Kelly Canyon Round 2

I have to say that the second snowboarding experience is so much better than the first experience. I didn't even fall once on our first run down the mountain this time! Andrew is getting really good too. He speeds down that slope like a crazy man.

FUNNY STORY: Near the end of the evening, Andrew and I were boarding the lift when somehow, just as we were sitting in the chair, I managed to slip. The teenage operators were too busy flirting to notice me getting dragged by the chair until I was literally hanging from it by the tips of my fingers seven feet in the air. I was a little embarrassed (you know the entire line of people waiting to get on the lift are now pointing at me), but I was able to laugh it off (because it really was very hysterical). After I was helped down from the chair, they wanted me to come up to the front of the line of people and get back on the lift. Everyone was already watching me carefully as it was, but as I was trying to maneuver my way awkwardly through the line on a snowboard, I slipped into a kid... who then slipped into another kid...sending us all to the ground into a tangled (and painful) mess. At this point I just wanted to die.

Where was Andrew during all of this? He had been unable to pull me back up onto the chair after I fell, so after I was rescued by a couple of teenagers, Andrew calmly continued his ride up the mountain without me. When we finally met up at the top again, I was so tempted to shrug my shoulder at Andrew's questions as to why it had taken me so long to get back up there. I mean, he didn't really need to know the details of my human dominoes game right?? Oh well. It makes for a great story anyway.

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Because what else in our life do we have to blog about right now?

We have a really, really long icicle hanging on our front porch. We've taken notice of it and Andrew and I have started having lengthy discussions about it, rooting for it, and yes...I admit I may have even talked to it a few times on my out to work in the morning: "Well, aren't you getting big!" Andrew was even harboring some secret bitterness at the couple living downstairs, because he thought they had broken it off at one point. It's all very silly how excited we are over this giant ice-spike of death (you would die instantly if it fell on you), but at least we haven't given it a name...yet.

But it keeps going...

and going...

...and going!


Andrew finally pulled out his measuring tape and went out in his socks last night (in 12 F) to satisfy our curiosity. We now officially anounce that this monstrosity of an icicle is currently 7 feet 6 inches long.

...and still going strong. We're hoping that it will reach the sidewalk making us the only house on the block whose front porch is held up by apillar of ice. We may just start accepting bets for it's final measurement...or maybe even start selling tickets for a view of the most exciting aspect of our lives at the moment. (All at a reasonable price, of course.)

My Second True Love...

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(WARNING: Post contains an extreme level of sickly, sweet romantic sentiments.)

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I don't think there is a more perfect, more beautiful flower than the tulip. In the spring time, here in Idaho, just about everyone has tulips popping up in their yard. It is a very magical couple of weeks for me. They make my heart so happy.
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Here are some Valentine's Day tulips from my first true love.

Thanks, Babe.

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It's All My Mom's Fault.

She's the one who ingrained in my brain so consistently since I could walk the idea that I "must not let the cold air out of the refrigerator!" Now days, when I see anyone stand too long with the fridge door open, I can feel my left eye start to twitch and the adrenaline rush through my body as I work to suppress my ridiculous desire to slam it shut. I say all of this somewhat facetiously...but my OCD in this case has gone through a difficult trial since getting married...

Andrew must walk into the kitchen, open the fridge, stare into the fridge, close the fridge, open the freezer, stare into the freezer, close the freezer and then walk away empty handed a million and a half times a day. Can anyone relate to this? He goes through this routine every restless or dull moment of the day. Honestly, I am baffled by it. I swear Andrew is not starving to death. I mean, we are usually well-stocked! So why is he constantly on the half-hunt for food? I'll mention to Andrew: "nothing in the fridge has changed since the last time you opened it...only five minutes ago!" But he'll just shrug. I don't think he understands this compulsion either. He just understands that if he doesn't complete this task twenty-three more times before the end of the day...he just might drop dead. This is one of those mysteries of the universe that I ponder about sometimes. I didn't exactly grow up with males in the house, so I am uneducated in this area. Let me throw this question out into the cosmic void, and maybe someone can shed some light on it for me: Is this common among the men of the world? Or is my sweetheart an isolated case? Has a discovery been made yet as to the cause of this strange phenomenon? And is there hope for a cure? In the meantime, I'll sit here while my eye twitches. =)

Snowboarding!

Andrew has been wanting to get into it for awhile now. (I personally had no desire to go careening down a mountain to my death in the freezing weather.) But we recently acquired snowboarding gear for both of us at an amazing price (I got my board, bindings, and boots...in amazing condition...for 50 bucks!) , and so we had to go out and try them.

I didn't want to pay money to go to a mountain where fifty snowboarding experts could laugh at my pain, so we practiced on deserted hills outside of Rexburg. (The no ski lift thing, however, may convince me otherwise pretty soon.)

Growing up in Arizona provided me with more opportunities to play in water that wasn't frozen. However, I was pretty pleased with myself considering it was my first time everon the snow. And despite all my whining...I honestly thought it was really fun. Now I just need to get past my overwhelming desire to sit down every time I start to gain any real speed. I'm excited to go again.

Just a few Thoughts...

I am grateful for life-changing books like this one.

Go read it. Right now.

I love this man. He's so good to me.


Modern-day medicine is such a blessing. Something that would have a killed a girl like me 100 years ago is now diagnosed and taken care of within a few hours. Miraculous!

This is Amanda Grimmer. She makes the most incredible Shepherd's Pie I have ever experienced. I ate it for every meal until it was gone, because nothing we had sounded as good. Even Andrew, who isn't usually a fan of Shepherd's Pie loved this stuff. Thanks for bringing it by.
(I will grovel at your feet for the recipe later.)

I received the Planet Earth series for Christmas. We were introduced to it by our Avenius friends, and it was love at first sight. These DVDs are amazing! They kept me occupied for neary a week.

This is my (usually) angel sister. She came up from Provo to spend four days with me just as Andrew had to go back to school. She cooked and cleaned and waited on me the entire time.
(To think I've been trying to get her to do this our entire lives!)
We also talked and talked (the way only sisters can), got me hooked on "The Office" (a show I had never really seen before), watched movies, and laughed a whole heck of a lot.

These amazing little inventions I could never have lived without for the first few weeks of this year. The amount of water I was supposed to be drinking plus the fact that I had to be laying down 24/7 would not have mixed otherwise.

Flowers...cards in the mail...phone calls from loved ones...they can sure make a girl feel special.

My First Car Crash

I had a perfectly clean driving record. No tickets and no car accidents. That is until the snow decided to melt in the sun yesterday and then freeze again last night leaving the roads completely covered by one large sheet of ice. It was an awful drive to church and back. But luckily, I can take comfort in the fact that the accident was not my fault...

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I had just successfully avoided an accident (I had started to slide toward an Astro Van) with my excellent snow driving maneuvers and was able to successfully stop in a left turn lane. My prayer of gratitude that I didn't hit the van had hardly left my lips before I felt my car get hit from behind. Apparently, a student in our ward couldn't stop his truck on the ice and hit an SUV...which in turn hit me. Everyone was fine and Lexus (my car's name...and no, it is not a Lexus) received only minimal damage. I'm sOooO happy it wasn't my fault! Sorry about the car, Lane. The kid's insurance should cover any repairs.

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After church, I was really scared to drive home...and for good reason. Driving down that steep hill past the temple, I was pumping the breaks constantly so that I was only going at a crawl and wouldn't slip. Unfortunately, when the three cars in front of me breaked in order to turn, I still couldn't stop and tried to move to adjust to the next lane to avoid another accident. Instead of changing lanes, however, Lexus went into a complete 360 degree turn, and there was nothing in the world I could do about it. After getting stuck in the shoulder, a guy helped me out and I s-l-o-w-l-y slipped and slid my way home. There was a meeting that I was supposed to be to at the church in an hour. Needless to say...I sat that one out.

And wouldn't you know it...these are the shoes I chose to wear to church today. The cop even commented, "Those are the wrong shoes to be wearing in the snow, girl." My toes were already well aware, thanks. I never dreamt I'd spend so long tromping through the elements.