Winter of summer

This winter was SO WARM. Global warming at its finest here in Utah. Unfortunately all of us praying for snow were not more specific about where the snow should go because it all ended up on the east coast. Sorry Boston and NYC!

This year we decided to start having me learn to ski. We went a few times as a family and I went a few times by myself. A friend, Jayne, took me to Alta to give me a decent lesson since she used to teach at Deer Valley. Another time I went to PCMR to practice on my skis, but couldn't help but get a few runs on my board just to remind myself I don't totally suck.

Justin got to tour a few times we some buddies. He absolutely LOVES touring. Unfortunately, the guy in our neighborhood who goes the most likes to do dawn patrol hikes as early as 4:30am. Justin hates getting up that early, but he's always so happy when he gets home. Like a giddy little kid.

We went on a few hikes right after a good storm and got the BEST views of Millcreek in the powder. It was SO gorgeous. Richie honestly just LOVES to play in the snow. He's a happy child normally, but in the snow he turns into a snow eating/digging/pawing machine. It's adorable. And, of course, our siberian husky children adore the snow too. Too bad they only got a few good days of this during this winter.

We took Richie to the Winter Outdoor Retailer show this year. It was kind of a stressful time. He was just whining most of the time and wanted to play with all the gear on display. I'm sure the vendors were like, "What are these parents doing here? And why do their badges say they are merchandisers??"

Then there's the story of this year's cold and flu bugs. Ugh. From about mid-January til early March we were all sick at one time or another. Justin brought something home from the ER and it hit everyone. Then Richie brought something home from the pediatrician and everyone got it. Then I got something from work but didn't share. It was really lame.

Then there's the story of the night I went to two ERs. Richie had been super congested and I was worried so I brought him to St. Mark's ER while Justin was working so one of the docs could just take a look at him. We didn't have to get admitted, he was just examined quickly and found to be just fine. When I got home I noticed the bottle of children's tylenol on the floor and Porsche had chewed up the bottle. Knowing how toxic Tylenol is to the liver, I drove Porsche and Richie straight to the Pet ER in Murray. Three hours later I left feeling really uneasy as the vet said it would be over $1000 and she was probably fine but they should keep her overnight. I called Justin and he decided to pick up Porsche and bring her home per our regular vet's advice. The next day we took her to our vet and blood work showed she didn't have anything troubling in her system. Justin administered some IV fluids at home and we were fine. But the whole experience left me totally shaken and exhausted.

Right before Valentine's we got a little surprise. I already wrote about the after effects of this. But here's how it went since I never wrote out the full story.
One morning I woke up with an uncontrollable craving for Chinese food. And normally I hate Chinese food. The craving was so bad I had Justin pick up food for me the minute they opened (thanks Long Life Vegi House for the vegan options). Justin said, "Man, that's weird. I wonder if you're pregnant..." I laughed pretty hard. After he had gone to work I decided to use one of my three year old pregnancy tests I had from Richie-trying days and photoshop it so I could freak him out.
I took the test and... positive. So I took another one... positive. I was the one freaking out. After having a good cry to my sister Caroline I decided I would take some higher quality ones not from the dollar store in the morning. So $12 later I was still positive. So I scheduled a blood test. Positive.
And there you have it. Human bean #2 on the way!

For Valentine's day I planned an evening at the Grand America! My parents took Richie for the night and we partied at the hotel... Not really. Just watched TV, took a nice bath and watched more TV, bought some late night snacks, watched more TV and went to bed around 2am. Good times.

Speaking of babies! My bestie Evelyn had her baby at the end of February. Cute little Thomas Creighton. I was lucky enough to go to one of her three showers (her family is HUGE). Here's a shot of us plus our great friend Heather (Heather's twin couldn't make it as she lives in San Fran).

One afternoon we took Richie to the Children's Discovery museum and he got to see a real helicopter. Okay, so this was actually more fun for Justin since his ultimate goal is to be a flight nurse... But Richie had a good time too evident by the fact that he screamed bloody murder as we tried to leave.

As I spent more time at home after quitting Montage I got to hang out a ton more with Richie. It's been so fun and exhausting and sweet. I love my little man. He's got so much inherent joy. He's also sensitive. Sometimes we are lucky enough to get to hang out with his 4 year old cousin, Bentley. Richie adores his "B."

My sister Hilary and I also went for a hike one evening up AF Canyon near Tibble Fork. We got such a beautiful sunset view.

And that's about as exciting as it gets for the winter!

The Holidays

Okay. So here's the update I promised!

October is when Alice Lima came from Brasil and we had a little party. Then I quit Montage so I could work one job at the University of Utah Orthopaedic Center (plus my handful of private clients). I got to go climbing with some friends after several years away. It was super fun.

We also got gorgeous views during the endless fall that lasted through October.

Halloween was kind of lame. Justin worked the night shift.  Richie was a monkey, but he hated his costume. We went to a little party with his Grandma Chris. Then I handed out full size candy bars to reward the handful of kids that actually show up at our house.

I had a lovely day with Richie up at Crystal hot springs and my friends Liz and Carrie were there. Then we drove home stopping at little fruit stands up in Brigham City.

November was pretty chill. Justin was working crrrraaazzzzyyyy hours at the hospital picking up extra shifts, working 4th quarter from Backcountry.com on the side (their busiest time of year). We didn't see too much of him. But the pay out was definitely nice. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of Thanksgiving beside this one.

We went to Mimi's cafe for lunch with the Henderson clan. I had lots of salad. It was fairly low key. Then we came home and I made a giant vegan Thanksgiving feast. Lentil loaf, mashed potatoes, mushroom gravy, cranberry sauce, apple sage stuffing, rolls, kale salad, brussel sprouts, sweet potatoes, pecan and apple pie were all on the menu. Everything from scratch. Obviously. I'm not a snob. I won tickets to the U game against Oregon at work. We sat 11th row but even with our cheers the Utes had a miserable loss.

Our anniversary was in November for 6 years of marriage. Justin planned a trip up to Diamond Fork hot springs. We had a great time with the dogs and the hike. On the way back to the car Koda got confused and ran all the way back to the end of the trail and we searched high and low for him but he was all the way back up to the pools. Justin ran the whole trail again and finally found Koda whimpering and crying next to the other swimmers. Poor crazy dog.

The next week I went to Seattle to see my sista and her three munchkins. I had to meet Mister Jude for the first time! It was a blast and Noah and Elijah kept calling Richie "Ricky." Of course Caroline took me to the best chocolate shop ever, Chocolati THREE times because I'm officially addicted to their hemp milk "Aztec" hot chocolate with cayenne. Oh. My. Gosh. Awesome. We also went on walks, played at the indoor playground at the mall, had froyo, played in their unfinished backyard (which personally, I think she should keep as is because it's a little boy's paradise back there, minus all the hidden trash the builders left), and went to Carkeek Park to check out the Salmon Migration. The only sucky part of the trip was the 2 hour rush hour ride to the airport with four screaming boys, two frazzled mommies, and no escape. Ugh. The worst. I still feel back about that, Caroline. I'm sorry!!!!

December we had... what? maybe two good storms? I only got to go out on the board and skis a few times . Justin got a brand new pair of touring skis and didn't get out much because he didn't want to scratch his brand new skis. There just wasn't a good base for him. Justin got me a new pair of Salomon skis so I could learn to ski this year. Unfortunately with the lack of snow it didn't go to well. We did A LOT of hiking.

  I discovered Ferguson Canyon next to Big Cottonwood and had several gorgeous hikes with the dogs while Richie napped and Justin worked from home.

It was so nice during early December I actually took Richie to the zoo in the morning a few times.

And we snuggled in the hammock.

After a few snowy hikes the snow melted so naturally I ran 9 miles in a tank top on Pipeline. In December. So weird.

But most of my trail runs were more like this.

One day after a good snow storm we took Richie backpack skiing at Alta. The first run he loved it and laughed the whole way down. The next time he freaked out big time because the temperature dropped 10 degrees and it was windy. Poor little guy.

We also went to Zoo Lights. It was insane and busy. I loved seeing my cute nieces Oakley, Rylee, Bentley and nephew Ashton. But we did not love the crowds.

Christmas came and Richie had a blast. He got way too many presents from parents and doting grandparents. This year we did a limited gift thing with the phrase, "Something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read." It made gift buying simpler and took the focus off of the commercialism. For Christmas Eve we had a "shepherds dinner" to remind ourselves of the night the Christ came into the world. It was simple and beautiful. For brunch we went to the Henderson house, for dinner we met with my family with cousins and aunts and uncles that all flew in from all over the US. It was lovely and simple.

My cousin's girlfriend, Amber (living in New Orleans), made the most stellar vegan chocolate pie that is super simple. It really was the star of the show. Thanks again, Amber. So glad you're in the family!

New Years was really forgettable. Justin worked til 11 pm. Then we went to bed together (a rare occasion with him working nights) and got a decent night's sleep. Ah the simple things.

And that was our holiday season!