I am still alive...

Hi everybody! I know it has been a while since my last post, but I am still here and alive! There have been many times I have thought of something I wanted to write about, but was running out the door, or I had just come home from work, absolutely exhausted.

The absolute exhaustion comes from the fact that I have had mono these past few months. Since about a month after we moved here, I have been totally run down and just plain pooped. I kept getting sick too. From fevers to sinus infections to an extremely sore throat. It felt like I was swallowing shards of glass. I finally went to the doctor at that point desperate for some relief. Well, they did blood work and prescribed some prescription strength suckers called tetra-cane suckers. They are much more powerful that halls drops or anything over the counter, and they work fantastically. A few days later the test results came back and I was officially diagnosed with mono.

I have been resting a whole bunch and am finally feeling better. I can get all the way through most days without feeling like I need a nap. So anyway - on to one of the reasons for this post....THE SNOW!!

First came a little bit of snow...

then... Let it snow... Let it snow... Let it snow...

We ended up with quite a bit of snow here in Northern Utah this winter.
In general, Utah has been kind of lacking in the snow department for the last few years. I worked at Snowbasin last year too, and the snow just sucked! This year though...wow! What a difference! Snowbasin has the 3rd highest mid mountain depth this year - where as last year we were way down on the list. This season, we are only outdone by Snowbird and Alta...and they always get the most snow because they are always hit by all the lake effect snow the Cottonwood Canyons get.

I have become quite good at driving through snowstorms and on days I had the energy to get out and do it, I have received a couple good workouts from shoveling hundreds of pounds of snow from my driveway.

These next photos were at the peak of the snow totals...

The bump to the right of the little house is actually a picnic table engulfed by the snow. And toward the back on the right is a Little Tykes play tower with a slide coming off of it. (the top of the slide is at the top of the snow level.) Skiing has been phenomenal too. Admittedly, I have not been nearly as much as I have wanted to. Partly due to moving and unpacking - then the Holidays, then the whole mono thing...and my family has had some bouts with illnesses this winter, too. But we have made it up to the slopes a few times, and it has been great!

Michel and Melanie came out for a visit too, and Nolan, Michel and I went skiing. Unfortunately Melanie could not come because of how far along she is in her pregnancy. It was great fun though - even when Michel almost killed me (j/k) by dragging my to a double black diamond slope! To his defense, he did not know it was as steep as it was until we got there, and it was partly due to us making a wrong turn higher on the trail. He did save me though and was really great in getting me across the gorge. We traversed across the whole thing, and then he actually had to pull me up a short ridge on the other side to get back to the regular trail.
This slope is actually a lot steeper and wider than it looks here. This is the view from the lift, and I was NOT about to go back to the actual area for a better picture. The area we traversed is in the middle of the two ridges seen here (the area in shadow). Scary!
That night, everybody else came up and we went out to eat at Javier's Mexican Restaurant. It is kind of a tradition with our family. In the past we have gone to one by a dog food factory in the ghetto. Great food - weird neighborhood. But this time, we went to one in a converted Motel coffee shop in a better neighborhood. Still great food! And it was so fun to be able to spend that kind of quality time together.
Sienna was so proud of her artwork.....After dinner it was back to our home for some good hanging out time. The little cousins are so cute together! They love to play.A few days later, I was at work and Michel and his dad came up to ski. I was able to get off early and join them for the rest of the afternoon. That day was filled with fast groomers, small jumps, and intermediate slopes only - no more double black diamonds for me! It was great being able to spend a little more time (and skiing too) before he had to return home.
A few days after that, Melanie and Gretta came up for a sleepover. That was loads of fun. We sat down and started chatting around 10 pm. Melanie and I had so much catching up to do that we stayed up until 4:30 in the morning! I could not believe it! I can't even remember the last time I stayed up that late! The next day we just sorted through some of my son's clothes he had grown out of, and Mel chose some to take home with her for her new arrival.

We miss you Michel and Melanie - and little Gru!

Well, the snow has calmed down- melted completely from our yards actually. And the lovely warmth of springtime is in the air. I love winter, but with the abundance of winter driving I have had to do this winter, I am so ready for spring! A long spring would be very nice. I just hope summer takes its sweet time arriving. It gets too hot too fast!