...skiing at Canyons brings back memories

We went skiing with Ryan and Lindsay. It was Lindsay's first time and she did great! Canyons has a fun magic carpet that we rocked all day. Lindsay doesn't like the "pizza" stance much and went straight to "french fry" aka going straight down the hill.

Lindsay loved it so much she didn't want to quit. Even after the rest of us were tired out. It was fun to see Dave teach her how to ski too. He's pretty sore from doing pizza all afternoon!

...you're a x-country ski addict

We skied the Beaver Creek Trail up Mirror Lake Highway on Christmas Eve morning. Dave and I both have new cross-country ski setups and were excited to try them out. The snow was fast and our new skis slick, so we had quite the time.

First, we had to cross a frozen river that was a pure sheet of ice. Luckily no falling there. At the top of the first hill I breathed a sigh of relief because I hadn't taken a spill through all the treachery, when suddenly I was on the ground! My skis had come right out from under me. I laughed because my doctor had warned me about downhill skiing, but never cross-country. And I always fall way more when cross-country skiing.

Dave fell three times to my one and once it was in front of two ladies who asked him if he was okay. That was pretty funny. I like doing a sport with Dave that he isn't a pro at already. He may become a pro soon though because on Monday he x-country skied 13 miles. That's what happens when the snow on the downhill slopes is non-existent!

...blue skies for us

We are loving the blue skies in Kamas. A couple weekends ago, Dave and I took the four wheeler up behind our house for a drive. We ended up hiking toward Hoyt's Peak, but didn't make it all the way. We saw a moose on the drive up and many, many animal tracks. 

This is an old Forest Service snow survey station. I thought it might be an Indian burial ground and had reservations about exploring the area. Dave has never seen Jeremiah Johnson so he wasn't scared. 

...Lucy's smoothies are tasty

Lucy and Brady invited us for a fun day skiing at Park City with dinner/hot tub/games/dessert after. They're very good hosts. Lucy made this amazing strawberry & pina colada smoothie. So good!

...we're finally getting the holiday spirit

Since we've been married, Dave and I haven't decorated, or really even done much to celebrate a single holiday. Our house was feeling so drab and lonely compared to others with Christmas lights and trees. So, on Saturday we went to Home Depot and voila! A cozy Christmas home.

Home Depot was giving away pine branches they had trimmed from trees. That's what we made the mantle piece garland from. Our tree for this year is this little Norfolk Island Pine with two ornaments on it (it came with one). I guess we need some more ornaments :)

Dave wanted me to just gather all our decorations from the forest. But I convinced him we at least needed some Christmas lights. While getting those, we ended up with everything else! I was happy about that because it's been cold up here the last couple days.

...we're going fly fishing in November?

Dave and his friend Brad decided to go fishing on Thanksgiving Eve. I tagged along even though it didn't seem like the sport of choice on a Winter day. It wasn't too cold though and very pretty. 

The best part was watching Brad trying to keep his dog out of his fishing line. We didn't catch anything, but it was a nice outing. 

...you found the camera!

I thought we'd lost our camera in Moab. But Dave found it in his mtn bike bag that he didn't take. It's a mystery. So, here's a couple pics from it even though it was many weekends ago.

Michelle came and we had a good time. She is one good little mtn biker. And Moab is always so lovely. 

...what do I do on the deer hunt?

Fish! And these are my fishing buddies at Lower Bowns on Boulder Mountain. Brooke, Ruby, Beau, Chet, and Dad. We caught some nice Rainbows.

I can't get enough of this little munchkin Sonora. She's at such a cute age right now. And she's so funny!

The views off of Boulder are so incredible. I didn't get any great pics of the view though, so this is what it looks like via better photographers:

Mom even brought pumpkins for the kids and that got their creative juices flowing.

...winter comes early in Kamas

 This morning Dave pulled back the blinds and said, "I have a surprise for you. Look!" I looked and there was an inch of snow covering everything! It was so beautiful. And the snow hasn't stopped drifting down all day.

It's a good thing we got our hot weather fix in Moab last weekend--almost 90 degrees; otherwise, I wouldn't be excited for the cold weather :)

...it's an incredible house...in Salt Lake!

Trendir featured this beautiful home and I was surprised to learn its location--our very own SLC. It overlooks Emigration Canyon. The house is not only beautiful, it has cool components such as water-saving toilets, a rainwater recycling system, floor radiant heating, and drought-resistant landscaping. I'm impressed.

...my little sister is getting married

Becky and Andrew are getting married this Friday. Check out these beautiful pics by Justin Hackworth. They are both so gorgeous!

...here's a couple newfound gems

As I've been looking for a few pieces of needed furniture for our house I've come across two local furniture stores that are so cool. Well, one is truly local (Alice Lane) and the other just has a store in SLC. You need to check out:

Alice Lane

Restoration Hardware

...I forgot how to cook

We finally got a fridge, so last night was the first dinner Dave and I had in our new house. We've eaten at every restaurant in Kamas now and I'm sick of eating out. Luckily Howard and Lisa invited us over for Sunday dinner. It's also lucky we  have a lot of camping gear cause we don't have a table and chairs.

...lookin' back on Alaska

I've been so busy after Alaska I haven't shared some of the highlights of the trip. The last weekend we were in Alaska, Missy, Ken, Elise, and Adele braved the rainy weather and took us rafting down the Chulitna River. We camped overnight and ate smores cooked over the camp stove (too rainy for a fire). We had seen one little black bear and lots of tracks, so we were hoping for no encounters.

Elise and Adele did great even though it was cold and wet. Tough girls! And so cute. We parked our boat on the beach and ate lunch in Talkeetna. What a cool little town. Missy and I realized we hadn't seen each other since before Dave and I got married, so it was a very welcome visit. They are such a fun/cool family and very good friends. Wish we got to see them more. Thanks for the hospitality Ken and Missy!