The Blanch Herd

A Resolution

2012-02-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

One of the goals I made for myself this year was to try to improve my creativity in my photography by taking a photo each week that matches a theme word (or words) from a list that I randomly found online somewhere. Well, I've been doing this for six weeks now, and I can say that it's even harder than I imagined it would be. (I had originally decided on a 52 project because I knew that a 365 - actually 366 this year - project would be more than I could handle.) I've learned that even with the direction of a theme word, I still find myself stumped come the end of the week (especially with these last two - tired and sleep). Then Gregg suggests something witty and creative and I take a photo that I'm somewhat pleased with and then I post it. Obviously he doesn't need this exercise in creativity as much as I do. But I'm not giving up. It's a challenge, yes. But it's fun, too.

Anyway, the whole point of that rambling mess is that I want you to see them, too. You can check 'em out at kimmas52.blogspot.com. :)

Gregg's Latest Shenanigans

2012-02-12T20:16:00.000-07:00

Kim keeps hinting I should post this here. So, after a week of hints, I'm giving in. Actually, I wrote that first sentence about a week ago, got distracted, dragged my feet, and was finally reminded again to finish this up.

First, I pitched an article idea to the NSAA (National Ski Area Association) Journal and was lucky enough to have it published. In the end, it was actually made the cover story. Pretty cool.

Then, I was lucky enough to get a short slot (5 minutes) to speak at the Snowcial conference I went to in Tahoe. Covered a Facebook metric that lots of people are using but taking out of context. Anyway, here are a couple photos reminding me how goofy I look when I'm nervious.

Bluebird Day

2012-02-11T20:53:00.001-07:00

We spent our Saturday skiing at Ski Cooper near Leadville.
Gorgeous weather.
Soft snow.
Perfect company.
Doesn't get better that that.

Lady Grizzlies

2012-01-22T15:34:00.000-07:00

Gregg told me to take the camera this week while I was visiting Logan so I could take some "action shots" at Ky and Meg's basketball games. I did my best, but I've come to realize that action shots are a lot harder to capture than still lifes. (I didn't just come to this realization - it was only reinforced on this trip.) Anyway, it was fun to practice, but even more fun to be able to watch my little sisters on the court (even if they lost all three games, which was kinda sad).

So . . . here's the action I caught on "film":

Passing

Shooting

Listening

Posing

Smiling

Waiting

Fouling

Pepping

Thinking (?)

Coaching / cheering

These next four photos show Shuweii at the free throw line:

Swish!

Winterfest at Beaver Creek

2012-01-07T17:54:00.000-07:00

Beaver Creek Resort put on a big Winterfest during December and we decided to check out a few of the (free) events: An ice sculpture demonstration in the plaza on the 26th and a Torchlight Ski Run followed by a grand fireworks display on the 31st.

When we got there, he was just finishing up this penguin.

He used a torch to melt off the outer layer of ice to make the
sculpture shiny and clear.

A finished frosty.

And a 200+ lb block of ice that will
become a frosty before our eyes.

This dude knows how to use a chainsaw.

The sculpting took longer than it probably
could have because he stopped every
few minutes to carve some lucky child's
name in a scrap block of ice.

A whole swarm of groomers getting the snow ready for the Glow
Worm and Torchlight skiiers to come down the mountain.

Happy New Year! (A little early, because not long after this photo
was snapped, our camera battery died and we didn't bring a spare!)

Squaw Creek Trail

2012-01-07T17:52:00.001-07:00

Oh what do you do on Christmas Eve, when there's lots of snow around? Go snowshoeing of course.

Blanchard "Christmas Eve" Festivities

2012-01-07T17:47:00.007-07:00

We partied with the Blanchard bunch on Sunday, December 18th and pretended like it was Christmas Eve. After church, we skyped with the VA Blanchards:

We donned costumes and performed in the 2nd annual Blanchard Family Nativity:

And we opened gifts (though only the parents seem to have photographic evidence of such):

Little Brother Gets Hitched

2012-01-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

We trekked to frigid Logan for Nate and Shelly's wedding on December 17th. It was a beautiful ceremony in the temple and a fun and delicious luncheon afterwards at the Coppermill. We just had to get really creative with our ways of staying warm as we waited outside for the Mr. and Mrs. to emerge from the temple.

The green coat was a must - I think it saved his life!

Heather sister

Mace-face and Ky

Mugs and Kinna

Aunt Joan, Uncle Ken, Cousin Amylinn and Uncle Mike

Cousins Becca and Christine

Grandma and Grandpa Elwood

Aunt Alicia, Uncle Dale and Cousin MaKinna
(And I'm pretty sure Dale really was glad to be there - I'm guessing
the face is due to the cold?)

Nate certainly was happy to be there!

Shelly's family gathering for their group shot.

We are a happy family!

Meet the parents.

Siblings and spouses.

Sisterly love.

Nate held the bouquet while Shelly and her
sister got a photo together.

Dad

At the luncheon - the tree is always there
this time of year, but it matched
everything perfectly for the wedding.

Inspecting the beautiful cake made by Joan the Great.

Nate's missionary companions came up to give the new
couple a toast.

Dads made speeches.

The cake was cut.

Just hangin' out.

Just one of many grandparent photos - with the Thornleys.

The Weather Channel's Latest Star

2011-12-26T18:21:00.000-07:00

So, Friday night The Weather Channel got in touch with Gregg (as in THE Weather Channel, none of that local stuff) about doing a little interview about snowmaking via Skype. Here's how it all went down:

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 25) It's Here!

2011-12-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

And . . . last the best of all the game. Merry Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 24)

2011-12-24T06:40:00.002-07:00

Happy Christmas Eve!

Building a House

2011-12-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

Thanks to my mom for providing the gingerbread (and Grandma Elwood for the recipe and pattern) and meringue powder, we were able to have a little house-building party last night.

Notice the snowman needs a little help? Well, this morning
he was missing his longer arm and had face-planted
in the front yard. Poor little guy.

I'm quite pleased with the result - especially since we used things we already had in the house to decorate. (Like we really need to go buy any more candy at Christmastime!)

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 23)

2011-12-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

(Sorry Gregg) I just love me a good Josh Groban song - especially at Christmas!

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 22)

2011-12-22T08:25:00.002-07:00

It snowed yesterday! Nice to have a fresh coating of the white stuff.

Meet Herman

2011-12-21T16:12:00.000-07:00

He's the newest member of the Blanch Herd. I named him Herman.

Herman, the white-elephant betta.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 21)

2011-12-21T08:59:00.000-07:00

Jon Schmidt's albums are definitely on my "must listen" list during Christmas. So many to choose from, but this is a favorite.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 20)

2011-12-20T09:00:00.002-07:00

Love the forgotten carols.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 19)

2011-12-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

Classic song, with a classic sound.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 18)

2011-12-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

I got to see Sissel live when she performed with the Tabernacle Choir - what an awesome experience. She has the voice of an angel!

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 17)

2011-12-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

We're home in Utah this weekend, and I couldn't think of a more fitting song than this (bonus that it's sung by the Carpenters!):

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 16)

2011-12-16T08:24:00.000-07:00

This is a version from an old Readers Digest Christmas record my mom used to play during the holidays. When I hear it I think of her. But I also think of my sister, Heather, the Marshmallow Queen.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 15)

2011-12-15T09:01:00.002-07:00

Just a really pretty arrangement of a really pretty song:

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 14)

2011-12-14T08:54:00.001-07:00

Just scored this DVD at the library yesterday and watched it right away. "Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more." One of my faves!

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 13)

2011-12-13T08:41:00.001-07:00

Classic . . .

For some reason I can't find the video to embed, so just click here. :)

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 12)

2011-12-12T08:22:00.002-07:00

I've heard a lot of versions of this one, but I have to say this flash mob really did an awesome job. Gives me chills to watch.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 11)

2011-12-11T09:25:00.001-07:00

Whenever I hear Adeste Fidelis, I remember my sister, Kylie, learning the Latin as a little elementary girl for their Christmas program. It's stuck with me and I can't hear it without automatically thinking of Ky. :)

The Great Christmas Tree Adventure

2011-12-10T17:03:00.000-07:00

Bombarded on the trail by a Bombardier who was grooming the trail.

He was moving slowly as he passed, but it was still a rather close encounter.

Just your standard elk leg lodged in the roof of an a little info shack.

Let the sawing begin.

Sawing complete.

A tagged tree is a legal tree.

Happy new tree owners.

McKay and Jodi Jolley, our partners in Christmas time.

The Storm Trooper looking more festive than ever.

McKay gettin' er done with his victim.

A really cool pipeline/bridge from mining days gone by.

Tree before.

Kim's awesome applesauce/cinnamon/glue decorations.

Tree after.

An ornament doin' its thang.

A lovely bow atop the tree.

One of our origami ornaments left over from last year's tree.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 10)

2011-12-10T08:34:00.001-07:00

Ah, gotta love the Steamroller - this one reminds me of Christmas at my Grandpa Thornley's house back in the day.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 9)

2011-12-09T08:49:00.001-07:00

Love this one from his new CD (that mysteriously appeared in my mailbox a few weeks ago . . . mystery solved, though - my dear friend Christine sent it to us!).

Christmas Countdown - Song Style (Dec 8)

2011-12-08T08:14:00.001-07:00

Last year on my facebook countdown, I actually got a request from my friend Alison for this song. (A request! How flattering!) I had already scheduled out my plan for the rest of the month, so I didn't use it. But it was definitely added to the queue for this year. Love that classic Charlie Brown.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 7)

2011-12-07T08:47:00.001-07:00

Just a fun song from a delicious voice:

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 6)

2011-12-06T09:03:00.001-07:00

This one isn't your typical Christmas carol, but I really love it:

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 5)

2011-12-05T09:35:00.001-07:00

Steve & Edydie - love 'em! (And incidentally, it IS cold outside, baby ... 3 degrees when we woke up this morning!)

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 4)

2011-12-04T08:52:00.001-07:00

I love this hymn, and it's no secret that I love the MoTab. As an added bonus today, there's a little somethin' from Lloyd Newell. Score!

Birds [of Prey] Watching

2011-12-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

Spent the morning at Beaver Creek watching the men's Super G races (Day 2 of the Audi Birds of Prey Men’s Alpine World Cup). And ... it snowed! Fun day.

Just playing with the camera around Beaver Creek Village
while Gregg took a few runs.

Fresh snow! It's been a while around here ...

Hanging out at the grandstands at Red Tail Camp before the
races started. Notice the eagle on the screen is a real, live
eagle being filmed in the bottom left corner of the photo.

Crowds starting to form. Still waiting for Gregg to show up.

USA Ski Team member Bode Miller. In the flesh. He ended up in
the 20s for this race, but yesterday he won gold on
the Men's Downhill (which we didn't get to see - bummer).

Freezing, but still smiling.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 3)

2011-12-03T13:49:00.001-07:00

Today's song is dedicated to my brother, Nate, because for some reason whenever I hear it (which actually is not very often, shockingly) I think of him:

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 2)

2011-12-02T09:14:00.001-07:00

Day 2: Gotta love Home Alone.

Countdown to Christmas - Song Style (Dec 1)

2011-12-01T10:04:00.001-07:00

Last year I did a little "Song-a-Day Countdown to Christmas" on Facebook. I figured there is at least one person who reads this blog who is not my friend on Facebook and I didn't want to leave anyone out of the Christmas cheer this year. (So, sorry if you follow both - you'll feel a little deja vu for the month.) At any rate, I hope you enjoy! I admit I started listening to Christmas music long before today. I love this time of year - and I love the spirit that comes with Christmas music (whether it's technically "spiritual" or not). Here goes, Dec 1:

We Don't Volunteer, We Pose

2011-11-28T17:52:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago our branch took part in an annual tradition at Avon Elementary where the community helps fill Thanksgiving boxes for families in the valley. Not ones to simply do things out of the goodness of our hearts, we wanted some glory for all the effort we had put into driving nearly 5 miles to volunteer. Kim had been trying all morning to sneak into a photo, with no luck. Finally, as she placed a can of green beans into her box at just the right moment, she got the timing spot on and glory was hers. This shot appeared on the cover of Vail Daily the next day.

Vail Visitors

2011-10-25T20:42:00.000-06:00

We had the great pleasure of hosting some Blanchard and some Elwood visitors on two consecutive weekends in October. We had a great time with our families, showing them around some of our everyday sites, as well as discovering some new things. Thanks for coming to see us Paul and Kim and Richard and Peggy and Heather and Kylie and Megan! We love you.

P.S. People who may read both The Original Kim Blanchard blog as well as ours will probably feel a little deja vu while reading the first half of this post. Thanks to Kim for capturing some fun memories that we could steal because we didn't have our camera out as much as we could/should have.

Gregg in the Storm Trooper - ready to give the parents a
grand tour of our new town.

A gorgeous day and a beautiful trailhead that
we'll have to come explore another time.

Kim and Paul and the lovely, lovely mountains.

Yum!

Picking out a pumpkin at Wildflower Farm.

Guess who?

A peek of color and condos in Vail.

They've been making snow!

Steel Roots ... only Gregg guessed correctly
what these were - the rest of us thought
they were antlers.

In the Ski and Snowboard Museum - the History of Bindings display.

Dinner at Fiesta's.

So SO so yummy!

Ready for church.

The Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.

There were lots of cool benches in the gardens.

The only blooming thing we saw.

The Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater - I want to check
this out in the summer for some sweet concerts!

Exploring in the Children's Garden.

Cute fam.

More snowmaking - on the sidewalk!

Statue honoring the 10th Mountain Division soldiers.
We were lucky enough to be in the museum at the
time that one of the former soldiers, Sandy Treat,
was there telling stories of his experience
in the 10th. So cool!

Sisters, sisters.

Pretending to warm up by the fire - it wasn't really that cold,
but the gas fire pit was pretty sweet looking,
so we couldn't resist a photo-op.

Camp Hale (or what's left of it) - where the 10th Mountain Division
trained before entering WWII in Italy in 1945,
just a few months before the war ended.

Those rocks across the way are where the soldiers trained in rock climbing.
They also learned skiing techniques and weaponry while here, too.

Fall in Col...orado

2011-10-02T18:34:00.001-06:00

We thought the leaves around our new place were breathtaking, but upon driving up the road a ways, we found that we were quite mistaken. This place is gorgeous!

As Requested...the New Pad

2011-09-29T16:42:00.000-06:00

The front door.

View from the front door across living/dining area to far wall with fireplace.

View from front door to the right of the bar and kitchen.

View from blue couch in the above picture back across the main room.
The front door is on the right.

View of kitchen area from blue couch.

View from kitchen entrance.

Another view from kitchen entrance.

Master bedroom.

Bathroom dos.

View out sliding glass window 1.

View out sliding glass window 2.

A Hiking We Will Go

2011-09-25T14:40:00.000-06:00

I really wanted to get one more hike in before we head out of Logan with our U-Haul loaded and our bags packed. Luckily I had two sisters and a great friend (pretty much a sister, herself) who were willing to join me on a rather marvelous morning hike on Saturday. We drove to Blacksmith Fork Canyon and turned up Left Hand Fork where we embarked up the mountain on the lovely Leatham Hollow Trail.

Total distance according to Jim S in the Blue Bible: 7.4 miles

Total distance according to my pedometer: 10.21 miles

Total hiking time: ~4 hours

Total hiking buddies: 4 - Heather, Megan, Sarah and Kim

Total tissues used because of allergies and colds: half a roll of TP

Total red leaves seen along the trail: millions

Total tears shed because we were laughing too hard: numberless

These cliffs always remind me of the Salt Lake
Temple. And those clouds you see? Totally
and completely real!

First glimpse of Leatham Hollow Spring,
hence the name of the trail.

We hiked way above the spring.

Our lunchtime view of Hyrum and the Wellsvilles.

In a word: Glorious!

Madre. Birthday. Zoo. Mischief.

2011-09-18T17:08:00.000-06:00

Not Exactly Roughing It

2011-09-04T08:14:00.000-06:00

Our trip to the Vail Valley was a busy one. Perhaps the hardest part was our lodging. Here we were enjoying the Valley, gallivanting around, but when we wanted to go to retire each night we had to brave a trecherous drive 3 miles up the mountain into a sketchy neighborhood called Beaver Creek, climb 3 flights of stairs (there may or may not have been an elevator, I'm still too shaken to remember) and stay in this dump:

The tub was barely big enough to fit two people. Ridiculous.

Who puts the flat screen next to the fireplace. I mean really...

The only redeeming quality of this wretched kitchen was lovely cow photo..

The bed would have been okay had there not been these dumb posts on the corners.

We had to escape our cramped quarters for a few minutes...despite the pollution.

Building on an interstate is acceptable, but on a ski run? What were they thinking?

It's like they built 5 star hotels and golf courses randomly just to make a hard commute.

Needless to say, Beaver Creek's tagline of "Not Exactly Roughing It" is a joke. I can see why only 2nd home owners buy property here, who would want to live in a dump like this year round?

A Year and a Day

2011-08-29T21:59:00.000-06:00

One year and one day ago we were oh-so happy and in love.

Today nothing's changed.

- - -

We decided to take the spread-out approach to our anniversary celebrations:

Saturday was the Cache Valley Century bike tour (aka "Half-LOTOJA" after the fact that Cache Valley was also experiencing the Top of Utah Half Marathon that day) so Gregg spent the better part of the day pedaling around the valley. As I waited in the shade for my dishy husband to arrive, I took a minute to photograph the local wildlife:

Saturday evening we took the Storm Trooper on it's maiden voyage over the mountain to Eden, where we dined at Carlos and Harley's - recreating our first meal as a married couple (to the penny, even!) - on a delicious fajita steak salad and an enchilada plate.

On Sunday, we went to church, did some home teaching, came home to find a flat tire on the Storm Trooper, changed said flat tire in the 146.2 degree heat (that's what our thermometer said, anyway), did a little more home teaching, unwrapped our cake top so carefully preserved by Aunt Joan and stored for a year by the Elwood fam . . .

. . . and dined on the deliciousness (it was only a tiny bit dry and definitely not freezer-burned!) while playing a mean game of Scrabble on the front porch. (Gregg won by two points!)

- - -

Here's to eternity more!

Favorite Books & Family Update

2011-08-21T12:24:00.001-06:00

Being the extremely obedient child I am, and always have been, I am writing this post in response to my mother's request that we, quote, "Please share with the family your favorite children’s book - (and why)! And a quick one or two sentences on what each family is doing."

Gregg's Favorite Children's Book
The Whingdingdilly

It's probably no huge surprise that my favorite book is The Whingdingdilly by Bill Pete. Two reason's come to mind for this choice. First, Scamp, a true champion of a dog. Second, a great lesson about being content and happy with who you are and what you have.

Kim's Favorite Children's Book
Hop on Pop

Kim doesn't know what to say, she just loves this book. There really wasn't a story but it rhymed and happened to be the first book that Kim learned to read.

Family Update
First, Kim's research is coming right along. After some frustration with the cards they need to get DNA off of, they finally were able to get enough DNA they needed, a feat they are now replicating consistently which is great news. They can then compare this data against the key to see if their results are correct. If they are, that will be good news indeed.
Second, we love our new car. After not going to a carwash for approximately 4 years with the Falcon, we've already washed the Storm Trooper once after a quick camping trip that resulted in dusty bumpers. We also sold the Falcon in record time (less than 12 hours). It was a little emotional to watch Thomas (the new owner) drive away. Lots of memories in that vehicle.
Third, one week from today will be our first anniversary. As I stated on the Elwood/Thornley newsletter, we're in love we're in love and we don't care who knows it.
Fourth, we are really getting excited to move. Next week Gregg is riding the Cache Valley Century, but the week after that we'll road trip it out to Edwards for the visit. The week after that is LOTOJA, then two more weeks and we'll be ready to move! Woot! Can't wait.

Fireside Pizza with Friends

2011-08-20T19:53:00.000-06:00

We got together with a few of my good friends from IWA (and beyond - we actually all went to high school together, too) and their families this weekend to make (and eat) some reflector oven pizza and s'mores. It was fun to get together - I think the last time I saw most of these girls was at our wedding reception (almost a year ago, for those keeping track!). Good times.

Katie's son James chowin' down on the pizza.

Christine and Deon - came up from Salt Lake
just for this (well, and to visit their parents,
too, I guess).

Shauna and Heather

Gregg was our pizza oven master.

Katie and Ben making s'mores.

Dennis (Katie's husband) and James enjoying the dirt.

What a weirdy.

Ben was a doll - we loved having him entertain us and give us
good-bye hugs when it was time for him to leave.

The perfect s'mores face if I've ever seen one.

After the pizza was gone and the fire died
down, the stars didn't disappoint.

Fortune Cookie Say

2011-08-18T19:20:00.000-06:00

And if that last post wasn't enough to convince you:

(From our Panda fortune cookies, just tonight.)

Meant to Be

2011-08-18T10:34:00.000-06:00

Sometimes things happen in a way that make you step back and say, "Wow." This is one of those times. I'll have to let Kim give her perspective another time, but for now, here's my take on the last year and a half:

June 2010 - On a night drive to Salt Lake I debate in my head what I want to do with my career. I decide that I want a job, and ski resort marketing is the direction I head.

June 24, 2010 - I write the first post for SlopeFillers.

October, 2010 - SlopeFillers grows faster than any site I've ever started even though I am spending less than an hour a day writing content and promoting it.

December, 2010 - SlopeFillers starts getting national attention. I'm asked to lead marketing call for POWDR Corp.

April 2011 - I start figuring out where I would want to work. The dream job? Marketing company that serves resorts (rather than resort), out of state, in web marketing centered role.

May 2011 - Invited to do blog coverage of NSAA National Convention in Carlsbad, CA. Leave directly from my last class of my masters and arrive just in time for start. At conference I meet the president of a fast growing resort marketing company.

Friday, June 24, 2011 - President of that same resort marketing company calls me and gives basic details about wanting me to move to Vail and work for him.

Thursday, June 30, 2011 - He writes up details in semi-formal offer to hire me as Communications Director allowing me to run SlopeFillers, their blog and social media, and work with 2-3 resort marketing clients. The dream job.

Monday, July 4, 2011 - We accept the offer. Lots of unknowns lie ahead. Still working full time, we have limited time to shop for a new car we'll need, sell our contract, finish our projects at work, and tie up other loose ends.

Thursday, July 7, 2011 - With a tentative date picked to move on Oct 1, a full-day retreat at my job (they don't know about my decision yet) results in choosing a target date for my main project to be completed by the end of September, allowing me to finish that project before I leave (my biggest concern).

Friday, July 8, 2011 - Formal offer includes higher salary than we hoped as well as an offer to buy SlopeFillers for double what I expected.

Friday, July 22, 2011 - We put our apartment up on KSL. Within hours we've scheduled four showings. The third buys our contract.

Friday, August 12, 2011 - After deciding to buy a new car, we buy one for $2,000 less than anywhere we had seen in Utah and in better condition with less miles. The owner lives less than a mile from our home.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011 - We post an ad to sell our Saturn at 9:45pm. Within a half hour three people have emailed and one has called. Exactly 12 hours after we posted it, the first person comes back from a test drive and buys it on the spot.

This list includes about half of what has happened. It's amazing, thing after thing after thing keeps falling into place better and faster than we ever could have expected or hoped for. Just at the NSAA Convention alone it was nuts. I decide to try taking some sample pictures of one of the sessions before it starts. I sit down, and within seconds the Marketing Director of Bristol Mountain (on the finger lakes) introduces herself. Unfortunately, I leave my lens cap on the chair after we talk. On my way back to get it after the session, I bump into the Marketing Director of Snowbasin who recognized me from a picture on the blog. And on and on.

Every time I think about it all I'm blown away. We still have a lot to figure out, but the way this is going, I think it's meant to be.

...The Beginning of Another.

2011-08-14T13:21:00.000-06:00

As the Millennial Falcon's service comes to a close, another must inevitably take its place. Our choice, which was quite unanimous, was this white Subaru Outback. We're rather fond of it and hope it will serve us well for many years to come.

I've honestly never been a big car namer, the whole Millennial Falcon thing just kind of happened (speaking of which, it's actually Millennium Falcon, not Millennial which is part of the story) but since it's white and meant to navigate the snows of Colorado, we're throwing around Storm Trooper. Speaking of which, it's supposed to be spelled as one word, Stormtrooper, so it would keep that tradition as well.

The End of An Era...

2011-08-11T22:17:00.001-06:00

It's true, after 7 years of loyal service, we are selling the Millennial Falcon. If you know of anyone looking for a reliable, affordable car that gets crazy good gas mileage (not to mention make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs), let us know.

Lightning Lullaby

2011-08-05T10:01:00.001-06:00

A really fun lightning storm came through Logan last night. Like the photo-addicted folks we are, the natural reaction was to grab the camera.

Dear McCall, You're Marvelous

2011-07-31T15:13:00.001-06:00

Father/son bonding on the way to the lake.

Emerging from the "secret" pathway we took each day
on our walk downtown.

Payette Lake

The trusty grandkid-haulin' wagon.

Miss Moo.

Surely this photo doesn't do this
sunset justice - what a spectacular site!

Dray-burger.

Enjoying the Relaxation Station.

Laurel's little friend.

"Put up yer dukes!"

Strike a pose.

Just a random statue at the park near the lake.

Perfect for a little photo-op.

The fox went out on the town one night.

Family photos - it's tradition!

Little Hill - just a few miles outside of town.

Brundage Mountain

Another tradition - check out the local ski areas.

Elwoods Unite

2011-07-24T15:23:00.000-06:00

Starlight, star bright.

Bear Lake!

While Brodi may have been the only one caught "on film"
snoozing at the beach, the fact is there were plenty
of others who caught some zzz's as well.

Sand castle extraordinaires!

Waiting for the Minnetonka Cave tour.

Waiting patiently ...

Ready for some cave bacon!

The wonders inside Minnetonka.

Corn dog, corn dog, you are so good to me!

Can't visit Bear Lake without
a stop at LaBeau's!

Final activity: hot dog roast at Grandpa and Grandma's.

Entertainer Emmy at the campfire.

Fireside Pizza

2011-07-10T13:53:00.000-06:00

You may have heard of Firehouse Pizza. You may have even eaten there. Well, on Saturday night, we tried our own version: Fireside Pizza. Thanks to some genius building skills of Gregg (with a little help on the wrapping and taping by Kim) and Papa Murphy's for making the pizza and selling it to us for only $6, we had ourselves a marvelous feast!

Someone moved the picnic table into the stream
as a makeshift bridge over to the campsite.
Worked like a charm.

Will it work?

Oh yeah! So delish!

Next up: dessert!

Cooked to perfection (and cooling on the dashboard of the car
since the rain, wind and hail drove us inside).

We left in the rain and shortly after we got home, the rain really
got wild. Gregg, of course, grabbed the camera and
these are what resulted.

Quite the summer storm!

More 4th, More Fun

2011-07-10T13:40:00.000-06:00

Tony Grove Lake was chunky with ice
and snow on the morning of the 4th.

We decided to try somewhere else for a hike, but the
snowmobilers were livin' it up here.

At the Bear Lake overlook rest area we spotted this hummingbird
feeder flocked by at least a half dozen hummingbirds.

Our pathetic attempt at a hike on the
Sunrise Rim Trail: absence of any real trail +
being eaten alive by mosquitos +
looming rainclouds = very short hike

Wildflowers in Strawberry Canyon.

BBQ at the Elwood's was a fun celebration of food,
family, friends and fireworks - Grandma Elwood enjoying the party.

Grandpa Elwood.

Grandpa Thornley.

Grandma Thornley.

Let freedom ring!

Ky and Chi.

Mugs.

Nate and Shelley.

Pretty flower garden.

Brendon from next door.

Heather and MaKayla playing with the snappies.

Dad.

Carson.

Homemade ice cream! (Combined with homemade
root beer made a delightful root beer float.)

My mom always reads a patriotic quote from
John Adams every Independence Day.

The hat was a new addition to the tradition.
I think it was a nice touch.

Matchy, matchy blue squared.

We ended the night with a street fireworks show
followed by, of course, sparklers!

July 4th Weekend Wonders

2011-07-02T18:03:00.000-06:00

Cache Valley Cruise In

Let's see if you boys can do 90.

Da Beach Boys.

They were big.

They were fluffy.

They were rather fun to take pictures of.

Gregg's new mosquito repellent courtesy of Kim's genius.

Happy Canada Day!

Time Flies When Love Is In the Air

2011-06-28T22:39:00.000-06:00

Today marks 10 months of being married. Carrying on our tradition of "10"s using the candles from the 10 year snowmaking anniversary, we made Cinnamon Toast Crunch "Treats" and snagged a pic to commemorate the event.

Camping with the Girls

2011-06-26T17:43:00.000-06:00

Just a few pics from camp I wanted to share. (No, I didn't take the nice camera, but my old one still captures good memories.)

Camp LOMIA.

Playing the marble race game.

Breakfast for lunch.

Doing "The Jellyfish".

Dutch oven stromboli for dinner -
a huge success!

5 mile hikers.

See this river? Yeah, it's really supposed to
be the trail.

Gorgeous day for a hike!

BP2 = Beautiful Piranhas 2gether
(also known as Bridgerland Park 2nd Ward)

Crafty ladies.

Soup in bread bowls for breakfast.

A beautiful group of piranhas together.

Belated Father's Day Fiesta

2011-06-26T13:53:00.000-06:00

Stars & Such

2011-06-24T11:49:00.000-06:00

With Kim gone I wanted to keep playing with the camera but wanted it to be close to home so I wouldn't have to ride the bike post-sunset. The solution, I tried taking long exposures of stars. Very tricky thing to do with light pollution, but I managed to get a few semi-nifty shots none the less.

You'll probably want to click on each of these and view them full size. The only way to get the stars to show up more is to let the light-pollution haze show up more too.

Hooray for Another Photo Date

2011-06-19T13:17:00.000-06:00

Camping - Part Deux

2011-06-12T22:42:00.000-06:00

Sunday Evening Photo Stroll

2011-06-12T21:36:00.000-06:00

Tomatoes!

2011-06-04T20:23:00.000-06:00

Just planted these beauts today ... thanks to Grandpa Thornley for providing the plants and Home Depot for providing the garden space. Now the waiting begins ...

Three Cheers for a New Camera

2011-06-01T20:05:00.001-06:00

So, Kim and I bought a new camera. A Canon Rebel T2i DSLR to be exact. After a quick trip to the zoo we decided that we like it...a lot. The light was really flat but the pictures still turned out pretty darn well.

Sleeping in a Tent

2011-05-18T18:29:00.000-06:00

(the first of what will surely be many posts with the exact same title)

We went camping last Friday night up Green Canyon. It was marvelous for many reasons, including, but not limited to:
1) getting to sleep in a tent
2) listening/singing along with Gregg and guitar around the fire
3) heating up water on our new camp stove (thanks Mom and Dad) fueled by Gregg's Graduation Propane (thanks Mom and Dad) in no time
4) hiking up the road/trail till it was so snow-covered we couldn't go any further (at least without our snowshoes) on Saturday morning (about 6.5 miles round trip)
5) being together in the great outdoors

Breaking News: Gregg Takes a Real Job

2011-05-17T08:43:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure how many of you know this but I have been debating leaving the self employment gig for a while now in search of a job. In fact, I started poking around and exploring industries last year. Why? Well, I outlined this on my blog the other day, but the basic gist is I wanted:

To be involved in something bigger.
To be on a team again (preferably a fairly small one)
Have a steady paycheck
A little more fulfillment with what I'd be working on

So, a couple weeks ago, after I got back from the NSAA (National Ski Area Assoc.) National Convention, I started applying for jobs. I applied for some just to see where I'd stand with them, but others I was serious about. One was with Snowbird, but one of those was with the USU CPD (Center for Persons with Disabilities) as a web and graphic designer.

Yesterday I had an interview with them at 11:00 am that lasted just about an hour. I learned early on that while a designer is what they wanted, they also needed someone that could do a few other things like write code, design instruction, and even give them a hand with marketing. The more we talked, the more I felt like they liked me. At one point, they even started to sell me on the CPD and how great it was to work there. Usually a good sign :) Anyhow, as the interview progressed I realized i had checked off every one of those items on my list plus many more unwritten ones. I'd be working on a small team, wearing many hats, helping make the web accessible for those with disabilities. Pretty awesome.

About 15 minutes after the interview ended I got a call, offering me the job. It will start at 30 hours a week (which is perfect for me as I still have a few things to do this summer like get Second Nature ready for another season and ride a few thousand miles on my bike).

So, there's my big news. Kinda fun. I'll start next week.

A Little Tweaking

2011-05-08T15:01:00.000-06:00

I like to take photos, but usually I just upload them to the blog or Facebook as they are straight out of my camera. That's not a bad thing, and usually they look fairly decent (I think, anyway ... you may have other opinions. Just keep them to yourself ;) but today I started fiddling around with just a simple photo editing software I found on my computer. A lot of it was just pressing the ol' "Auto Correction" button and watching the program do its magic. (I'm definitely no Photoshop guru by ANY stretch of the imagination.) It's kind of fun to see my picture go from "okay" to "wow" so quickly.

Straight out of camera

After enhancements

Here's another one. This is from our trip to California in January. Gregg did all the touch ups on this one:

Before

And after

Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole!

2011-05-08T14:26:00.000-06:00

Happy Graduation to Gregg!

Pre-game festivities.

Always a good cloud day at Rio Tinto.

Welcoming the teams.

Halftime shenanigans with Leo the Lion's mother, Leona.

The game got rather ugly (2 red cards for Chivas,
one of which was because of a bad tackle that
broke our guy's ankle) but it ended in a W for
RSL, so we were happy.

Kage's Soccer Game

2011-05-07T18:38:00.001-06:00

Jesus' Last Days

2011-04-18T21:54:00.000-06:00

My favorite institute teacher of all time (who is more like a dear friend/mother/wonder woman than just an institute teacher), LeAnn Whitesides, put together a list of scriptures and other readings to study during the week leading up to Easter. I've loved it ever since she gave it to me, and I've tried to incorporate it into my Easter celebration each year. I was happy that I found it in my notebook just in time to start the reading on Saturday. While it's a couple of days late for you, dear reader, to start on Saturday, I decided to post it anyway, in case you have the yen to read along. Happy Easter!

suggested reading for April 16 - April 24, 2011

Jesus’ Last Days

It is not always evident from the scriptures exactly which events happened on which days.

Our calendar is different from the Jewish Calendar. For the sake of consideration the dates are given as we reckon time.

Saturday (Day of Anointing): Jesus is anointed in Bethany by Mary (sister of Martha and Lazarus).
John 12:3-8; BD, “Anoint” 609; Jesus the Christ by James E. Talmage, ch 29, note 7.

Sunday (Day of Popularity also known as Palm Sunday): The first day of the greatest week in history. The Savior left the small village of Bethany where He had spent the Sabbath with Mary, Martha and Lazarus and began to walk toward Jerusalem, less than three miles away. Matthew records that ‘a very great multitude’ had come out to greet the Master, spreading their garments and palm branches before Him and crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.” (Matt 21:8-9 -- known as the Triumphal Entry).
When the Savior came nearer to Jerusalem, He wept over the city as he contemplated the future destruction that would come upon its people.
When evening came He went back to Bethany with the twelve (Mark 11:11).
Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44; John 12:12-36; BD, “Hosanna” 704-5; Jesus the Christ, ch 29, note 8.

Monday (Day of Authority): Jesus returned to Jerusalem. He curses the barren fig tree and cleanses the temple.
Matthew 21:12-18; Mark 11:12-19; Luke 19:45-48.

Tuesday (Day of Conflict and Teaching): Jewish leaders devised barbed questions to ask the Lord, hoping that they could discredit Him. Jesus teaches in the temple and on the Mount of Olives.
Matthew 21:19- 26:16; Mark 11:20- 14:11; Luke 20:1- 22:6; John 12:27-50; BD, “Parables” 740-41; Jesus the Christ ch 19.

Wednesday (Day of Rest): Jesus probably spends a day of rest with His friends at Bethany. Elder Talmage says a reverential curtain is drawn over that day.

Thursday (Day of Fellowship): Jesus partakes of the “Last Supper” with His Apostles and offers the great Intercessory prayer, praying to the Father for His Apostles and all who believe in Him.
Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane where He ‘took upon Himself the burden of the sins of mankind from Adam to the end of the world’ (James Talmage). Around midnight, Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss and Jesus is arrested by the chief priests, scribes and elders.
Matthew 26:17-75; Mark 14:12-72; Luke 22:7-65; John 13:1- 18:27; Jesus the Christ ch 33, note 3.

Friday (Day of Suffering): At about sunrise, Jesus is officially condemned by Caiaphas and the Jewish Sanhedrin. He is taken to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, about 6:00 am. Pilate sends Jesus to Herod. Herod returns Jesus to Pilate, who releases Barabbas and delivers Him to be crucified. Jesus is crowned with thorns and mocked. Simon the Cyrene helps Him carry the cross to Calvary. Soldiers part Jesus’ garments. Darkness lasts from noon to 3:00 pm. Jesus dies. His side is pierced with a spear. Jesus is buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.
Matthew 27:1-61; Mark 15:1-47; Luke 22:66- 23:56; John 18:-28- 19:42.

Saturday (Day of Silence, the Jewish Sabbath): Guards are placed at the tomb. Jesus ministers to those in Spirit Prison (1 Peter 3:18-20; D&C 138:29-37). Savior spoke out of the darkness to the Nephite survivors on the American Continent.
3 Nephi 9:12-22; Matthew 27:62-66; Luke 23:56.

Sunday (Day of Triumph): Jesus victoriously rises from the dead.
Matthew 28:1-15; Mark 16:1-12; Luke 24:1-49; John 20:1-23.

Above material adapted from an exercise by Anne Woodbury Moore, New Era April 1994 and A Christ-Centered Easter by Janet and Joe Hales. Prepared by LeAnn Whitesides March 2010.

Golden Corral Warm-Up

2011-03-09T16:01:00.000-07:00

A little photo documentation that proves we're enjoying our spring break Logan style.


Ah, yes. Clouds and mountains. Life is good.

The first tree dropping of the season ... a tradition continues.


Domination.

A sampling of Gregg's photography skills. Just lovely.

Green! Makes my heart happy.

I call this one "A Girl and her Dishy Husband"

For this I have no words.

Mountain majesty.

I will eat them anywhere!

2011-03-02T19:08:00.000-07:00

Inspired by my aunt, Kathryn, Gregg and I enjoyed a nice dinner of this

to celebrate Dr. Seuss's 107th birthday.

Snowshoeing in Green Canyon

2011-02-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

Gregg went skiing today.
I spent the morning in the lab.

But before you feel sorry for me, let me just show you what I did after my cells and mice were taken care of:

Yeah, it was a good day with my sis.

Miss Moo comes to visit

2011-02-20T12:47:00.000-07:00

We got to spend Saturday evening in the company of a mighty adorable 2 1/2-year-old niece. And what a fun evening it was!

She kept us entertained by showing off her

letter
and number
and color
and animal (complete with sounds)
and body part
identification skills.

Miss Moo is one smart cookie.

We colored and stickered and read stories and watched Despicable Me.

And we may or may not have taught her a new cheer: "Go Aggies!"

And then she put herself to bed on her pink hippo pillow/sleeping bag combo.

Talk about easiest babysitting job ever!

Thanks for coming to play, Melia!

And a note to any other nieces or nephews who may be reading this blog:

we'd love to have you come visit and play, too!

As Good as it Gets

2011-01-09T14:29:00.001-07:00

No sense wasting time with words, I'll let the pictures do the talking. Just know this, when you combine warm weather, soft sand, the happiest place on earth, good food, temples, sunsets, and a rock-awesome traveling partner...let's just say, its hard to beat.

Day 1 - Walking through the surf at Newport Beach. Just after we hit up In-n-Out before soaking it up in the hot tub before a rather early bedtime.

Day 2 - Disneyland! Woot! On the bridge in Tarzan's treehouse. The lines were great all day. Most rides had about a 5-10 minute wait. Both Space Mtn and the Matternhorn were around 15-20. Autopia was about 25 but we were lucky enough to go at the absolute busiest time. Go figure.

Lunch of some bodaciously large corn-dogs at a little spot by the Golden Horseshoe.

Waiting in line (fast pass of course) at the Indiana Jones ride.

Walt has a mouse to pose with. I get a cute girl.

The Autopia hillsides flying by at over 5mph.

We wanted a picture with Mickey. The only way to get one these days is to wait in a super awkward line at his house and be escorted into his presence by two...um...interesting Disneyland staff guys.

Dinner of Steak Gumbo (for Kim) and Clam Chowder (for me) in breadbowls. Tasty viddles indeed.

Day 3 - We spend the day at the beach watching surfers, collecting shells, and playing a little frisbee. Kim's ultra-fabulous photography skills even captured this rather awesome shot a Huntington Beach local.

Also day 3, we got to see a pretty amazing sunset. The next picture shows the colors a little better. This picture was taken from the Seal Beach pier.

Surfers and sunsets, a snazzy combination. Right after Kim snagged this shot we headed to Kinda Lahaina in Seal Beach (where we ate last year as a family) for some seafood.

Day 4 - We caught a session at the Newport Beach temple to start our day before heading back to Anaheim for the afternoon.

We spent the evening in Downtown Disney, window shopping a bit. Legoland was particularly cool.

And finally, a nice California Pizza Kitchen dinner to end the week. Quite tasty.

Stockings and Skiing

2010-12-29T10:44:00.000-07:00

For the FHE before Christmas we decided to try our hand at the fine art of stocking-making. We learned a couple of key things in this process:
1) Never trust ehow.com for accurate instructions on how to make a Christmas stocking
2) Always have a husband on hand who thrives off of jimmy-rigging things -- it saves a wife like me from having a sewing melt-down five days before Christmas

Turns out, they look quite nice (just don't look too closely!) and they were perfectly functional come Christmas morning, stuffed full of fun goodies.

..................................................................................................

One of the perks of watching three ski movies in a span of a month or so is all the free stuff they gave away/raffled off to viewers like us. At the first movie, Gregg won a sweet Flylow ski jacket, which was too small for him, but just happened to fit me perfectly! (Score!) The next two movies provided free day passes to a couple of ski resorts, so we decided to put both the jacket and the pass to Wolf Mountain to good use on the 28th. While it wasn't the sunniest of ski days, we still had a marvelous time.

(Coincidentally, it was also our four month anniversary. Yeah, this is the life.)

100 Days

2010-12-09T11:35:00.001-07:00

.... and counting*

*at the time of publication of this post we're up to one hundred and three

O Tannenbaum

2010-12-09T09:26:00.001-07:00

one freshly cut fir = $14.00

one heavy duty tree stand = $12.00

(we don't have a saw, but that didn't stop Gregg from using our 'saw knife' from the knife block)

(note the swell tv fire, complete with popping fire sounds to add to the ambiance)

four hundred twinkling, colored lights = $11.52

our first Christmas tree = priceless

All the way home I'll be warm

2010-11-23T21:18:00.001-07:00

You may have heard about the gigantic blizzard of doom that was to wreak havoc across Utah on November 23rd. Well, it sure did hit Logan. The wind a howlin' and the snow was a swirlin' for a solid four hours. We hunkered down, turned up the heater, ate some yummy dinner, wrapped up in a blanket and watched Home Alone.

Then ... after the snow stopped ... we ventured out to enjoy the magical beauty of this winter wonderland.

Our first view from the front door.
(Notice the edge sticking out into the doorway -- this blizzard was crazy!)

This is where we live.

As happy as a little boy on Christmas!

Cozy little cottage.

Frisbee in the snow = super fun.

The sweet and very aerodynamic (looking) Saturn.

Let it snow! Let it Snow! Let it snow!

A Reason to Celebrate

2010-11-08T19:11:00.001-07:00

On Saturday (November 6th) we broke out the 1 and 0 candles for another milestone celebration: 10 weeks of wedded bliss. And we needed something to put the candles into, so I whipped up a batch of my new favorite breakfast/dessert/mid-day snack.

Here's the recipe for the deliciousness:

Apple Lemon Oat Muffins

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1-1/4 cups unsifted flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup (about 1 medium) finely chopped apples
1/2 cup chopped nuts
Lemon Icing

Preheat oven to 400°F. In medium bowl, beat egg; stir in milk, oil then lemon juice. Add oats; mix well. In a separate bowl sift together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg. Add to oat mixture with apples and nuts. Mix only until moistened (batter will be thick). Spoon batter into greased or paper baking cup-lined muffin cups. Bake 20 minutes or until golden. Spoon Lemon Icing over muffins. Remove from pan.

Lemon Icing: Combine 1/2 cup powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1 Tablespoon melted butter. (Makes about 1/4 cup.)

.............................................................................................................

That night we continued the celebration by cheering on RSL in the second half of their first round playoff game. Unfortunately it was the end of the road for Real Salt Lake, but we enjoyed the evening and the atmosphere anyway. (Minus the beer-soaked purse and inhaled confetti compliments of the folks sitting right behind us.)

What's cookin' Good Lookin'?

2010-11-08T18:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight it's Tortilla Soup ... though it probably could be called Enchilada Soup because that's what it tastes like. Pure heaven. Try it yourself!

Camilla's Tortilla Soup
(with a couple minor additions/alterations by Kim and her mom, Peggy)

3 cans chicken broth (or ~4 cups H2O + 2 chicken bouillon cubes if that's what you have, like me)
2 cans cream o' chicken soup
1 med. onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
1 large pepper, chopped (we prefer red bell pepper, but green works, too)
3-4 chicken breasts (we had tenders, and 4 of those is plenty)
1/2 cup salsa
1/2-3/4 cup uncooked rice
pepper, garlic powder and cumin, to taste

Boil the chicken. Remove from water and shred. Saute onion, pepper and celery (and season with a couple shakes of garlic powder) till barely crisp. Mix broth and soup in a large pan. Heat till boiling. Add onions, peppers, celery, chicken, rice and salsa. Add pepper and cumin to taste. Simmer until rice is cooked (or until your dishy husband gets home from class ... whichever comes last ;). Serve with avocado slices, shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream and a handful of crushed tortilla chips. But it's even really awesome all by itself. Dig in!

How to Make a Gromlet

2010-10-29T19:04:00.000-06:00

When it comes to food, I eat more than a few gromlets. In fact, Tuesdays are starting to become the standard evening that I make gromlets for dinner. How does one make such a fine specimen of a mean? Funny you should ask:

GROMLETS
Unlike normal dishes, making gromlets has not only an ingredient and instructions list, but also a rules list. Well, just one rule actually.

The Rule
You cannot use a spatula or any other utensil/tool except to cut the gromlet in half

The Ingredients

Frozen hash browns
Some type of pre-cooked meat (chicken nuggets, ham, spam, corned beef, etc.)
Eggs
Cheese
Sour Cream
Salsa or Barbecue Sauce
Tortillas

The Instructions

Add a table spoon or two of oil to a frying pan and put it to about med-high
Once hot, add your hashbrowns and meat till the bottom of the frying pan is full (the edges of the pan will give it it's round shape) and season with seasoned salt and pepper
Fry and toss a bit so they mix together and the meat is spread out evenly through the browns until the browns are, well, brown
Crack 2-3 eggs over it (4 if you've got a friggin' huge pan) breaking the yolks with the edge of the egg shells as you drop them onto the browns so egg gets into all the cracks, this will hold the gromlet together
Cook till once side of the eggs are done, then will your mad flap-jack flippin skills (sans spatula of course) flip the whole concoction over. It helps to jiggle the pan a bit so it's loosened from the teflon first
Once you flip it, throw some grated cheese on top. Wait about a minute, then turn off the stove but keep it on the burner
While that is still sorta cooking on the burner that is now off, put two tortillas out on two plates
Spread sour cream on one side and your salsa (or barbecue sauce, whichever you prefer) on the other
Use your spatula to cut the round gromlet right down the middle. Put one half on each tortilla. Fold the other half of the tortilla over and enjoy.

Blue Sky, Yellow Leaves, Green River, and a Red Canyon

2010-10-17T09:09:00.000-06:00

Ever since Kim and I met, she has heard the tales of Red Canyon and how much I love it. Finally, a couple days off school for fall break gave us the chance to sneak away. We ate like champs, slept like logs, and enjoyed the trip thoroughly, despite taking an extra hour and a half to get there thanks to one stuck semi, one semi that caught fire ahead of us on the freeway, and two wrong turns from our crackshot driver. Seems it's been longer since he drove to Flaming Gorge than he thought.

Our menu/itinerary was as follows:

Thursday

Wake up, finish some work and left 10:00am
Lunch was sandwiches on the road
Arrive, stop by the overlook, find a campsite
Dinner, tin-foil dinners, biscuits, hot chocolate

Friday

Wake up, have oatmeal, hot chocolate, and biscuits
Hike the river starting at the dam, 8.3 miles round trip
Lunch, sandwiches on a rock by the river
Come back, nap, lounge read
Dinner, beef stew, biscuits, baked apples, hot chocolate

Saturday

Breakfast, corned beef hash, biscuits, hot chocolate
Pack up, hike the canyon rim trail
Lunch at La Beau's in Garden City on the way home

Here are the pictures from the official trip photographer. Kim.

One of many delays, a truck that burned to the ground as we watched

And there she is, Flaming Gorge. Our first view.

A sample of the aspens that we're 100% amazing on the mountain sides.

Kim's photographic skill never ceases to amaze.

Hangin' by the fire.

We had the river to ourselves for the first couple of hours.

One of the highlights, a bald eagle chillin' on a tree by the river.

Lunch on the Green. Ain't nothin' better.

Our campsite at Meadow Park, about 5 miles from Red Canyon.

Spending our last morning at the overlook. Lovely as ever.