Utah Visit and Skiing

I wrote this a long time ago and never posted with pictures, and since I haven't posted in awhile, I thought I would go ahead and post this--a month late. :)

A couple of weeks ago I took a last-minute planned trip to visit my parents and family in Utah. With Mike studying all day and night for the BAR, Abby and I needed a change of scenery. Luckily, standby flights were open and Abby and I made it with no problems. Abby really enjoyed the airplane this time around. As she gets older, it's fun to watch her experience different things (even if she had been on an airplane before). She wanted to look out the window the whole time. She got her own seat and we set up "shop" with her DVDs and sticker books. She was truly an angel both ways--despite the vomitting lady sitting next to us on the way home.

Abby loves her Grandma Sue--especially when she plays blocks with her.

We love visiting my family in Utah. We never run out of things to do. And despite the crummy "haze" (aka SMOG) they were experiencing while we were there, this trip was dedicated to shopping....I don't know why, but when I get with my mom, we go crazy shopping. We don't spend crazy, but we love to go to explore and find all kinds of good deals. And I love going to Utah because they have stores that can't be found in Cali. We hit DI, Deseret Book, SEI Scrapbook Outlet, Kohls, the mall, Ben Franklins Crafts, DownEast Outlet, and of course JoAnns. DI was by far my favorite stop--they have a great DI in Logan. Man, do I sound addicted to shopping or what? Maybe it's because we finally have an income again......

The yucky "haze" flying out of Utah....

Abby and her twin cousins--aren't they so cute? We met them for dinner the night we flew in.

We spent a little time crafting, but mainly just hung out at night, ate good food, played around on the piano, and watched movies. Abby loved every minute of it! She woke up early each day ready to play and explore. My dad took her sledding one day and she had a great time. At first she didn't know what to think, but after a few runs she was hooked and didn't want to stop. We searched all week for some boots for her to wear in the snow because I know from experience that the only way to enjoy the snow is to be properly dressed for it. I finally found these "Ugg" looking boots at Target that she wore. Not exactly snow boots, but enough to cover and keep her feet warm. She was stylish!



Abby loved getting to wake up Uncle David every morning. She constantly asked, "David awake?" (even when he was awake and standing next to her). She loves playing and spending time with him.



We had such a great time and can't wait to go back again! It's so nice to spend time with my parents and get that one-on-one time all my siblings and I crave at times. :) Thanks Mom and Dad for driving us around and letting us stay for a week!

So for Christmas, Mike let me splurge on a new pair of skis and boots! Now that we are back in the Bay Area, we are looking forward to many trips up to the mountains for some skiing and snowboarding. I can't wait until Abby is coordinated enough to try it! Anyway, I've been able to go skiing twice this month and have loved being back on the mountain. I took a skiing class at BYU and used my old pair of skis I got for Christmas in high school. They were pretty ghetto by the time I got to college, but they had served me well and they were cheaper than renting a pair each week in class. My ski instructor made fun of my skis every week and claimed they were impossible to ski in, yet I was able to keep up with the class each week, until we came to the "carving" lesson. My skis were straight as toothpicks, so carving was a bit of a challenge for me. One day my instructor asked to switch skis with me so I could get a feel of what the "new and improved" skis (aka hyperbolic) felt like. After trying his skis, I was in heaven and was determined to get me a new pair of skis. 5 years later, here I am with my new pair of skis!


Mike and I went skiing with some friends to Heavenly ski resort in Tahoe. It was a crappy day to go (it hadn't snowed in a few weeks, so it was slushy and patchy with lots of rocks), but we had some free passes, so we had to go. I got my first HUGE scratches on my new skis, but I guess that will happen.



I also got to go skiing last week with my BFF and her family. We learned how to ski together when we were little, so it's always fun when we get to go together, especially now that we have kids. The best part about the trip was the five feet of fresh powder that had come just a few days before we went. It was all POWDER and it was beautiful! I was reminded why I enjoy skiing so much--the rush of the wind blowing in your face as you speed down, the sound of the snow swishing under your skis, and the sound of stillness as you stand at the top of the mountain and look at the valley below. How I love skiing!

Lindi and I--all grown up! :)

Have you seen these new "rope tows"? We decided to try it--I would not recommend it. It put some sticky stuff on the bottom of our skis, which made it hard to ski down the hill.

Moving on to February--I decided to get crafty and keep myself distracted since I am home alone most of the time.

I made this Valentine's chair backer and did the 14 days of Valentine's. I put a little something in it each day--stickers, coloring pages, crafts, candy, etc. The last day I put in some "stacking nests" blocks, which Abby loves to stack and then knock down. She had so much fun checking in the bag each day--I want to make one for each holiday!

Abby has discovered "dress-up". I have two princess dresses that she likes to wear around sometimes, but her favorite thing to wear is her Princess Ariel shoes my mom sent her for Valentine's day.

We went to San Francisco way back in January, but took these fun pictures of Abby on the Golden Gate bridge. Who would have thought she'd look so cute against such a red background? :)

Abby's first haircut. She was pretty nervous about it all, but she sat still. It was really only a trim, but it was still needed.