in the trees. “A moose!” E and I stopped and watched a big male moose itching his nose on a tree. Then we saw three other big male moose standing nearby. Soon they started to play fight, by butting antlers.
E and I watched nervously (one was acting a little jumpy) and decided to walk around them in a huge circle to try to get a better view. Sure enough, around the bend we saw two of the moose eating sticks and snow, and then the largest one lay down.
E and I left the campground happy and excited for our night to come. We checked in without problem, and headed up to our room. It was a beautiful room with a great view of the resort. We changed out of our snow clothes to go have a look around.
The hotel was huge and extremely pretty. We were both hungry so decided to get cocktails on the 10th floor, where we had a special guest pass. The bar was awesome, and we sat near the window where we watched the moon rise over the snowy mountains.
I ordered a peppermint patty (white chocolate liquor, peppermint schnapps, and hot chocolate), E ordered a martini, and we got a fondue appetizer. We both agreed that splurging sometimes was so fun!
After a very nice cocktail hour we headed to the first floor for Mexican food. It was damn good as well. After dinner I was full and tired (from the alcohol) but we wanted to check out the exclusive spa on the 10th floor. I have no idea what type of deal my bro got us, but it was damn neat.
The spa on the 10th floor was really fun. We got robes and slippers and we were able to enjoy the hot tub and the pool on the roof. It’s weird going outside, in the middle of winter, on the roof of a 10 story building, and jumping in the pool, but we did it!
We watched the moon and the snowcats climbing the slopes of the resort. Then we headed inside to enjoy the eucalyptus steam room and the solarium, a room where you can recline, relax, and look out at the mountains.
Finally we decided to head back to the room where E kicked my ass in Mario Kart double dash (damn him!). We decided to get up early the next morning and head back to the spa before we had to head down to the valley.
At 7:15 the next morning we headed back upstairs, tired and cold, but were so thankful we did, because watching the sun turn the peaks pink on top of a roof, in the middle of winter was awesome. After a quick dip in the pool, a quick steam, changing, and a quick breakfast we headed back down to the valley for another work week, hoping we can do it all again next year.
My brother B works at Snowbird and was able to get E and me a free overnight pass at the Cliff Lodge. We were so excited! We left the city around 1:00 and headed up to Tanner’s Flat campground to go snowshoe. The snow was perfect, and the weather was fantastic. It was clear, and warm, and still.
E and I snowshoed to the river and both took in the majestic beauty. The river was flowing fairly fast for this time of year, and there was about 12” of snow piled up on all the rocks and logs. Thin fragile ice covered small areas, and we could see water bubbles under its clear surface.
The light in some areas was so blue the snow didn’t look white, and in other areas the light was pure pink. E and I commented on how pretty and quiet it was. Soon we started seeing animal tracks, and lots of them. I love to look for tracks in the snow, and haven’t ever seen this type. I guessed they were moose. Soon we also noticed scat and agreed there must be a healthy moose population nearby.
We wandered down the river for a little while more before turning back up the canyon, when we saw something move in the trees. “A moose!” E and I stopped and watched a big male moose itching his nose on a tree. Then we saw three other big male moose standing nearby. Soon they started to play fight, by butting antlers.
E and I watched nervously (one was acting a little jumpy) and decided to walk around them in a huge circle to try to get a better view. Sure enough, around the bend we saw two of the moose eating sticks and snow, and then the largest one lay down.
E and I left the campground happy and excited for our night to come. We checked in without problem, and headed up to our room. It was a beautiful room with a great view of the resort. We changed out of our snow clothes to go have a look around.
The hotel was huge and extremely pretty. We were both hungry so decided to get cocktails on the 10th floor, where we had a special guest pass. The bar was awesome, and we sat near the window where we watched the moon rise over the snowy mountains.
I ordered a peppermint patty (white chocolate liquor, peppermint schnapps, and hot chocolate), E ordered a martini, and we got a fondue appetizer. We both agreed that splurging sometimes was so fun!
After a very nice cocktail hour we headed to the first floor for Mexican food. It was damn good as well. After dinner I was full and tired (from the alcohol) but we wanted to check out the exclusive spa on the 10th floor. I have no idea what type of deal my bro got us, but it was damn neat.
The spa on the 10th floor was really fun. We got robes and slippers and we were able to enjoy the hot tub and the pool on the roof. It’s weird going outside, in the middle of winter, on the roof of a 10 story building, and jumping in the pool, but we did it!
We watched the moon and the snowcats climbing the slopes of the resort. Then we headed inside to enjoy the eucalyptus steam room and the solarium, a room where you can recline, relax, and look out at the mountains.
Finally we decided to head back to the room where E kicked my ass in Mario Kart double dash (damn him!). We decided to get up early the next morning and head back to the spa before we had to head down to the valley.
At 7:15 the next morning we headed back upstairs, tired and cold, but were so thankful we did, because watching the sun turn the peaks pink on top of a roof, in the middle of winter was awesome. After a quick dip in the pool, a quick steam, changing, and a quick breakfast we headed back down to the valley for another work week, hoping we can do it all again next year.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Cold Wintery Day
Labels:
life
I have a beautiful office, one I’m sure I don’t deserve. I’m on the 4th floor of a glass building facing east in a huge window office of my own! I look directly at the most beautiful mountains Utah has to offer, and I see both Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons. Some days I just lean back and look at how spectacular the view is.
Today however is a little different. The mountains are completely hidden behind a big cold gray cloud. As I look outside I see flags flapping wildly in the wind, and there is little snow flakes everywhere whizzing by.
For some reason the snowflakes are not sticking to the ground, even though it’s colder than a witch’s teat. I love when it snows big fat beautiful flakes that cover everything with a white blanket, but today is not one of those days. The ground is bare, the wind chill is high, and all I want to do is curl up and take a long nap.
Today however is a little different. The mountains are completely hidden behind a big cold gray cloud. As I look outside I see flags flapping wildly in the wind, and there is little snow flakes everywhere whizzing by.
For some reason the snowflakes are not sticking to the ground, even though it’s colder than a witch’s teat. I love when it snows big fat beautiful flakes that cover everything with a white blanket, but today is not one of those days. The ground is bare, the wind chill is high, and all I want to do is curl up and take a long nap.
Thursday, December 01, 2005
Remembering Africa
Labels:
travel
Today is World Aids Day, but that is not the reason I’m remembering Africa. I am remembering my time there, how magical and wonderful it was, and how it changed my life forever.One of my favorite memories in Africa was waking up each morning. There was no power in many of the places we stayed, so the only “alarm clock” was the Massai warriors that watched over the grounds at night.
We woke up before dawn most mornings because many animals are active at this time. The first thing I heard many mornings was “hello, hello, good morning!” Most days it took the Massai many hellos before I was awake enough to exchange a good morning back. On the Serengeti after our wake up call, we even got coffee and tea delivered to the tents. We were in the middle of Africa in a National Park where we could hear lions and hyenas most nights, and we were getting hot coffee delivered before sunrise!
Each member of my family loved this little wake-up tradition. We even joked about inventing an alarm clock that said “hello, hello, good morning” and only would shut off when you returned the hello, good morning.
Sometimes we woke at sunrise, and these mornings were the most magical. I would open my eyes, and see the most glorious sunrises right outside my tent. These days I would jump up, slip some shoes on, and run outside to take a picture before the scene changed.
Everyone deserves to see a sunrise over the Serengeti at some point in their life.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Wonderful loooong weekend…
I’m back to work on Monday happy to say that I had a great long Thanksgiving holiday. I got both Thursday and Friday off of work, so this is the longest break I’ve had at home for a very long time.
The time was well spent. Wednesday night E and I baked four pecan pies, two for his family, and two for mine. Thursday we picked up the house and relaxed before the big night. Then we ate and ate and ate, and left my family’s house very full and very happy. (And the pies were a huge hit).
Friday we went to the Gateway Mall, fought the crowds, and I ended up getting some really cute stuff, including a polar bear decoration. Also, we stopped into the Apple store and I enjoyed looking at the newest iPods.
Saturday I woke up early for a day I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time, wedding dress shopping, plus it had snowed overnight! The date worked perfectly because I had family and friends in town for the holiday, and they all joined me. We had great luck, and a bought a beautiful dress! Three of my bridesmaids were also there and picked out their dresses. Then we all went out for a girl’s lunch, and had a great time.
That night we celebrated Ch’s birthday by going out to Chinese food and watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (and had Harry Potter Birthday cake!)
Sunday E and I slept in late, relaxed, make two pots of tea, relaxed some more and finally set up the Christmas tree. Our house looks magical with all the old toys and red and green decorations displayed.
All in all, it was a great weekend.
The time was well spent. Wednesday night E and I baked four pecan pies, two for his family, and two for mine. Thursday we picked up the house and relaxed before the big night. Then we ate and ate and ate, and left my family’s house very full and very happy. (And the pies were a huge hit).
Friday we went to the Gateway Mall, fought the crowds, and I ended up getting some really cute stuff, including a polar bear decoration. Also, we stopped into the Apple store and I enjoyed looking at the newest iPods.
Saturday I woke up early for a day I’ve been looking forward to for a very long time, wedding dress shopping, plus it had snowed overnight! The date worked perfectly because I had family and friends in town for the holiday, and they all joined me. We had great luck, and a bought a beautiful dress! Three of my bridesmaids were also there and picked out their dresses. Then we all went out for a girl’s lunch, and had a great time.
That night we celebrated Ch’s birthday by going out to Chinese food and watching Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (and had Harry Potter Birthday cake!)
Sunday E and I slept in late, relaxed, make two pots of tea, relaxed some more and finally set up the Christmas tree. Our house looks magical with all the old toys and red and green decorations displayed.
All in all, it was a great weekend.
Friday, November 18, 2005
Top 10 things to love about the holidays
10. Christmas Music- I am a total sucker for Christmas music. Once Thanksgiving comes and goes, I’m in Christmas music heaven. I love The Carpenters, Neil Diamond and many others. I can’t wait to start singing along once again!
9. Fondue- Every year on New Years Eve we have a huge fondue dinner with my family. Crunchy bread, broccoli, and bell peppers all dipped into a cheesy goodness makes for a great night.
8. Setting up the Christmas tree- the day after Thanksgiving I love to get out all my Christmas stuff, including the tree. I love to do the lights (I know, I’m crazy) and I love to look through all my ornaments looking for my favorites. My cats seem to think it’s a good way to spend an afternoon too.
7. Christmas Breakfast- Each year on Christmas morning we have this hash brown casserole thing that I refer to at “Christmas breakfast.” It includes hash browns in a sour cream white sauce with ham and baked eggs on top. It always tastes wonderful.
6. Snow! I love the first snow fall of the season, and it always gets me in the mood for the holidays. I love being in the warm house when big fat flakes are falling outside, and I also love being outside. Sledding, skiing, snowshoeing or just romping around in fresh powder is magical.
5. Turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce- I love Thanksgiving. I love that I can eat as much as I want, I love all the different types of food, I love being first with E’s family, then with mine (and the double dinner!) and I love that Thanksgiving kicks of the holiday season for me.
4. Presents- I love that Christmas time is the time for giving. I have fun planning my gifts and making sure I have just the right thing for everyone I love. I also like being in the stores around Christmas time, there is such excitement in the air. And wrapping all the presents I’ve purchased and putting them under the tree can’t be missed. (And I love opening my presents on Christmas morning!)
3. Luminary Walk- my grandparents started a new tradition a few years ago where we walk to a local cemetery that lights thousands of luminaries right before Christmas. We bundle up, get our flashlights, and set off. The cemetery is so beautiful! When we return we eat a big bowl of chili.
2. Christmas Eve- My second favorite thing about the season has to be the Christmas Eve party my grandparents throw each year. All the excitement for the next day is building, the food is spectacular, and it’s so fun to dress up! Everyone is so happy to be together, and we all have a wonderful time.
1. Family- The thing I love most about the holidays is that is about family. It means so much to me being with the people I love that all the other stuff is just an add on. Being with my fiancé, parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles makes me truly thankful for the season.
9. Fondue- Every year on New Years Eve we have a huge fondue dinner with my family. Crunchy bread, broccoli, and bell peppers all dipped into a cheesy goodness makes for a great night.
8. Setting up the Christmas tree- the day after Thanksgiving I love to get out all my Christmas stuff, including the tree. I love to do the lights (I know, I’m crazy) and I love to look through all my ornaments looking for my favorites. My cats seem to think it’s a good way to spend an afternoon too.
7. Christmas Breakfast- Each year on Christmas morning we have this hash brown casserole thing that I refer to at “Christmas breakfast.” It includes hash browns in a sour cream white sauce with ham and baked eggs on top. It always tastes wonderful.
6. Snow! I love the first snow fall of the season, and it always gets me in the mood for the holidays. I love being in the warm house when big fat flakes are falling outside, and I also love being outside. Sledding, skiing, snowshoeing or just romping around in fresh powder is magical.
5. Turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce- I love Thanksgiving. I love that I can eat as much as I want, I love all the different types of food, I love being first with E’s family, then with mine (and the double dinner!) and I love that Thanksgiving kicks of the holiday season for me.
4. Presents- I love that Christmas time is the time for giving. I have fun planning my gifts and making sure I have just the right thing for everyone I love. I also like being in the stores around Christmas time, there is such excitement in the air. And wrapping all the presents I’ve purchased and putting them under the tree can’t be missed. (And I love opening my presents on Christmas morning!)
3. Luminary Walk- my grandparents started a new tradition a few years ago where we walk to a local cemetery that lights thousands of luminaries right before Christmas. We bundle up, get our flashlights, and set off. The cemetery is so beautiful! When we return we eat a big bowl of chili.
2. Christmas Eve- My second favorite thing about the season has to be the Christmas Eve party my grandparents throw each year. All the excitement for the next day is building, the food is spectacular, and it’s so fun to dress up! Everyone is so happy to be together, and we all have a wonderful time.
1. Family- The thing I love most about the holidays is that is about family. It means so much to me being with the people I love that all the other stuff is just an add on. Being with my fiancé, parents, siblings, cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles makes me truly thankful for the season.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Dorky questions
Labels:
life
Girliegirl and I got bored at work, so we decided to ask each other random questions that you sometimes see in cheesy celebrity interviews. Only my answer's are posted, for Girliegirl's check out here blog!
Question:
mustard or mayo?
Hot hot JJ says:
mustard!
Question:
Fave tv show as a kid?
Hot hot JJ says:
full house.
Question:
favorite grade?
Hot hot JJ says:
2nd
Question:
what would you do if you had found $15, what would you spend it on?
Hot hot JJ says:
sushi!
Question:
describe your dream vacation
Hot hot JJ says:
exploring a place that is so beautiful it takes my breath away. being able to breath deep and enjoy every moment, and eat wonderful foods I've never tried. I don't have a particular type of place, because I’d love to see islands and beaches, cities, cultures, mountains, forests. Everything.
Question:
Would you rather be a stay at home mom, or have your husband be a stay at home dad? And you had to choose.
Hot hot JJ says:
hmmm. if I HAD to, maybe I’d stay at home. but I’d prefer to work part time and be home part time
Question:
what is your favorite thing about thanksgiving?
Hot hot JJ says:
The food! I love that I can eat as much as I want and not feel guilty. I also love turkey with cranberry sauce
Quesion:
fave Christmas present ever?
Hot hot JJ says:
American girl doll Addy.
Question:
What would you do if you had two months to yourself? No work/ family/ bf?
Hot hot JJ says:
Oooh!! I’d travel and learn. I'd want to learn language, cooking, and culture. I'd sleep in and stay up late, I’d explore places, and sometimes take naps!
Question:
Your fave outfit (that you own, or might want to buy) that you think makes you look super sexy, and confident and hot
Hot hot JJ says:
This really pretty pink silk skirt, my black high heal sandals and a quarter length black sweater. (and of course, my hair looking good)
Question:
favorite childhood game?
Hot hot JJ says:
I loved lost girls -- we'd pretend that our parents die, and we were forced to live with our evil aunt (or something) and we'd run away and have to take care of ourselves
Question:
your favorite summer activity?
Hot hot JJ says:
as a kid I loved the swimming pool, but now i love weekend getaways to the farmhouse or cabin
Thats all!
Question:
mustard or mayo?
Hot hot JJ says:
mustard!
Question:
Fave tv show as a kid?
Hot hot JJ says:
full house.
Question:
favorite grade?
Hot hot JJ says:
2nd
Question:
what would you do if you had found $15, what would you spend it on?
Hot hot JJ says:
sushi!
Question:
describe your dream vacation
Hot hot JJ says:
exploring a place that is so beautiful it takes my breath away. being able to breath deep and enjoy every moment, and eat wonderful foods I've never tried. I don't have a particular type of place, because I’d love to see islands and beaches, cities, cultures, mountains, forests. Everything.
Question:
Would you rather be a stay at home mom, or have your husband be a stay at home dad? And you had to choose.
Hot hot JJ says:
hmmm. if I HAD to, maybe I’d stay at home. but I’d prefer to work part time and be home part time
Question:
what is your favorite thing about thanksgiving?
Hot hot JJ says:
The food! I love that I can eat as much as I want and not feel guilty. I also love turkey with cranberry sauce
Quesion:
fave Christmas present ever?
Hot hot JJ says:
American girl doll Addy.
Question:
What would you do if you had two months to yourself? No work/ family/ bf?
Hot hot JJ says:
Oooh!! I’d travel and learn. I'd want to learn language, cooking, and culture. I'd sleep in and stay up late, I’d explore places, and sometimes take naps!
Question:
Your fave outfit (that you own, or might want to buy) that you think makes you look super sexy, and confident and hot
Hot hot JJ says:
This really pretty pink silk skirt, my black high heal sandals and a quarter length black sweater. (and of course, my hair looking good)
Question:
favorite childhood game?
Hot hot JJ says:
I loved lost girls -- we'd pretend that our parents die, and we were forced to live with our evil aunt (or something) and we'd run away and have to take care of ourselves
Question:
your favorite summer activity?
Hot hot JJ says:
as a kid I loved the swimming pool, but now i love weekend getaways to the farmhouse or cabin
Thats all!
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
And the sorting hat says...
Labels:
hobby
Gryffindor!Okay, I'm a total Harry Potter nut, and love the books. I finished the sixth book again today, and loved it the second time around.
Finally, someone found a decent Sorting Hat quiz online. There are 112 questions. Test yourself, and see where you'll be sorted.
Good luck!
Oh, and my trip to Colorado was good, but I'm glad to be home.
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