Random Weekend Stuff

Last night, Janie took me to the play, "A Philadelphia Story" that was showing at the Pioneer Theater on the University of Utah campus. And since we were going to be in Salt Lake City for the play, Janie wanted to stop by the Home Goods store up there. She bought a bunch of stuff and I ..... bought one massive mirror for my bedroom. It has to be over six feet tall and it's a leaner! It's meant to sit on the floor and lean against the wall. Getting it home was kind of exciting, we had to put the backseat down and lean the mirror between the two front seats. :) I love the frame except that it is white, which doesn't really fit in my room but I figure I can spray paint it next summer when the weather warms up. I love it. I'm so excited to have a long mirror!

Oh and I purposely took the picture like this so you could see my new polka-dot dress and red mary-jane shoes that I bought last weekend for my birthday shopping trip.

And... I just had to document the beautiful blue skies and warm weather we had today: it was 43 degrees today!!! Lately, even 32 has been feeling warm compared to the teens we've been having for so long now. We've also had a terrible inversion and some crazy fog too. So the blue skies were a sight for sore eyes. But it was short lived since we have a new dusting of an inch or two of snow already tonight.

Baby Quilt for Old Roommate, Jen

My old roommate, Jen Curry Hodnett, is pregnant with twins .... a boy and a girl! So Janie and I threw a baby shower for her and we also combined forces and made baby quilts for her babies. We used the same pattern for the quilts but different fabrics. I made the quilt for the baby boy! Check it out below: 

Office Birthday Fun

My office upholds the tradition of celebrating each others' birthdays elementary-school-style: where the birthday girl or boy brings in his or her own favorite treats for the office ... if they want to. But! Everyone else gets the joy of decorating the birthday girl or boy's workspace. So I came into my office with it decorated with balloons, streamers, confetti, stars, cat posters, and this beauty:

The funny story behind this image is this: Every year my vice president puts out a calendar with our mission, vision, and values in it with images taken by BYU personnel. When last year's calendar came out, I refused to hang it up in my office because of this image (nearly....there was another image that grossed me out). I mean, can it get funnier and more ironic than this? The image totally represents accountability, right? As in, "You're gonna be accountable like this fish was when he messed up!" Ha ha! So I hung up this calendar in my student's bat cave office and apparently they saved this image to hang up in my office to celebrate my birthday. I had to preserve the fun of it for all generations to come.

Oh and the cat posters .... that was another joke. I am not a fan of cat posters and I have been very vocal about it since my student editor and I had a discussion about the phrase, "There's more than one way to skin a cat." I wanted to use the phrase in a training and since she loves cats, she edited it out of the script .... but I put it back in after a funny conversation with her. :)

The rest of my birthday was pretty awesome: friends for dinner and dessert at the Awful Waffle, shopping with Teri and Jen Hansen, a date or two with Mike M., cross-country skiing on MLK day (post coming up next), and a relaxing Sunday.

Can't Get Enough of XC Skiing

A little cross-country skiing with a bunch of friends at Round Valley near Park City. Love it! 

With Jenn Chase

Me, Kendra, and Jenn Chase

Bluebird Day at Sundance Nordic Center

I'm using my cross-country skis that I got for Christmas like there's no tomorrow! I love them. Stephanie, Janette, and I went to Sundance's Ladies Day at their Nordic Center and took advantage of the lessons and their beautiful trails. All three of us were in different lessons, but we got together afterward and skied amidst the beautiful scenery.

Fire & Ice New Year's Eve Retreat

Sledding (tubing) with Janie and new friends Suzanne and Nathan

Back in October 2012, Janie invited me to sign up with her for an LDS mid-singles New Year's Eve retreat at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah. I sat on it for a while trying to decide if I wanted to go. I just knew it was going to be a meat market and probably ridiculous. I decided to go because I could be a wing-woman to Janie and just do the things that I wanted to do (like the ice skating, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing).

XC Skiing with Wendy

Well, it was ridiculous and it was a meat market. But because I went with the right attitude - that I was there to support Janie, enjoy the outdoor activities, shun the activities I didn't want to do, and generally talk to people like I wouldn't ever see them again ... it was fun! Overall, I had a great time. I met some great people that I think I might actually do stuff with! And by the end, two guys asked for my phone number - which was kind of crazy since that was the last thing I expected to come out of this little event. One guy, Patrick, lives in South Jordan and I haven't heard from him since which doesn't surprise me since he has over 1,400 friends on Facebook (I have to admit that is kind of a turn-off for me). And the other guy, Mike, lives in Los Angeles and we've been in touch every day since. Mike is good friends with one of the girls that Janie and I roomed with and because we had a condo with a living room and kitchen it was comfortable to invite people over so Mike came over and ended up kind of being our fifth roommate since he spent so much time hanging out with us.  I've already hung out with one girl, Stephanie, that I met there - we went cross-country skiing together yesterday.

Snowshoeing with my new friend, Stephanie.

There were over 300 LDS mid-singles (ages 31-45) there and it seemed like the majority of them were divorcees. They held a dating workshop that I did not attend. Nor did I attend the kissing rugby - thank goodness because I was mortified just hearing about it. But I did attend the ice skating, the sledding, the meals, the fireside, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and the New Year's Eve Gala. Oh man. It was a little weird to try and get my groove on dancing to gangster music while all dressed up in my fancy glitter shoes and sequin top. After 15 minutes, I was warmed up and doing okay. I think. :) I definitely rang in the New Year in a different fashion this year.

My fancy outfit purchased with Joni's help! 

Going to the gala - with Patrick, me, Kyle, Janie, Dave Dean, and Heather

Heather, Janie, and me at the gala

Janie, me, and Dave Dean - who kissed both Janie and I at the New Year! 

Christmas Letter 2012

Merry Christmas!

Ah, Miracle on 34th Street playing on my TV, eggnog in the fridge, snow in the forecast, and the end of finals and a tough fall semester - all signs that Christmas is upon us and so is my task of trying to write a Christmas letter! 2012 has been a wonderful and quiet year for me. Well, okay. Maybe not that quiet. 

I’m still working for BYU in their Human Resource Development office doing online training and now that I have a beautiful new Macbook at work, my work is that much more exciting to show up for! I’m now in my last year of my graduate program, so I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! I’m also still in my little condo in Springville, and still racing and riding my mountain bike. 

This year’s travels included two trips to Seattle. (I really am obsessed, and I really do need to move there someday.) My mom joined me for the first trip - to see my friend’s wedding. While there, we explored the beautiful Bloedel Reserve and drove around the old haunts from back in the day when my parents and sisters lived in the area - long before my time! And the second trip was my dream-come-true trip of going hiking in the Olympics and along the coast. It was beautiful and everything I dreamed of. I also went to Houston to visit my sister, Joni, and her family at their new home. We went to the beach on a most perfect day ever and ate some alligator for dinner that her husband and son hunted and shot. 

This has also been the year of family with a skiing weekend in January with three of my sisters, and three nephews getting married. The cherry on top was when my mom came down for the Sundance Outdoor Theater production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Bless her beautiful hide! 

In August, I bought Ruby, my Subaru Outback. I {heart} my Outback. Because I have her, I purposely parked in a snow drift last month . . . because I could. It was awesome! And just the other day, I went to lunch with a friend during the peak of a snow storm. I watched a bunch of other people sliding around while me and Ruby drove around like it was no big deal. I should have bought her a long time ago. I’m excited for all the new places I’ll be able to go because of her! 

To wrap up here are some other highlights by the numbers: 100 miles of Little Red Riding Hood road bike ride conquered. 51 miles ridden in 36 hours for the 12 Hours of Mesa Verde race. 23 miles ridden in the 12 Hours of Sundance race where we took 1st place! 4 quilts completed. 4 moose and 1 baby moose seen while out mountain biking. 2 mountain bike rides when my rear brakes quit working leading to 1 great tumble. 1 beast of a road ride over the Alpine Loop logging 45 miles and 4,200 feet of climbing. 1 tarantula sighting in Hobble Creek canyon. 1 kitchen faucet replaced by yours truly. And 1 new roommate! Jo is her name and she just moved in at the beginning of December! She’s perfectly wonderful. 

I hope all is well with you and your loved ones and that this letter finds you well and happy! May the spirit of Christmas, and the hope and joy that comes with it, fill your lives. Take care and keep the emails, blog posts, and Christmas letters coming! 

Best wishes, 

Jessika