Fashionista

Lately Aven has been pretty interested in all things dress-up. I usually can't get her to leave the house unless she's wearing a hat and carrying one of her little purses. She also demands a spritz of body spray every morning before we leave for school. Today at the Fossil store she had a great time running around wearing a very expensive purse around her neck and carrying a wallet. I think I might be in trouble.

One Tired Babe

She must have been pretty exhausted to pass out like this:

Five Reasons

I almost gave up skiing a few years ago because of sore knees. Last year I decided to give it one more try and by some miracle I was once again able to ski all day without any knee pain. This year Ian and I bought discount passes to Brighton and The Canyons and I have been loving my time on the slopes. With my renewed love of the sport I have been thinking a lot about why I love skiing so much:

1. I was NEVER good at team sports. I always wanted to be but no matter how hard I tried I was uncoordinated and I never really felt like I could get in a groove with the rest of the team. The only parts of recreational skiing that could be considered team-like are keeping track of the people you are skiing with and not crashing into other people who are skiing/ riding near you. I don't have to coordinate with anyone else to enjoy skiing or to excel at it.

2. Snowboarding. There are still plenty of skiers that complain about "those darn kids" but without the invention of snowboarding, skiing wouldn't be the sport it is today. Snowboards were the first snow-riding tool to be widely available with a parabolic shape which makes turning and carving a piece of cake. I also think that skiing as a sport is a lot more playful and fun because snowboarders showed skiers how use the new ski shape to do something other than ski from the top of the mountain to the bottom.

3. Skiing is a family activity that never seems to outgrow your family. I've seen plenty of surly teens loping behind their families at zoos, museums etc. but I have never seen a teen unhappy to be skiing or snowboarding, even if they are stuck with their family for the entire day.

4. Freedom. I don't think I ever feel as free and light and when I am sliding down the mountain on a sunny, beautiful day. Skiing is euphoria.

5. All the little details of a ski day: the smell of sunscreen on a cold day, face so cold you can't move your lips, the smell of the grill on the ski lodge patio, meeting new people on the lift, finding a sweet spot of untouched powder . . .

"Gravity is love and every turn is a leap of faith." ~Author Unknown

Aven Helps with Dinner

I begged her not to help, but she insisted:

Happy New Year, 1967

When my grandpa died in 2007 I packed up a couple boxes of things from his house in St. George when we were cleaning it out and getting it ready to sell. About three weeks ago I was finally able to bring myself to go through the things I brought home. Among them were some pictures and papers that had belonged to Grandpa's older sister, Jeanne. I found a letter that Grandpa had written to Jeanne. My dad told me that his best guess for the year was 1967. Discovering this letter was like getting a present from Santa. I loved reading this little snapshot of my dad's family life and wanted to share it with my family and friends.

I wanted in include a picture that related to the letter and the closest thing I had was a picture of my Grandma, Carm, and my Aunt Shelly standing outside Molly Greens at Brighton Ski Resort in 1965.


Jan. 5

Dear Jeanne and Scott,

Now that the happy, joyful holiday season is over and things can get back to their normal frustrating conditions I will pen you guys a short note!

Did Santa get down to see you? He made a good stop at our house and everyone was happy. The boys got spider bikes and cowboy boots and Shelly got a suit, ski parka, and a pair of heels. Carm got a three-piece suit, boots, and a few blouses. I got some after-ski boots and two new suits.

Most of our Christmas this year went for one big family present and Santa had one hellava time getting it out of his sack! It was a regulation size pool table. Instead of our kids bumming the streets we make them go downstairs and play pool. Does that sound right? I can envision the near future when Carm will be sharking me a fast game for the grocery money. I can see it all now- I come home from a hard days work to a cold, dark kitchen and the sound of clicking pool balls floating up from the basement tells me that Carm and the kids are involved in a big game that starts with a capital "P" that stands for pool!

We have also passed a milestone in the boys' upbringing. As you probably knew, they got a Deseret newspaper route several moths ago. It wasn't too bad while the weather was good, but the first time they had to run it in the snow it lost some of the thrill. It wouldn't have been so bad, but it was too stretched out and took them almost two hours each night. They had to go up to the Villa theater to get the papers and then it covered an area from 13th East to 23rd East and from 33rd South to almost 39th South. Whenever they had to collect we would take them in the car and we were probably using more gas money than they were making. Anyway, last Sunday was their final delivery. On Sunday they delivered the Tribune. As you know the Tribune is a MORNING paper. Like 4:30 a.m. morning! I would take them in the car on Sundays and as we generally go out on Saturday night, I was pretty well shot all day Sunday!

Jan. 15

I just found your letter in my desk and decided I better get it in the mail. I spent last week in IBM school on a "Fundamentals in Programming" course. So I didn't get too much done around the office. We have been skating a couple times and skiing once and the weather was real good for both.

I got the license plates for both cars and the trailer last week and so we will be ready to go anywhere as soon as the weather breaks. Shelly will be able to get her "learners" permit next week and her drivers license the first week in February. She is pretty excited about it all. She is home sick today with a cold but is getting better.

This brings you guys up to date on our news. So drop us a line and let us know how things are working out down there. If we go to Lake Tahoe this summer we will dash over to see you.

Love, Robert, Carm, and the kids


I hope everyone has a happy New Year!