Thursday Photo Shoot

Cabin Weekend

We loaded up three SUVs and a car last Friday and headed down to Rob's cabin in Schofield, Utah. I ended up in the car, which became significant when we came to the steep ice covered road up to the cabin. The SUVs managed ok, but we were quickly left behind trying multiple times to gain enough speed to make it up this one hill. We made it part way and parked the car in a level area when Old Man Bitter came out to inform us with unnecessary verbal force that we were not allowed to park there. When he finally stopped talking long enough for us to say. "Sorry about that, we'll take it back down right now," Mark and Emily took the car down, and Blake and I decided to walk the rest of the way to the cabin... under Rob's instructions that it was just up the hill and to the left. So with just my converse shoes on the frozen road we wandered up the hill and into the drive ways of multiple cabins until we finally found the right one some 20 minutes later. By then my feet were pretty much popsicles. Had I known that it was about 4 degrees outside that night, I probably wouldn't have chosen to walk, but no harm done. I still have all 10 toes.

Rob's cabin only really qualifies as a cabin because the toilet roll holders have moose on them, there's a fishing net hanging on the wall... oh, and you can only access it by plowing the drive way with a front loader tracker (which they own). We quickly got into some heated ping pong matches that occupied Chris Silva and I most of the night. A little after midnight, we got in the hot tub and stayed in there till 2AM. Naturally, where ever a hot tub exists in close proximity to snow, the feats of strength begin. We all took our turn in the snow, but Blake was the undisputed winner when, in his swim suit, he jumped off the balcony into the snow, ran across the drive way and made this beautiful snow angel, and then climbed snowy stairs back up to the hot tub.

Before breakfast, Amy and I grabbed out cameras and went out for a little morning cabin photography shoot. It was so gorgeous up there.

This one would be my favorite, but the snow under the sun is totally blown out. Bummer.

The original plan for Saturday was ice fishing. Rob had everything gathered, poles, worms, the little hut thing... everything, but fishing licenses. So we had to go sledding and snowmobiling instead. As you can imagine, everyone wouldn't stop complaining.

While some were out snowmobiling, I asked Rob if he would teach me how to drive the front loader tractor. He climbed in with me and showed me how it worked and then let me play on my own. I built a wonderful pile of snow. It was so fun.

Blake forgot his snow pants so he rummaged around in the cabin until he found some of Rob's little sister's snow pants. Very hot, Blake.

In case that looks like I heil Hitler, just know that I have one finger up in my mitten.

Thursday Night Photo Shoot

Provo Temple

Provo Canyon Tunnel

Snowshoeing

Kickin' off the new year right, we assembled a group of 30+ snowshoers and headed up the canyon. The snow was perfect packing snow, which is important for snowshoeing, because without good snowballs, it's much harder to keep yourself entertained... and harder to flirt too.
The snow was a little deeper than I thought on my first attempted handstand. My arms sunk into the snow a few feet... all the way up to my neck. Yes, I white-washed myself. Everyone really enjoyed it.

See that snowball? I think he's flirting with me.

Definitely some flirting happening here.

2010. The beginning.

I usually spend New Year's with my family in British Columbia. And while I still love the nights of playing games and eating great treats (like the rest of our holiday nights) this year, I was bound and determined to have a real New Year's... with friends. It was fabulous! We had a glamorous Casino night. Admittedly, this was my first fake gambling experience. I dabbled in the poker department, but spent most of my evening steadily losing monopoly money at the craps table. I just couldn't stop! Who knew fake gambling could be so addictive? Just kidding. Solitaire taught me that a long time ago. The dress code was GLAMOROUS, and mom's old faux fur cropped jacket was SO PERFECT! (another great find from Mom's trunk of wonders) I looked like a million monopoly bucks, if I do say so myself. It was a really fun evening and a great way to ring in 2010. This is our year! That's what we keep saying. Magical things are going to happen in 2010!

Playing Dress Up

My mom is kind of an amazing seamstress. She pretty much popped out of the womb stitching her own blessing dress. She made all her prom dresses, her wedding dress, her sisters' wedding dresses, her daughters dresses, my Grad dress, my sister's wedding dress, her grand daughters' dresses... (She made more than dresses, though... like my peach and black leopard-print spandex 2nd-grade gym outfit. I'd post a picture, but I think I destroyed them all... I hope). Anyway, my mom was a fashion major at BYU and she always had the most cutting-edge, stylish clothing. Ever since I grew into my mom's teenage body-type, I loved opening the old truck of mom's funky clothing and trying on her dresses and sweet yellow bell bottoms.

This Christmas Eve, we got stuck again going back through the old trunk and trying on dress after dress. Do girls ever really grow out of playing dress up? I certainly haven't. This time, though, I saw these clothes in a different light. Vintage is so in these days, and there were a few dresses that were just too great to pass up. After all, my mom was a hot commodity. What's the female equivalent of a chick-magnet? Dude-magnet? That doesn't sound right. Anyway, perhaps what worked for her will work for me too! So, thanks mom, for letting me take the following three dresses.

The first was a dress she made in college. I call it the "It's a Small World" dress because I feel like a small South American doll in it. The second was the one my mom wore outside the temple the day she got married, and the third one was designed in one of her college classes. It had a cool blousey top with it, but I'm only taking the heavy velvet frock.

I actually wore the middle one (my favorite) to church today, and boy was it a hit. I had people I had never met stopping me in the hallway to find out where I got this amazing dress. Nice work, mom. Your masterpieces are timeless... or perhaps reoccurring every 30 to 40 years.