feet on the dash

the boys and i will be road tripping tomorrow to visit the utah gerbers!

we are giddy with excitement and the car is packed with bikes, snowboards,
the few snow clothes we have, and lots and lots of books.
i told c i feel sorry for him....that he has to drive and can't read.
{he said it's ok...he listens to podcasts...or make conference calls}

while he reads, my feet will be up on the dashboard of his car
{he allows this as long as they are clean}.

i can't be the only one who does this. *grin*

brianhead 2015: boys in action

c just shared a few photos and some video he took of our gerblets during
our recent utah trip! i was thrilled to see some short clips of the boys in action.
with poles in my hands, i wasn't able to take any video {another reason i like
snowboarding more than skiing}

day 1: i spent the majority of the day with finn and c spent the majority of
the day with scout. both boys were on their butts a lot the first half of day.
i watched them fall over and over and remembered when i was learning to
board. falling and getting back up over and over is exhausting.

day 2: christopher took the boys to the terrain park where they ventured over
small 'bumps'. {not sure what the proper technical term is}.

our gerblets in action. finn oliver:

and the scoutmaster:

 

 

 



~ the utah gerbers are arriving on thursday and we're pretty excited!
bit t's been training hard for this half ironman which will be on saturday,
so the entire family will be up early and cheering him on.
the following day, we will be cheering on scout during his soccer game,
{and i can't forget the arizona wildcats...they play sometime this weekend}

spring skiing: utah 2015

as most gerber roadtrips begin,
the boys and i were up at dark o-thirty packing the car.
when we really have it together, the car is packed the night before.
this trip wasn't one of them.

as c was running conference call meetings from the car,
the boys and I barely noticed as we had our heads buried in books.
i was enjoying bossypants by tina fey, finn was devouring space case,
and scout was reading the hobbit for this second time.

instead of going directly to utah, we had discussed stopping in los angeles
so c could look at a car at a volvo dealership he had seen a few days earlier.

for 2 years, he has been looking for a newer model of what he has but it
had to meet all his requirements and this one did {including price}. 
he ended up loving the car, traded in the car we came in and we drove away
in a much more comfy 2 year old silver volvo xc70 or 90. 
{i think that's the model. i'll have to check}

we arrived in st. george a little later than planned because of our detour,
but were sure to get a good night's rest. after breakfast, we all headed 
to the cabin in brianhead.  the drive there is so beautiful!!











uncle t was a bit under the weather the first day,
so he rested in the cabin all day while the rest of us hit the slopes. 
we had a great time and couldn't have asked for better weather -
the sun was shining and the temperature was about 50...perfect!

though i hadn't skied since i was in my early 20s,
it came back to me which i was so grateful for because  my goal
was to be able to ski along side the little guys. i was even able to
share a few pointers beyond pizza and french fries.

by the end of the day, the boys had found their balance and scout
was completely exhausted.  he fell asleep in the warming house.

the boys found lots to do even when they weren't on the slopes...
scout and i played the mexican train game while the bigger boys
dug caves into the pile of snow they found on the cabin's front porch.
they spent HOURS outside and came inside only when it got too dark to see
and their fingers had fallen off.

we've shared so many memories in this cabin with the utah gerbers and
family over the years and are so grateful shannon and trevor have so graciously
shared their home and their hearts with us. we will treasure them forever.



finn {11}, scout {7}, maya {11}, isaac {9}

~ some new nicknames were handed out during this trip.
scoutmaster was given to scout by uncle t, and scout has
chosen 'big t' for uncle trevor.

brianhead or bust

tonight's post will be short as i am up late washing clothes and packing.

the boys and i are heading to utah to hang with the utah gerbers to play in
the snow.  we couldn't be more excited...we love this family and it's a rare
treat to play in the snow.

trevor tells us brianhead got dumped on last weekend so the timing
couldn't have been better. there's fresh powder and the sun will be
shining. oh how i love spring conditions.

though the boys came out last year, it's been 2 years since i've been in the snow.
i literally dreamed i was going down the runs the other night. I'm overdue.
c pulled all our snow gear down from storage and we rummaged through bins
gathering what we could. scout's gear still fits, but finn's completely outgrown his.
auntie shannon assured us there's something at the cabin that will work for him.

in the meantime, i pulled up this image of the runs at brianhead to get reacquainted:























i was thinking that this year the boys are probably old enough to go down the
mountain together or with their cousins {without us parents at their side}.

this resort is perfectly set up for families...it's not too big and there's one lodge. 
the only thing i'm not quite ok with is letting scout ride the chair lifts without
an adult.  he's only 7 for goodness sakes. {c doesn't get a choice on this one}

i don't fear kidnapping or him getting hurt while coming down the mountain.
what i fear is him falling out of the chair lift from high above the trails. he might
get careless and lean forward or rough house with his brother or cousin and fall
from hundreds of feet.  a bit crazy right?  maybe i'm projecting...i do have a slight
fear of these open chair lifts AND a slight fear of heights.

i hope to make it through the next few days without breaking something. 
i'm a boarder but am going to try skiing one day so i can see them in action. 
it's easier to stick together if we are all on the same equipment. 

i shared my concerns about skiing and scout reviewed the basics of skiing with me
using the terms 'french fries' {for speeding up}, and 'pizza' {for slowing down}.
i think i've got it, but friday will be my real test.

have a wonderful week/weekend friends!

xo

boys in brianhead: 2014

i almost forgot to post about the boys' trip to utah!
they went, they played and they made it home before christmas day.
{as christopher promised}

this trip was extra special for scout as this was his first time on the slopes.
he's been in snow a few times during his 6 years, but as luck had it
he was under the weather the two years he was of age so he never got to do
anything more than sled/tube.

this year he was healthy and ready to hit the slopes!

christopher picked up the boys from school and headed straight there.
he arrived in st. george late that night and the next morning,
they caravanned with trevor, shannon and their cousins to the cabin in brianhead.

they spent a few days at the cabin and at brianhead resort skiing.
since it was scout's first time and it had been almost 2 years since finn
had been, c put them both in ski school for a full day.

they had a GREAT time and gained so much confidence that come 3pm,
when it was time for their dad to pick them up, they both wanted to ski more! 
they ended up staying on the slopes another hour and a half with their cousins.
{i can't even go a full day anymore}.

c did remember to snap a few photos and take some short videos:



scout {6} and finn {9}

 

and here's scoutabout skiing. 
christopher was behind him recording...he had no idea}

 

 

 

 

finn oliver, age 9

and here's finn and his silly cousin isaac {aka 'ice man'} sledding.

















i hope we get to squeeze in one more ski trip this year
because i'm itching to go snowboading.  it's been 2 years for me! *sigh*

utah, part 3: coming home

the day after our 8 hour hike,

all of us woke up a bit stiff , some more than others.
by day's end i was walking like an old lady. *grin*  

the kids shared about their day and we shared photos
of the hike with them. swimming through canyons and 50 degree
water didn't impress finn and scout, but the dinosaur footprints we
saw on the hike definitely did.   

before we got on the road, we walked to their
neighborhood park and i snapped a few photos of the kids.
i can't get over how big maya and isaac are getting.

on our drive back to san diego, we drove through las vegas to rendezvous
with my brother todd and his wife heather.  they were there to see jason mraz
in concert and celebrate their anniversary and heather's birthday.

our time together was short but we squeezed in every minute we could.

we picked them up at the lovely bellagio where they were staying,

and drove to the red rock casino for dinner.  the concert was held there.

we found a restaurant called terra rosa in the hotel and enjoyed a delicious
dinner outside on the patio. the weather was perfect and if time would have
allowed, i could have sat there all night with them.  unfortunately, we couldn't
but we had a wonderful 2 hours catching up on each other's lives.
heather was glowing {they are expecting a baby in march}.
here is the happy couple.

heather and todd {she shared her b-day cheesecake with all of us}

after dinner, they were off to see jason mraz {i was a teensy bit envious}
i might be his biggest fan.  *wink*  heather was so sweet and during the
concert she took a little video clip of him singing frank d fixer for me.
it was such a treat to watch on the drive home. i love this lady!

during our time on the road, scoutie finished reading two of his
magic treehouse books and finn and i listened to the entire audio book
of the hobbit {my book club's selection for this month}. oh how he loved it.
after, i promised him we would go see it in the theater in december.
the lord or the rings movies are off-limits....much too dark for young kids.

so that was our whirlwind west coast roadtrip.

utah trip part 2: zion national park

it's been a little nutty around here which is the reason for my delay in
posting part 2 of our recent utah trip.  without further adieu...

our adventure didn't stop after the outdoor theater experience.
months prior to our visit, my sweet b-i-l trevor put his name into a lottery

to get 'back country' permits for us to hike in zion national park.
he and his wife love to hike and they are lucky there's no shortage of places to go in utah.

when trev found out he was selected in the lottery,
he sent us a link to this website so we knew what hike we were in for.   

{even then, i still didn't realize exactly what we were in for}.

i just knew we'd have to swim through cold water {50 degrees was a shocker},
wear harnesses and with the help of his canyoneering friend jason,
we'd repel down rock faces in several areas of the hike.
this was the type of hike i've been wanting to do in utah...
to really explore the canyons and not just walk on the rim and look down.
this was my type of adventure.

i've always thought the red rock all over st. george was beautiful,

but words can't even describe what the zion had in store for us.

trev and shannon invited 2 other lovely couples so there was 8 of us total.
we had a really good time getting to know each other during this all day
hike, and since we all had kids within a year or two of each other, we
were able to relate to each other well and find lots to talk about.

...i can't even begin to describe this amazing hike.
words. just. can't. describe.
i'll just share some images i pulled from google.

i hope to post some of photos of our own this weekend.
they were taken with our low end water camera so don't expect
beauties like above. :)

buenas noches.
xo

~ oh and i forgot to mention, this children did not join us on this hike.
there were all too young for an 8 hour technical hike like this.
when they are older, they will join us. at what age is still being decided.

while we were hiking the kids were having lot of fun too.
my very thoughtful and organized s-i-l arranged to have a sitter come over at 7am
that saturday to watch their two and our two.  i don't think any of the kids missed us.
they were having so much fun. they had all kinds of adventures, including a visit here.

utah roadtrip part 1

the boys and i made it home from our whirlwind of a weekend
travelling across the southwest.  we had such an adventure!

it started before dawn last friday morning, at 4am {c is an animal i tell ya}

we made great time and arrived in st. george just after lunch and spent the
afternoon catching up with the utah gerbers.
we also squeezed in some swimming and jumping on their trampoline.

YES, they have a ground-level trampoline and it was so much fun!

{i was seriously acting like a teenager on that thing}

that evening shannon had something extra special planned for us all.
she had tickets for us all to see the musical, aladdin at tuacahn,

an AMAZING amphitheater nestled into red rock.

i've never seen a more stunning outdoor theater.
what a treat for the utah gerbers to have just minutes away from them:

the show incorporated some 3D effects so we were all given special glasses.

cousins maya {9}, finn {8} and isaac {6}

~ scoutie ended up getting sick just after we walked into the stadium.

he had complained of a stomach ache on the drive over.
he was in c's arms when he decided to empty the contents of his stomach. *eek*
{it was a very good thing c had on a tee underneath his main shirt}.

we *think* it might have to do with all physical exertion of the day.
he did lots of jumping and swimming and then eating and them jumping again.
after a little clean up, the boys joined us in the stadium and scoutie was fine the rest of the night
and able to enjoy the play. whew!!

scoutie {5} and cousin maya {9} - taken minutes before he got sick. poor lil' guy.

stay tuned.  there's much more to come...

baby it's cold outside

before spring arrives, i figured i'd better post about the boys' utah trip.
since i wasn't actually on this trip, i don't have personal details to share,
so i asked the boys to tell me about their trip. here's what they said:

finn: we drove to utah in the middle of the night and we didn't get a flat tire or anything
(i sensed a little sadness in his voice about not getting a flat tire.
they had one on a past roadtrip to utah and finn LOVED it.
it was one of the highlights of his trip. seriously!)

scout: i saw where dinosaurs lived back when they were on earth
(c tells me they did drive by a dinosaur park somewhere in utah and he pointed it out to the boys)

finn: we went to the cabin and we went sledding, snowmobiling and we swam in the jacuzzi in the cabin.

scout: i was standing by that cabin and snow fell off the roof on my head.  i didn't like it.
(this indeed happened) *grin*

scout: when i was sledding, i went under a truck
(this too happened. i asked c about this one and he admitted it)
there were cars parked at the bottom of the driveway where the kids
were sledding down and scout sled did go under a car that had a high wheel base. 
luckily he was wearing a helmet and there were no injuries.

finn and scout: we played alot with maya and isaac. they have great toys. 

finn: one day we went to a jump castle place. it was awesome! 

scout: it was REALLY cold!

so there it is - a summary of the boys' utah trip from my children.
and since posts aren't complete without photos, here are a few to help bring their words to life.

did you notice the duct tape around the boys' jacket and pant cuffs?

this is something christopher and trevor started doing a few years back to keep

the snow from getting onto the boys clothes/skin. BRILLIANT!



a new year

it's hard to believe it's a new year! it doesn't seem possible but i am looking forward to what the new year will bring. i have a few resolutions i've set - personally and professionally and i am excited about them. one will be keeping me busier in the evenings, so my blogging will be lighter as I usually post after the boys have gone to bed.

my sister jen inspired me when she cancelled her facebook and my space accounts because she were a found herself spending too much time on them. though i have a blog and facebook account (which i rarely visit), i am not caught up in that whole social networking thing. blogging is simply a quick way to journal for me and to share a bit of my life with my family and friends who live far away. regardless, it still takes time and a bit more than i want, so though i will continue to post, it won't be as often. i'll try to to record the highlights.

highlights of utah trip:
- spending time with trev, shannon, maya, isaac and milo (their perfect dog - seriously)
- savoring shannon's homemade lattes every morning
- tennis matches between brothers
- staying in their very comfortable casita
- seeing the cousins getting along beautifully
- jen seeing snow after 8 years? - perfect ski/snowboard conditions in brianhead
- playing the game 'apples to apples'
- seeing mormon polygamists up close (creepy!)
- getting my 'little girl' fix as i got to spend time with sweet niece
- eating neilsens frozen custard some photo highlights:

cold weather - here we come

the boys, jen and i will be heading to st. george, utah tomorrow through new years to spend a few days with my b-i-l trevor and his lovely family. we are all super excited but are a little anxious about the cold weather (temps are in the 30s during the day).  we are taking all the winter clothes we own in hopes to do a little playing in the snow - tubing is first on finn's list and c and i would like to hit the slopes one day. oh how i've missed snowboarding!  i'm crossing my fingers what we have will be enough to keep us warm. if not, we'll raid trev and shannon's closets!!

i won't be posting until next year as i've decided not to bring my laptop and spend any free time i get with family and catching up on some reading.  we head out at dark o'thirty for this roadtrip so i must run - i worked the last two days and still need to pack!!

a happy new year to you all!