Girls Mornin' Out - Snowshoeing Style

Can I tell you how much I love snowshoeing? I love it. Pretty much the best thing. . . well, maybe I like skiing better, but snowshoeing follows it very closely. And it's free! And I get a workout when I do it! And . . . it's awesome. Everyone should do it.

Anyway, enough of my sales pitch. Some good girlfriends and I went snowshoeing up the Alpine Loop road. It was so beautiful. The snow was deep because it snowed the night before. And my awesome fleece is still awesome.

The Quick Boise Trip

So a couple weekends ago, I took an extremely quick trip to Idaho to go skiing with the family and a friend at the new resort that is being built near Cascade, Idaho. It is called Tamarack. So appropriate. Tamarack is a type of pine/evergreen tree that actually loses it's pine needles - but first they change colors. So cool.

It was a pretty fun resort, although it is definitely a work in progress. They need to come visit some of the resorts in Utah to see how it is done. But the terrain was varied and long and the snow was pretty good. It is going to be a beautiful resort. They are building some huge chalet/hotels. And the place is surrounded with cabins. So great.

But they need to work on their road-keeping and parking lots. I scraped bottom in my car as I drove up to the resort because there was a bank of snow in the middle of some tire tracks. Good grief! :o)

But you know. I can't complain too bad because it was a free day of skiing!! My brother-in-law, Doug, has some seriously awesome hook-ups.

The last picture of the whole group came with a price - the girl taking the photo dropped my camera in the snow. But thankfully, there is no apparent damage to my camera - so far. :o) From left to right: Me, Matt - the friend, Doug, Robyn, Spencer, Parker, and Jill. Oh - and you should have seen the cloud of snow-dust that I sprayed Parker with. It was over his head!!! It was awesome. The best spray job I've done in ages.

Wordless Wednesday - The Beginnings of a Life Long Love

Third time the charm?

Well, I did it. Don't ask me why I've been dragging my feet, but I have and I don't know why, but I finally called my friend's piano teacher. She sounds soooo nice. I am meeting with her at 7 tonight for a free consultation. So I think I will be taking piano lessons again! Woo hoo! I'm excited but I am also kind of nervous. I took piano lessons two other times in my life: in elementary school and then in high school. Both times, my teacher quit teaching about the same time that I wanted to quit taking lessons. I remember not being very good about practicing and that is why I am nervous! Will I struggle to practice again? Eek. I don't know. And actually, get this: the piano teacher lives a block or two away from my office so I might see if I can take my lessons during my lunch hour! How cool would that be?

Daily Universe is at it again! Ha!

So my favorite, ridiculous newspaper, The Daily Universe, is at it again! Making me laugh! Every Friday they run this section called, "Fridays Fab Five." Last week, I talked about the websites to waste time with and before that I shared my favorite letters to the editor with you. Well here is the newest installment of the DU. (Maybe I should make this a recurring blog entry.) :o) Ha! Love it. Must love the DU.

Inspired by an article on MSN, this week's Fab Five offers advice on what NOT to say to the opposite sex. Here's the BYU-specific list of what you should never say:

What not to say to a guy:

1. "Why don't you ask me out?" Apparently, this happens. Ladies, never suggest yourself as a date. It puts him in an awkward situation and makes you look desperate.
2. "He's so hot." When you're talking about another guy. Move stars, maybe, but never say it about someone you know.
   
3. "Let's share dessert." Girls, you want the whole thing. Guys know that.
   
4. "Are you going to wear that?" This is what the guy hears: "You look hideous, and even though we're ready to go, change your clothes or we're not leaving."
5. Any discussion of marriage on a first date, or even a tenth date. Talk about freaking a guy out. If it's about marriage, don't bring it up.
   

What not to say to a girl:

1. "You look tired and/or comfortable." Guys, this tells a girl she looks like she just rolled out of bed, and chances are she probably spent time getting ready that day.
   
2. "Is it that time of the month?" Touchy. If it is, now she's even grouchier, but if it isn't, you're in trouble. Girls have emotions, but they aren't all PMS. It's insulting.
   
3. "Are you really going to eat all that?" What she hears: "You fat cow, I can't believe you're having a cheeseburger AND fries!"
4. "What's up with your hair?" A girl's hair is one of the most important things to her image and makes her feel either beautiful or ugly. Never insult the hair.
   
5. Refer to them as an object/title. For example, never say, "The girlfriend and I will come over." The girlfriend has a name, jerk. Let the days of objectification be over.

Wordless Wednesday - My mom and Grandma 1941

Birthday Trip to Cali Recap

Wow. So it was two weeks ago today that I was in San Francisco for my birthday! And its been two weeks since I've done anything responsible - well responsible like, clean my bathroom, wash my bed, clean my room, do laundry, buy groceries, and blog! And tonight was the night to rectify that!! I am proud to say I got it all done! I would have liked to have done my taxes too and get the copies of a survey form made, but that didn't happen. You can tell I even got side tracked with my two previous posts before the real one that I needed to write up! Ugh. I digress.

Here are some highlights and pics from my trip to see Joni and Adam and their three kids: Adam, Whitney and Ethan.

Day 1 - Friday, January 18th, my actual Birthday!:
Wake up to a chorus of "Happy Birthday" and a monster balloon.
French toast with fresh strawberries and blueberries.
Quick run to take Ethan to school - in our jammies.
Getting ready for the day while sharing a bathroom with my sis.
Driving around in a convertible with the top down.
Extremely successful shopping ($7 work pants and $12 skirt from Ann Taylor Loft).
Almost buying some big, furry boots.
Gourmet birthday cake with the kids and opening presents.
Trip into the city for dinner at Scala's with Joni and Adam.
Walk around Coit Tower.

Day 2 - Saturday, January 19th:
A couple of fabulous hours in the Legion of Honor (SF's Art Museum) musing over Monet, Renior, Rodin, etc.
Pics on the grounds of the Legion of Honor and gazing at the Golden Gate Bridge from a distance .
Pier 39.
Dinner at Neptune's Palace with their fabulous crab cakes.
Stroll through the aquarium that was making us motion sick.
Watching To Catch a Thief with Joni.

Day 3 - Sunday, January 20th:
Playing ping pong and the Indiana Jones pinball machine with Whitney and Ethan.
Beating Adam's high score on the Indiana Jones pinball machine (I think my score was 275 million).
Attending church and listening to Ethan's primary talk.
Savoring a lamb dinner.
Family Home Evening with a lesson by Ethan.
Watching an episode of the Walton's.

Day 4 - Monday, January 21st:
Watching Ethan tackle the skate park like a pro on his skateboard in Petaluma.
Experiencing my first Trader Joe's and restraining myself to what will fit in my carry-on sized luggage.
Off to the airport to catch my delayed-by-a-snowstorm-in-SLC flight.

Me, Simpsonized

So this is the other crazy website listed in the Daily Universe today: simpsonizeme.com. Who has time to come up with these crazy websites? But it sure was fun all the same! Check me out as a Simpson's character. I use to love watching the Simpson's when I was in high school and college - I've since grown out of it. Sigh. :o)

Which celebrity do I look like?

So today's Daily Universe covered 5 websites that you can waste time on and one of them was this website where I could submit my picture and see which celebrities I looked like. They gave me ten options to choose from and 2 of them were men! How rude. Do I really look like a guy??? :o)