The Moose are Loose in Melody Ranch!

 Okay all my friends who are still questioning whether the pictures I post are real....THESE ARE REAL MOOSE...IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD!
We arrived home from skiing on Saturday and I took Bella on a walk while Barry & Derek went on a beer & propane run - gotta fuel the family (grill not covered in snow, so it was a good grilling night and everyone knows that grilling = beer). When Bella and I were near the end of our walk on the path behind our neighbors house (across the street) I looked up and saw two moose only two houses away! I was not only extremely surprised, but also a bit leery since I was not yet sure what Bella thought of wildlife (her only encounter so far has been with a dead elk). So we used my newly gained stamina from Mountain Athlete and hauled !%$# the opposite direction down the path, through my neighbor's snowy yard and into the safety of our garage. I am sure that if my neighbors saw me, they knew that I was not out getting Bella some exercise. Barry & Derek arrived home a few moments later and I pointed down the street to where the Moose were. They took Bella in the car, and the camera to get a closer look.
I stayed back in the garage to change out the car mats - it is officially winter, time for the heavy duty all weather stuff. As I finished vacuuming the car and was adjusting the mats, I heard a strange "munching" noise in our driveway. I looked up and the two moose were in our front yard, right next to the drive way eating our bushes - AAAHHHHHHHH! I threw the mats, tried to shut the garage door (no luck I pushed the light switch in my panic) and ran inside. I have never been so close to a moose in my life - and would be happy to not encounter them at that range again. I called Barry & Derek, they were out in the neighborhood looking for the moose that were now in our front yard! By the time they came home the moose had been startled by a few cars and had moved to our next door neighbor's front porch to continue dinner!

Moose eating dinner on my neighbor's front porch!

Momma Moose and calf eating the bushes in our backyard!



That is our backyard fence - moose on the loose!


 

 So our resident Mom & Calf Moose have moved into the neighborhood for the winter. According to neighbors this is quite common. The rule is to never get between the Mom & Calf and all will be good. Barry was out with Bella again yesterday after skiing and came upon the moose very unexpectedly on their walk too. It is something to now always be on the lookout for. AMAZING! The excitement never ends here!

We had a great weekend skiing with Derek. Barry & Derek went out on Friday, the weather was not perfect...call me a fair weather skier! I actually had lots to do around the house and also wanted to attend my neighbor's book signing. She has been published as the illustrator for the children's Christmas book, The Christmas Crown, by Maria Martin and illustrated by Kay Stratman (Kay is our neighbor, friend, and Bella's foster "mom"). If you have anyone to purchase a children's book for - it is beautiful!

We had a glorious day skiing on Saturday - sunshine, beautiful day, a bit cool, but the crispness felt great when we were skiing down our groomed blue runs!  Sunday was a different day; warmer temperatures brought a rain/snow mix and lots of fog. The weather here was warmer than in Kansas City and Chicago - we could  have used a bit more cold & snow! Never the less, a good day though - we are realizing that any day on the slopes is a good day. We are really enjoying the skiing out here and the restaurants on the mountain are fabulous as well (to me that is equally as important as good runs and no lift lines)! Having Derek home for an extended time has been fun for us - we can't wait to get Ashley home on Saturday (Good Luck on final exams in the meantime)!

How did he get so tall, or am I shrinking?

 

Hope everyone is having fun preparing  the holidays!

Mountain Athlete??

Another glorious day in Jackson Hole - some sun, reasonable temperatures, a fresh bit of snow and Derek is home!

As you know we completed our ski fitness last week, which proved to be beneficial on our first trip out to the mountain to ski last weekend. In an effort to keep myself in "mid season ski shape" (which it is questionable whether or not I really achieved that in 6 weeks), I took my ski fitness instructor's advice and attended her class that she teaches at another location. According to Crystal (the world class skier) this class wold be the "next level," but she felt that I was ready for it. WOW - what a boost to my ego...of course I would give it a try (and the first class was on her). My first indication that I may be in over my head was when I pulled up to the facility - it is called Mountain Athlete, and even the logo looks intimidating:

The first day of training was grueling, to say the least. But Crystal has a way of making you feel like you need to come back! The class ended with 10 glorious minutes of yoga - so I was relaxed and brainwashed before I left that "I can do this." And, Barry and I had been out with our neighbors to dinner the night before and enjoyed 2 bottles of wine, so I had an additional excuse for barely making it through the class. Note to self - no wine before next class.

Day two of training I will just title "Death by Sandbag." After somehow recuperating from day one's torture, I was ready to take on the class again (this time on my tab - so I better beat it). No wine the night before...I was prepared. I arrived ready to go, mentally and physically (so I thought) until I was welcomed with a 20lb. sandbag (the beginner bag - all others had 40 and 60lb bags). We had a 7-minute warm-up where you  held the bag on one shoulder then sat down, rolled all the way back onto your back and then shoulders (legs up) and then roll back up and stand up. Oh yes, very funny to even picture this move, with a sandbag, NOT FUNNY to try to do it - especially for 7-minutes straight. I was hoping that this class was the 7-minute express training, but no such luck - I guess she did say "warm up" before we started that fun. The hour-long class proceeded with varying torturous exercises including pulling a metal slab with  my "new friend," the 20-lb sandbag on it, attached to me with a heavy gauge chain and canvas strap, the length of the building forwards and then backwards for four grueling minutes. And a variety of other exercises that I would have never anticipated calling "exercises," I am going to be ready for the Marines if I am able to stick with this class! I completed the class, almost died a few times, and am sitting here blogging today instead of skiing with Barry & Derek so that I can recuperate. Oh and by the way, no yoga at the end of this session - others told me that was "unusual " to do (guess she used that tactic to get me back). Maybe I need to find some friends who like to shop and scrapbook, like in my good ol' life.

I have considered that if I stopped drinking wine every night I would see faster results. But then again the thought of having a glass of wine at night is what gets me through the fitness classes - so NOT HAPPENING! Life needs to be a balance of good and bad - especially if life includes lugging 20 lb. sand bags around! My previous fitness level always had me prepared for my regular activities - a jog down Antioch (4-miles of flat terrain), shopping and scrapbooking....Life was GOOD! Fitness at this altitude, and with the opportunities to ski/hike here is an  entirely different story. I will keep you posted if my story is a fairy tale or nightmare as I continue at Mountain Athlete.

I just looked at their website this morning (maybe something I should have done BEFORE attending class) and here is just a bit of what they  had to say:

FASTER FARTHER. STRONGER LONGER. MENTALLY TOUGHER"Mountain Athlete is the premier training gym in the world for mountaineers, climbers, big mountains skiers, adventure racers, snowboarders, professional snowmobile racers, explorers and alpinists (I don't fit into ANY of those categories). Our training is designed to increase the mountain athlete's horsepower (WHAT?? I am not a car!), stamina, durability and mental toughness. Our hybrid programming builds an elite level foundation of Base Fitness, on top of which we build blocks of sport-specific strength and conditioning.
Superior strength and conditioning achieved in the gym allows our athletes to be more efficient with their technical training on the mountain (I don't think that I have technical mountain ability). Time formerly spent on conditioning can now be used to further develop and improve technical proficiency. Not only are our athletes stronger and more powerful, they are smarter too (next time I am enrolling in a class at the local community college to get smarter)."

But, under "Frequently Asked Questions," I did find this:

"I'M NOT A MOUNTAIN ATHLETE. CAN I STILL TRAIN YOUR GYM?"
"Yes. Our programming and training will benefit any athlete. In addition to mountaineers, we've trained endurance runners, motocross racers, triathletes, nordic skiers, weekend warriors (still NOT ME) and house wives (well there you go - I am in a category here! Not sure where Barry will fit in if he starts attending!). You do not have to be an accomplished mountaineer, athlete or even in shape to train at our gym. But you do have to work hard."

So enough about fitness, endurance, etc. Enjoy a RELAXING weekend and balance the good & bad in your days!

I Survived JHMR!

The vacation continues...we spent the weekend conquering the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (or at least conquering a good portion of the intermediate terrain)! One thing that I realized this weekend is that maybe I  feel like I am on vacation all the time because I tote my camera with me everywhere! Try it out at home - have strangers snap your picture for you a few times and you will find they will start saying things like "enjoy your vacation/visit!" I think that Barry is starting to get a bit annoyed/embarrassed with it all, but what other way do I have to share the beauty and fun with you.

 

What an amazing ski destination Jackson Hole has proven to be - and to think that we have this available to us from now until April - yahoo! All I can say is that if you ever even remotely considered skiing - you better get your buns out here and visit us during ski season! Even if you don't think you want to ski - there is plenty to enjoy in the winter months in the valley. Bottom line - take advantage of the fact that we live out here:)

 

This weekend provided lots of fresh new snow, warm temperatures, and a mountain that we shared with just a few locals - no lift lines or crowds...just pure enjoyment. Since we are still learning our way around the mountain we certainly looked like tourists - so here are some of our best tourist snapshots:



The Gondola



 

Ready to go on the first run!

Happy to be on the slopes!

 

 

The Village



On Saturday there was a live band playing
at the base of the Gondola - fun times!

Smiling with all the gear is difficult!

Ready to go - Day Two!

The view of the Valley is beautiful!



I thought that it would be funny to get my picture with this snow creature. We ended up having to ski through "The Stash," which is a trick skiing park with jumps, rails, etc. The hardcore snowboarders/skiers were thrilled to see me in there - ha!

  After two days of skiing I can admit a few things:

• Ski fitness paid off - I felt better (physically)  than ever, after two days on the slopes
• I am getting older - even though ski fitness paid off, I am beat!
• I am glad that my Ski Pass is "Weekend Warrior," I need recuperation time
• Skiing in a helmet may not be the most flattering, but it is warm and comfy...and safe! I must admit that my helmet is my favorite new ski accessory! Try it if you haven't before.
• Being an empty nester is all but boring/sad - especially in JH! BUT, I can't wait to get the kids home for the holidays. Derek arrives on Tuesday already!

 While we have been busy skiing, Bella has been hanging out at home. She is not used to being left alone all day and is ready to play when we get home. All the snow tends to turn her ball into a snow ball - all the more fun as far as she is concerned!

 


















And last but not least, I will give you an update on the reason that we are actually able to be out here in the Wild West...Barry's job! The bank headquarters is well underway and construction is scheduled to be completed in February! Here are a few snapshots of the new building. It's off to work for Barry tomorrow - more skiing on the weekend!

Rocky Mountain Bank
Jackson Hole, WY

 




Have a fabulous week. Don't let holiday stress get to you...enjoy some chocolate instead!

Breaking more records!!

My apologies to those of you who actually look forward to my blog posts - I took a hiatus for many reasons. First, I found myself really struggling to create newsworthy & entertaining entries as we were "between seasons," here in Jackson Hole. I took some pictures that gave evidence of the impending winter season - but nothing that would really make you say AHHHHH!


Horses even get ready for the winter here!

 The colorful leaves finally did succumb to the wind and rain showers and the weather changed from beautiful to boring (not yet winter, but not fall either...I will just call it "blah").  I was fortunate to have planned an extended Thanksgiving visit to KC right when I started thinking that "blah" was not my kind of weather. Hence my second reason for not blogging - I was busy enjoying family and friends in KC! Thanksgiving was wonderful in every way - both kids came to KC; spent lots of fun time with family and friends; and I even spent some quality time at Nordstrom, Target, and the stores @ Town Center. And we also enjoyed some delicious KC BBQ (Oklahoma Joe's, of course)....the perfect cure for "blah!"

Derek & Ashley with a happy Grandma & Grandpa!

 Enjoying a night at the Country Club Plaza.


I LOVE my Mom - so much that I will even post
a terrible picture of myself with my eyes closed!!!!

We returned to Jackson Hole and it was like I had flown into a whole different world than I had left. In the 10 days that I was gone the entire town had been transformed into a winter wonderland. We flew in late at night and endured below zero temperatures as we trekked through the snow on the runway into the airport (no such thing as jet ways out here - go figure). But I woke up to a beautiful sunrise:

I'd like to somehow take responsibility for the record breaking weather that we have been enjoying since we moved here (call it coincidence if you like - but I am starting to feel somewhat responsible)! We experienced record-breaking warm weather throughout the fall. The unseasonably nice weather allowed Jackson Hole to post record breaking tourism numbers in the National Parks, hotels and restaurants throughout the fall - and more importantly, it allowed us to enjoy so much outdoor activity and experience things beyond our expectations. And now we are experiencing more record breaking news....I will just suffice to say that we are very lucky to have made the move west this record-breaking year and also give thanks to God for creating the perfect scenario for the "Nelson's Big Adventure!" Here is what the ski reports had to say about opening weekend last weekend:

Jackson Hole November 2010: Biggest Opening in History
In an unprecedented move Jackson Hole Mountain Resort announces the wall to wall, top to bottom opening of the mountain, this Saturday the 27th of November. Never before in the recorded history of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (JHMR) has so much snow fallen so early with totals snowfall tipping the 118” mark. We are calling it Snowvember, to be followed by Deepcember. As one of the biggest storms in recent history continues to rage in Teton Village, the mountain is preparing to open all lifts including the Aerial Tram and the Gondola. This will be accompanied by the opening of all major runs including the Hobacks and Lower Faces. Jerry Blann, JHMR President adds “This is the beginning of a season without equal in Jackson Hole history. We anticipate being able to open the entire mountain in November—this has never been seen before.”

Some things for us to celebrate:

• We completed ski fitness last night - a feat beyond what you could imagine...please send Advil and ice packs! Looking forward to the reward of pain free skiing this weekend!
• Hanukkah! Yes, it is already here. We have not unpacked the Menorah as of yet, but we are celebrating none the less. Our gifts to each other - ski helmets :) Better safe than sorry. Bet you can't wait for the attractive pictures of us "en helmet" and then "helmet head!"
• Bella (our dog) got her first elk, albeit it was just a leg. She will surely be the only one in our family to do anything remotely close to conquering wildlife. Our neighbors were dog-sitting for us and took Bella into the National Park to cut down their Christmas tree. Bella ventured off and came back with an elk leg! They let her bring it home to show us. UGH, you should ave seen my face when my neighbor handed me the leg in a plastic bag. Unfortunately, I  "accidentally" mistook the bag for garbage and threw out Bella's prized possession on garbage day (at least that is the story that I told Bella).



Bella's big prize!

• Bella has also conquered cross country skiing - twice (our amazing neighbors took her while pet-sitting...they are wonderful). So now I HAVE to get out there & cross country ski soon! It is so cool to see people ski down our street and on the paths through the ranch - the weather doesn't keep anybody inside...it just brings them out in different forms! I must say that I don't look too adventurous taking my dog out for a walk on a leash!
• The weather is something that I keep mentioning, but it is worth celebrating! We came back to below zero temps, I thought that the thermometer was broken, but it has rebounded back into the mid 30's, which I now consider a "warm day"



Is this REALLY the temperature??



Warming up nicely!

Our weather here has been the same as Overland Park the past few days - we just have a bit more snow, mountains, skiing etc!

So we head out on Saturday for our first time skiing in Jackson Hole. Keep your fingers crossed that we come back in one piece (or at least capable of doing a blog entry)! It feels like we are going on vacation, from our vacation - I can't wait! The mountain has gotten a ton of snow this week and is supposed to get 8-16" more today - yahoo! This was the picture of the day on the Jackson Hole Mountain resort website today - I guess when they say they have powder skiing out here they really mean it:

AHHH, Life continues to be GOOD in Jackson Hole!

Hail to the Tree!

A Christmas Riddle: What's 67-feet tall, travels across the country in a custom box escorted by a guard team and 12 vehicles (one just to carry the 5,000+ handmade ornaments) and is cause for one heck of a party on Town Square....all at the cost of $100,000+ dollars? Answer: The Capitol Christmas Tree.

Okay, I must admit that I can't remember ever cheering for a Christmas Tree - but stranger things have happened...especially since our move to Jackson Hole! (Actually, I do remember one year that our tree had fallen over two times and Barry finally rigged it up with fishing line to the built in book cases and the kids and I did cheer that it was "standing"). Anyways, the entire town of Jackson Hole was cheering on a Christmas tree under sunny and warm skies this past Saturday afternoon, as it was paraded into town. This was not just any tree, it is the Capitol Christmas Tree! Yes, for the first time in history, Wyoming was chosen as the state to provide the Capitol Christmas Tree. This is the tree that will be illuminated on the White House Lawn on December 7, 2010 for the holiday season (the Capitol Christmas Tree is one of the two most famous trees in the world, rivaled in fame only by the high-visibility tree at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC).  The Capitol Christmas Tree Celebration, dubbed "Hail to the Tree," was a fabulous reason for all residents to congregate in the Town Square for yet another celebration!

The Capitol Christmas Tree has a very heartwarming story for those from Jackson Hole. The woman who was responsible for choosing the tree from the Bridger-Teton National Forest (located in Jackson Hole) was actually the mother of one of Barry's colleagues at Rocky Mountain Bank. Sandra Seaton was a 62 year-old, life-long resident of Jackson Hole and 27-year employee of the U.S. Forest Service. "She was excited at the thought of a little town producing something as big as the Capitol Christmas Tree." She chose the 67-foot-tall spruce while on an outing with her children and grandchildren last year. The tree is meant to represent Wyoming, but to Seaton’s family and friends, it also is a memorial to a woman who loved her job, Jackson, Christmas and the trees. On Jan. 21, Seaton, had a heart attack at work. She thought it was from walking to work in the cold air. Doctors at the hospital flew her to Idaho Falls. She died during surgery. Her death stunned her family. In September, family members received another surprise. The Forest Service called to let them know Seaton’s chosen tree had been selected to serve as the Christmas tree at the Capitol in Washington, D.C.  “In the middle of this horrible, horrible, dark storm, there was some light,” Jeanna Seaton said. “I’m not sure there is something grand enough to honor my mother, but this tree comes close.”



The Capitol Christmas Tree standing in the
Bridger-Teton National Forest 11/6/2010

 

Jackson Hole Mounted Police Patrol

 The tree was harvested from the forest @ 5:00 a.m. in the morning on Saturday and prepared for its grand entrance to Jackson Town Square. The parade included mounted police, boy/girl scouts, Rodeo Queen Royalty, the Jackson Hole Community Band and school choirs. And in a nod to Wyoming heritage, members of the Northern Arapaho tribe performed a tree blessing ceremony. Hot chocolate and cookies were provided by the culinary class from the High School, although the warm temperatures drove many attendees into the local ice cream shop on the square!  

The Million Dollar Cowboy
Welcoming the Capitol Christmas Tree



  


Not everyone can get their picture with the
Capitol Christmas Tree before it gets to the capitol!

Following the ceremonies, the Jackson Hole Iditarod Team made their way into town (pulling an ATV instead of a sled due to the lack of snow) to usher the tree to the Rodeo grounds so that it could be boxed for its cross country trip to Washington DC.

Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dogs

Just a side note - this Iditarod team is used for Dog Sled tours during the winter months to the Hot Springs just south of town. So, if you visit us in the winter we could enjoy a fun afternoon of mushing and relaxing in the hot springs....another good reason to consider a winter visit! (Side note - Looking at this picture reminds me of the way our new dog Bella looked the first time we put a leash on her - I swear she could have pulled an ATV all by herself! Luckily she is responding very well to her dog training - thankfully, no Iditarod in her future).

Another good reason to visit the Nelsons this Winter in Jackson Hole - American Express Travel has named Jackson Hole as the "top romantic ski destination"; one of only six ski awards given out by the company. So think about it....
1. visiting the Nelsons (always a party)
2. Dog mushing
3. AND the most romantic ski destination....
all this in one place - book it danno!

SNOW REPORT:
We have received phone calls and emails from concerned friends/relatives about the weather. I am happy to report (although I am probably the only person in Jackson Hole NOT praying for a blizzard) that we have not gotten the predicted snowfall in the valley yet. Whatever news reports covered the story about the storm, they were not talking about JH. I know that the mountains are getting plenty of snow, but our day consisted of intermittent rain and mild temperatures. In fact, Bella and I enjoyed a beautiful long run this morning. We are forecast to get snow over the next few days, but don't worry about us...we have already retained a snow removal company to take care of our driveway and Barry placed our snow poles in the driveway tonight (something new to us - but I guess that it becomes difficult to find streets/driveways around here)!
So we are ready and waiting for the next big adventure! In the meantime another sign that is downtown that always makes me smile (and is a reminder that I live in the Wild West):

High Altitude Living

WARNING: This blog entry contains some scientific explanations....grab a Vente Latte and get ready to learn!

Each day we live here I learn something new - I guess that is a good thing! High altitude living has quite a few interesting differences from my days of living in the plain state of Kansas or the beachfront states of Florida and California. I would definitely say that all have there oddities and also their beauty - but Wyoming certainly seems to have a lot more scientific related explanations for those new to town.

COOKING/BAKING
I mentioned in a previous blog about the intricacies of baking - you need to be a chemist/physicist (reason I did not go into a medical profession) to bake here and do all of the necessary recipe adjustments. According to wikkipedia, "living high above sea level can mean your cakes rise too rapidly and then fall in like a moon crater, or end up tough and dry like a kitchen sponge. The lower air pressure at high altitudes causes increased evaporation of liquids during baking. Cakes set improperly and eventually collapse. " So, needless to say baking takes a bit longer - the first step is to adjust the recipe, second step is to bake, third step is to pray it will turn out so it can be enjoyed. Luckily, my baking "experiments" have all been successes to date.


Chocolate Chip Brownie Torte - a family fave!

They make it sound quite simple: decrease baking soda/powder; increase flour; use only xl eggs, or add an egg; add liquid; decrease oven temp, or increase oven temp - you have to experiment; NEVER use self-rising flour - it will explode! As far as cooking, water takes longer to boil (except I have a wonderful Italian industrial type stove that makes up for the altitude and boils at amazing speed - once I get it lit), pasta and rice take much longer to cook, and microwave popcorn takes about twice as long (or we just have a crummy microwave)! The changes definitely take away the once high level of comfort that I had in the kitchen. Luckily grilling and smoking (you know that I mean Barry's electric meat smoker) are unaffected - at least for now. I assume that once we get our first 6 feet of snow that navigating to the grill/smoker could be the challenge!

WEATHER - TEMPERATURE INVERSION
Now that the days are getting shorter and the weather is cooling off (sadly our Indian Summer is finally over) we have had many gloomy days. When I ask the locals, they seem unaffected by it and quickly indulge me with the explanation - "temperature inversion." So, I went to a meteorological website and here is the simple scientific definition. "The situation of having warm air on top of cooler air is referred to as a temperature inversion, because the temperature profile of the atmosphere is 'inverted' from its usual state." And since I am a teacher and understand that some of you are visual learners, I have included a diagram:

"How do surface temperature inversions form? The most common manner in which surface inversions form is through the cooling of the air near the ground at night. Once the sun goes down, the ground loses heat very quickly, and this cools the air that is in contact with the ground. However, since air is a very poor conductor of heat, the air just above the surface remains warm. Conditions that favor the development of a strong surface inversion are calm winds, clear skies, and long nights. Calm winds prevent warmer air above the surface from mixing down to the ground, and clear skies increase the rate of cooling at the Earth's surface. Long nights allow for the cooling of the ground to continue over a longer period of time, resulting in a greater temperature decrease at the surface. Since the nights in the wintertime are much longer than nights during the summertime, surface inversions are stronger and more common during the winter months. A strong inversion implies a substantial temperature difference exists between the cool surface air and the warmer air aloft. During the daylight hours, surface inversions normally weaken and disappear as the sun warms the Earth's surface. However, under certain meteorological conditions, such as strong high pressure over the area, these inversions can persist as long as several days. In addition, local topographical features can enhance the formation of inversions, especially in valley locations. "

Hey - wake up! That was the simplified version of temperature inversion. See what I spend my time doing when the weather is gloomy! Anyway, the locals' answer to getting over temperature inversion is to drive to the Teton Pass (the mountain pass going over the range to Idaho). It is very popular with skiers who choose to hike up the mountain and ski down (NEVER; even in my wildest dreams). It is supposedly "always clear" up there. So I have included a picture from a webcam showing this phenomena:

Photo from JH Webcam this morning. Clear and sunny in the mountains and
we are sitting below the cloud level completely socked in.

Below are a few more pictures from out our back door and on my way into town so you can get a true look at temperature inversion here!

A delightful morning of temperature inversion - ugh!









Town Square



Temperature inversion at Melody Ranch



The burn off happens literally withiin minutes. Once the air warms,
the clouds lift and dissipate and it becomes gorgeous...the bad
news is this sometimes takes until 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon.

SKI FITNESS - Halfway through the session and still standing!
CLASS GOAL: mid season shape, before the ski season starts.
MICHELE'S GOAL: not to blow out my knees before the season starts - this class is killing me!
Please email me if you would like some great exercises that will whip you into ski shape for when you visit - or at least they will help you be able to squat in the woods without worrying about falling over (we do have indoor facilities, just thinking of when we take you skiing in the backcountry)!

We actually just found out a bit more about the instructor who kicks our butts on Thursday nights - a few photos of what kind of skiing she has in mind:

Our Ski Fitness Trainer: Crystal Wright - Freeskiing World Tour Champion 2009

  Crystal Wright -  1st place U.S. Freeskiing Nationals
Snowbird, UT March 2009

WOW is all I can say about her many, many accomplishments. Crystal is not only a world champion skier, she is also a nationally ranked rodeo competitor; and is going to start competing in mountain biking. And of course, she is a certified fitness instructor.  If you would like to check out a really interesting blog, check out hers at http://www.crystalbwright.com/ and click on her blog link. Read about her ski outing on Oct. 30 - she is one of the die hards who hike the mountain to ski down (carrying all of her gear). Amazingly, this type of skiing is more prevalent here than you would expect. Barry & I are definitely waiting for the "resort ski" experience - ski lifts, mountain dining options, and apres ski!

That is all for now - I promise that the next entry will be lighter and brighter and help ring in the upcoming holiday season.

Cure for a Halloween Candy Hangover!

We enjoyed our first Halloween in Jackson Hole and the only negative that I can come up with is that I have a terrible candy hangover today. I swear, I didn't even have a glass of wine last night....ok, a few beers, but just way too much candy! The solution....a well-balanced breakfast:

The cure for a candy hangover!

I know that they always suggest that you buy candy that you don't like, but I have never been able to follow that rule. It was especially impossible this year since I didn't have any kids who went out trick-or-treating that had bags of candy I could raid while they were at school (okay Derek & Ashley - the secret is out)! Needless to say, a few of my favorite things made it into our treat bowl - and surprisingly the few boxes of candy that we had leftover were all Milk Duds! HHHMMMMM how did that work out? I was merely looking out for the welfare of our neighborhood children - Milk Duds can (and do - just ask Ashley) pull out your teeth. No worries, they are almost gone now - I jut don't know how I will cure tomorrow's candy hangover. There are always the 50% off candy sales the day after Halloween - KMart here I come!

The snow in the valley all melted late in the week, and the rains came down all weekend. But, just as it was time for the Town trick-or-treating, the skies cleared. I have never seen anything so cute as all of the little ghosts, goblins, witches, firemen etc. roaming in and out of all of the stores downtown for treats. There were plenty of grown ups dressed for the occasion as well. The best costume by far was an actual Headless Horseman that was riding through the Town Square - it really created an eerie feeling like we were in the Twilight Zone!

A true headless horseman!

 


















We strolled around Town for awhile. Then we joined some new friends at a window table in the Historic Wort Hotel Saloon to watch the Town Square festivities unfold over a cold beer. This is what Halloween is all about! I will admit that it was always so cute/fun to be taking the kids around in their costumes when they were young - bu it seemed that the fun always had a way of going awry before the night was over. Then it was the age when they wanted their independence and we sat home and worried all night whether they would make it home safely. Now it is kind of nice to sit back and relax and enjoy the Holiday! A few more years of this and then I know that I will be energized to take some grandkids out for some Trick-or-Treating and teach them about the good stuff - milk duds & sugar babies!

Today I find myself a bit melancholy as I experience one of the true signs of being an empty nester. It is Ashley's birthday, my "baby" turned the big nineteen - and I am hundreds of miles away from being able to celebrate with her on this special day. Thank goodness for all of the technology we have today - I have been emailing, texting, calling and facebooking her all day (I am sure that she is thrilled)! In the meantime Bella and I had a little celebration for Ashley here at home!

Happy 19th Birthday ASHLEY!

Hope that everyone enjoyed a very safe and Happy Halloween and that you got more treats than tricks!