FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE DITCH

Since we are on the tail end of winter, I thought I should post these snowy pictures I took a few months ago before they become completely out of date.

They are all taken from the rugged, natural beauty of the nearby irrigation ditch. Just goes to show that beauty can be found almost anywhere!

WEEKEND

We had house guests this weekend that included these crazy cats.

On Saturday, we took Andrew's brothers snowboarding to Grand Targhee. 

Hi, Ryan!

Sunny when we arrived, but blizzarding by the time we hit the slopes. Perfect, powdery snow all afternoon!

 I love that the guys are having no problem going slow.

But I shouldn't make fun too badly. This picture was taken from inside the tree well I crashed into and couldn't get out of. I was trying to improve my toe-side skills at the time. 

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I'm getting better...really! I'm just not there yet. 

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Let me just add: it isn't polite to applaud and jeer sarcastically from the ski lift when someone below you tumbles head over feet down the mountain. 

{Luckily, the snow was soft.} 

Favorite snowboarding experience yet! Better than Kelly Canyon by a million miles...and even beat fancy  Sun Valley. If you're in Idaho itchin' for the slopes...definitely go for Targhee. 

PLASTIC WRAP

Last month, my in-laws relocated twelve hours closer. We drove down to Utah help them move in.



And wouldn't you know it, it poured the entire time.

It was one wet, drippy, soggy, soaked-through kind of day.

After the trucks were unloaded, our niece made good use of all the fun packaging.

The "princess dress" she personally designed for me, certainly pushed the fashion envelope.

I mean, sure, it was pretty. But I usually prefer those that aren't quite so transparent.

And then she got really creative with Andrew's princess dress.





The rain falling in Utah, we knew would be falling as snow in Idaho. Do we leave now to try and beat the storm blowing in? Or do we wait til morning with the chance that it could be really bad after the fact? It's always a gamble either way.

We chose to leave that night and stay ahead of the storm...

But Unfortunately, we hit the Malad Pass just as things got exceptionally bad.

When the accumulation became so deep that we couldn't even tell where the highway was anymore, we followed the last set of tire tracks we could find--ending up in a hick town Chevron parking lot. It was also where every last, late-night traveler was parked...also stranded by the storm...just waiting it out.

I've never seen snow fall so thickly in my life. Oh, how we regretted not staying the night in Utah. All we wanted was sleep!

Eventually, the snowfall slowed to the point that we could see out the windows. Then, we saw the flashing lights of a snowplow pass us toward the highway, and we tentatively ventured out toward home.

We pulled in our driveway about 4:30 a.m...a four-hour trip having turned into over eight...long... hours. It was a horrible night.

The moral of the story is, of course: Don't ever, under any circumstances, let a four-year-old encase your head with plastic wrap.

The lack of oxygen to you brain can only hinder your decision making skills. I don't care how cute she is.

Consider yourself warned.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

1.)

I got a haircut last week. {side view}

I think it's pretty shnazzy. {front view}

shnazzy (adjective)

snazzy, spiffy, cool with some sophistication, a snazzier update on snappy + jazzy 

2.)

Thrift stores are the BOMB. Brand-new $30 belt from American Eagle {with the tags still on it} for one dollar.

     bomb (noun)

1. (before 1995) Something really bad; a failure 

2. (after 1995) Something considered excellent and/or the best (uses modifier "the")

Once, I was sitting in a ward council meeting when the young Sunday school president used the phrase "bomb diggity." The juxtaposition of that phrase in such a serious setting, plus the fact that none of the old, balding brethren surrounding me even batted an eyelid, made me very, very happy. 

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     bomb diggity (adjective)

totally the awesomest, no lie

I encourage all of you to use it in a sentence this week and report back to me. 

3.)

It's still winter in Rexburg. In case you were wonderin'. 

4.)

MMmmmm...There's nothing like leftover pizza for breakfast...

Please tell me I'm not the only one. 

     left·o·ver  [left-oh-ver]
noun Usually, leftovers. food remaining uneaten at the end of a meal, especially saved for later use. Like microwaved for breakfast the next day.

5.)

On a clear day, this is the view of the Tetons from where I work.

     work [wurk] 
(noun) A worldwide slave labour organization run by *The Man. A place where people have to go everyday to get paid. 

     *The Man [th uh man]
(noun) The Man is the head of "the establishment" put in place to "bring us down." The Man wields power and seeks to oppress.  In some cases, it's a male Caucasian between the ages of 60-70, with a buzzed head, and an unnatural love for the sound of his own voice. 

6.)

I thought this sunset from the other night was the bomb diggity. So I thought I'd share. 


That's all. Aren't you glad we had this talk?

PERFECT

No school or work recently, meant sleeping in and building breakfast together.

One word: Levi's.

Frothy goodness.

Everything's better with crunchy peanut butter.

From our window: a rare blue sky peeking through winter morning clouds.
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 Like I said...perfect.
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OUR HOUSE PLANS--take 1

FIRSTHOUSE Layout2 (2) (1)
Do you remember me telling you we are building a house? Well, we are, and we are having the time of our lives dreaming and planning it into reality. 
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The floor plan above {click for bigger view}is already out 
of date. Our dreams, it turns out, are a bit unrealistic 
for a first home. For example:
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1.)The third car garage we were going to use for the 
work trailer will have to be replaced by a concrete pad on the 
side. No biggie though.
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2.)Also, we can't afford the bonus room above the garage 
or the partial basement below. So, the stairs will have to 
go and the whole mudroom/laundry room will need to be reworked
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3.)And finally, for the better, we've picked out a corner lot, so 
the garage will be flipped on the side instead of the 
front. {Hooray! This'll make the house's curb appeal go way up!}


There were some points that I insisted on as we drew up the plans:
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1.)No formal dining room. What a complete waste of 
space!
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2.)A small, formal sitting room is a must to separate 
guests from the messy living areas of the house if needed.
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3.) A mudroom to store all those wet snow pants and 
boots. A necessity in wintry Idaho...and with Andrew's messy career.
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4.)As little glass on the master shower as possible. Less glass to clean, you see.
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5.)You'll notice the built-in decorative shelves in the 
living room and breakfast nook. I love the ones in our current 
house and I'm not willing to part with them.
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That is all for now...but more to come! We are currently preparing plans and paperwork to submit to the bank. 
Hopefully, this will happen in the next week or so, so 
wish us luck!

AS OF TODAY

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7' 10" and counting...

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SUN VALLEY SLOPES

We left the Inn that first morning to beautiful, sunny skies.

The mountains were already covered with skiers, the fresh powder billowing up like smoke.

We took a shuttle to the lifts and began our ascent in large, enclosed gondolas. This place made the Kelly Canyon slopes we are used to, look like a total dump.

We were so high in the air, and the view became so incredible...

That we were slightly giddy.

So much fun.

And it only got better as we got higher.

More shots from our ride up the mountain...

The price of the lift ticket was worth it just for the views.

Amazing designs on the mountain made by downhill skiers.

After a second, slightly colder lift ride, we reached the summit at 8,680 feet.

I can't even describe how frigid it was up there.

And I'm from Rexburg.

And the view from up there was slightly unnerving. I had to make it down this mountain on a thin board of wood and plastic?

The lodge at the top provided food and fire. 

How they got the building materials up there to construct it in the first place, I'll never know.

Have I mentioned how beautiful and fancy it all was?

We payed $16 for two slices of pizza that were pulled straight from a flaming brick oven. Then eaten on china dishes.

Yes, it was the best pizza I've ever consumed.

Then we boarded the afternoon away until I was more exhausted than I have ever been in my entire life.

{I'm in love with this photo, by the way!}

Well, that's the end of the pictures for now. The rest of this day was only spent lying on the hotel bed in a near-comatose state. We hurt everywhere.