Sun Valley Saturday

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Friday night Zach sold a trip out of Sun Valley.  Turns out the flight was going empty there and empty back to Salt Lake after the client was going to be dropped off.  Zach had never been to SV and I had only been there in the winter time for some skiing, so we decided to go for the day!

We arrived early in the morning and both agreed the first thing we would do is rent bikes.  We rode through downtown, checking out the shops, scoping out places to eat.  Sun Valley is actually more of a resort, and Ketchum is the town nearby.  I could honestly live there.  Little boutique shops, people eating out on the sidewalks and walking their dogs.  I could have spent all day exploring, but some friends had recommended we ride the gondola ride to the top of Baldy, so we rode our bikes over to the ski resort and got a lift up the mountain.

Gondolas are the way to go!  I know they have them at Snow Basin near Ogden, but at my stomping grounds (Brighton Resort) we don’t have the luxury of gondolas.  The weather was gorgeous and there literally wasn’t a cloud in the sky – only a light breeze and 80 degrees.  The gondola doesn’t take you all the way to the top, but it stops at a lodge.  We ate lunch there, at the Roundhouse.  They had a BBQ right on the balcony.

After our lunch we mapped out our route for the rest of the day.

From the lodge you could take a chair lift to the very top of the peak, so we decided to give it a go and conquer Mount Baldy.  The views were incredible.

We did take a few normal pictures, but the photo op quickly turned into a dance party.

After busting several moves, we rode back down to the base of the resort to saddle back up on our wheels.  We spent the whole rest of the day riding the trails, walking through snowboard shops and art galleries, and sipping on fruit smoothies.  There was even an outdoor art exhibition of natural architecture.  The entire structure was built out of sticks and reeds!

We ended our SV day trip at a Mexican restaurant called Despos.  THE BEST SALSA I can ever remember consuming.  The food and the atmosphere was so great, it is a must when we go back in the future.

I don’t know if it was singing and laughing hysterically on the chair lift, dancing on Baldy, or riding our bikes and viewing the scenery – but it was the best Saturday of my summer thus far.  Sun Valley is legit.

Mother/Daughter BBQ

Last night my mom asked me to go to the Mother/Daughter BBQ that the sisters in her ward had put together.  It was such a cute idea, and if we had more than two young women in our ward I would push to do it in ours as well.  Since my Mom’s mother (my grandmother) passed away years ago, she decided to ask my Dad’s mother to go with us.  She’s been totally consumed with taking care of my grandpa lately, I am sure it was a nice break for her to get out of the house.

We had so much fun and feasted on corn-on-the-cob, BBQ chicken, and watermelon.  We chatted with other women in the ward (my old home ward) and laughed at stories my grandma told about raising her millions of children.  My dad is the person he is today because of my grandmother, and I will love her forever for millions of reasons, but my favorite being how amazing of a father she raised for me.  Even after all her kids are gone and raising their own families, she is still a full-time care giver.  My grandpa is VERY sick and we all know his time left is very limited.  I know that nobody else could give the attention, love, and patience that he deserves right now except her.  She is a saint.  I hope a sliver of her selflessness can be passed on to me.

Our Weekend in the Mountains

This weekend, we took a trip up to Zach’s cabin with some of my friends.  It was originally supposed to be a couple’s trip, but eventually turned into a Girl’s Trip…plus my husband and Kristina’s fiance, Jessie.

We spent the whole weekend lounging and talking, with a little bit of hot tubbing and snacking mixed in.

The majority of the weekend, all four of us girls spent our times talking and snacking all together on the same piece of furniture, so naturally…the boys wanted to take  a picture together.  With a football?  Don’t ask.

Saturday morning, Zach’s friend Clay drove up from Ogden to go fishing.  It was a big deal.  We made them sandwiches, but were betting they would be back before lunch.  Then Zach, Jessie, and Clay set off on their journey on the lake in that little metal boat.  They were gone for 5 + hours!  (Not catching a single fish, mind you).  Lets face it…Zach’s fishing pole he brought was a gift from his mom, and she got it at Restoration Hardware.  We were positive it was a decoration, and I think that their catch reflected it!

While the guys were gone on their “fishing trip”, the girls set off on a off-road adventure.  We drove up a trail to get a good view of the lake.  Obviously some were not as confident in my driving skills…

After we arrived back, safe and sound thanks to my amazing defensive driving skills, we ate dinner together.  After our meal, we decided to go out for a night ride.  We didn’t go very far, due to the temperature, but it was so fun to see the canyon and the lake as the sun was going down.

It was such a blast to get away with some of my friends, and my husband is always such a good sport.  Figuring out how to turn on our shows we wanted to watch, adjusting the temperature of the hot tub every five seconds, setting up all the 4 Wheelers and equipment.  He is such a champ.

We had a hard time leaving.  It is so relaxing up there and with no cell phone reception, it is like a little piece of heaven.

Sunday when we arrived home, my family decided to go up the canyon and have dinner.  So technically we spent the entire weekend in the mountains.  We had cheeseburgers and hot dogs, with a mean game of Phase 10.

Not to mention s’mores with Reeses’ Cups, my personal highlight of the trip…we all know I don’t love playing card games.

There’s no better way to spend summer weekends, in my opinion, than with family + friends + being outdoors!

Girlz Night

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Ah, my friends since my days at BJH.  No matter what happens in our lives, we always seem to come back to each other some how.

The ones that could make it (Alison is here for her brother’s wedding from NYC) decided to me meet at El Chihuahua for dinner.  We stayed at the restaurant until 10:00, and when they started closing, we went out in my car and stayed until 11:00.  We laughed SO hard.

Yes, I look like a midget.  Yes, Alison looks like Malfoy from Harry Potter (she claims it was the look she was going for).

Family Night

Karma.  That’s what I have to tell myself nearly every day.

My brother Blake had his truck broken into Sunday night.  They took quite a bit, including his stereo system he had saved up for.  I could tell Blake was really down about the whole situation.  My parents are out of town; my Mom for a work retreat, my Dad for business.  So Zach went over last night and helped Blake out.  I decided afterwards we should all go out to dinner.  I know, big shocker…I suggest eating out!

The three of us hung out at the Olive Garden.  We rarely get to go out with Blake alone, and it was so fun to get to to talk to him and see how everything else is going in his life.  My brother is amazing.  He is the hardest working 20-year-old I have ever met.  I don’t know what he is going to do in the future, but I keep hoping he will realize how wonderful he is…because people need him.  They need his spirit and his determination to serve in their lives.

He’ll figure it out, I just hope it is sooner rather than later.

I’ve known him since the day he was born, and I’ve got to witness first hand the person he has become.  I am proud to be his sister.