Skiing with Willie

I grew up skiing. Every weekend during the winter we would load up the car with all of our gear and head to Sundance for the day. We were usually just given instruction to be at the bottom of the mountain in time for last chair. If we were lucky, we could take the last chair and join Dad for hill sweep.

My Dad, Willie, has been on the Ski Patrol at Sundance for about 36 years. I grew up on that mountain. Although I didn’t take as well to skiing as my siblings I can pretty much ski anything but mainly enjoy a nice blue run on a spring day, especially with Willie.

We finally took the kids up skiing today. The first time this season. Weekends are generally busy for us and getting the 5 of us ready and out the door to ski is a chore, to say the least. I now have a much greater appreciation for what my parents did in getting us out the door every weekend to ski, usually with a packed lunch too (these days I just take the debit card).

Due to Dad’s health issues the last two years he hasn’t been skiing. I was with him today for his first run in two ski seasons. There are few things in this world that I enjoy better than riding the lift with my Dad and kids and taking a few turns down the mountain. Today was a great day. Watching my kids Ski with Willie reminds me of being their age, trying to keep up with my Dad. Willie is patient and takes in the little things when it comes to skiing. Its not about the newest ski gear, vertical feet or how much air you can get off that jump. Its about enjoying the blue sky, fresh air, time with family, hand-me-down gloves, hot chocolate and saying "Hi" to Tommy.

I love watching my kids ski and having Willie ski with them. Mastin does well on skis, a little cautious but is now venturing out on his own more. Chase likes to be there, once we are on the mountain. Every run is calculated and when he is done, he’s done (even if we are in the middle of a run). Emma is a natural, seriously. We all just watch in awe as she moves down the mountain, its hard to keep up with her. She really needs to get up there more.

I, once again, failed at using my camera today. The photo on this post is from another great ski day two years ago.

It was a great day skiing with Willie.

Run or Walk?

I did it. I finally got up, out of bed this morning, put on my running clothes and went for a walk. You see, I go through phases with exercising. I guess, after this morning I’m starting a new phase. I’m tired of my pants fitting too tight and my shirts clinging to my belly so I look pregnant (I assure you, I am not). Its time to loose 25 pounds, again….

April 2008, after 4 months of training, I ran my first half marathon (13.1 miles). The Salt Lake 1/2 Marathon. I was inspired after watching my uber fit sister finish marathons, tri-athlon's and other athletic events. I ate well, followed my training schedule, lost a lot of weight and felt fantastic. My sister, Megan trained with me and ran with me that day, it was an awesome experience. The evening after I finished and the few days that followed were tough. I felt like I had a stick up my butt, I couldn’t navigate stairs and I cried if you looked at me wrong. It was such an emotional and physical experience that I can’t accurately describe it. Needless to say, I was sick of running so I stopped and of course I started to indulge, again.

January 2009, after about 2 months of training I ran my second half marathon. This time, it was a family and friend affair. We set our sights on the Phoenix Rock-N-Roll 1/2 Marathon. A great time of year to get out of cold and gloomy Salt Lake and head to sunny Phoenix. A whole group of us trained and ran, including my husband, mom, both sisters and my future brother-in-law (as well as some of my Mom’s friends that joined her for her first 1/2). Again, awesome, emotional and painful experience. I lost some of the weight that I gained after the Salt Lake 1/2.

Well, guess what? I haven’t really run since. I feel like I’ve put the weight back on two fold and its time to get moving again! I’m tentatively putting my sights on the Salt Lake 1/2 Marathon coming up in April. The challenge is that I have not given myself enough time to really train so I think I may walk it. So the question of the day is should I walk or run?

Finally, I convinced myself that after my 2 mile walk this morning that it would be OK to crack open a Diet Coke. I deserved it, right?

Wish me luck, I’m gonna need it.

A night with Hunters

It has been a while since my last post. I will get better at this, at some point. Last night we had a great evening/date night. My AWESOME mom is the Meeting Planner, or should I say "Executive Producer" for the Western Hunting & Conservation Expo. Last night was their Saturday Night Extravaganza. Its the final evening of the event and their live auction, keynote speaker and headliner entertainment. We were able to attend and sit at a table with family and friends. The night started off with their live auction, we were in awe of energy (and money) in the room bidding on hunting tags and other items. We also had a steak and lobster dinner, followed by the final concert Josh Taylor! We practically had front row seats in the Ballroom of the convention center. Josh put on a great show, his voice was awesome and we had a great night.

One of the things that I enjoy more an more as I get older is spending time with my brother and sister. I remember our parents telling us when we were young and fighting that we would be friends as we get older, they were right! My sister Megan and her husband Ian joined us last night. My brother Dax was actually working that night, he was helping with Josh Turner and his band but he was able to sneek in a few minutes with us at the table. As I get older, I cherish pictures like this more and more. Although we didn't interact a lot last night, it was just nice spending time with them. I wish Mom would have been able to sit and spend most of the night with us but she was up and down making sure things were running smooth for the event, we'll get her and Jack in the picture next time.