Martin Luther King Day...

In the spirit of blogging about the Holidays we can't forget about the ultimate one..MLK day! Nothing like easing into the semester like a three day weekend just two week in. I was feeling a little sad knowing that my ski days were most likely done for the year. Washington was getting tons of snow which was making it worse. We then decided that there are several great ski resorts in Washington and Vet school doesn't mean we can't have a life! So we got together with our go to vacation couple, the Whitakers and planned a ski weekend at Schweitzer Resort just north of Coeur D'Alene, ID. The downside is we had to rent equipment, that's right RENT, something I have never done in my life. I was trying really hard to not be a ski snob when the rental shop brought out rear entry boots with plastic buckles. I harnessed my chi and accepted the fact that our sub par boots skis and poles was going to be fine! I herded the crew together bright and early at 5:45 Saturday morning to make the 3 hour trek north. I made sure all the essentials were accomplished for the perfect ski day, Early start, donuts, The EAGLES, fresh groomers, LUNCH RUN with chili cheese fries and of course skiing real fast. We had the ultimate day. I was sad Brit wasn't able to join us for the skiing but she was there for the important parts. After skiing till the lifts closed we had the luxury of grabbing dinner at the resort and sleeping in the lodge. It was so nice not having to drive home exhausted. Sleeping in and having a leisure start was just what we needed. I think we will have to make MLK ski trips a tradition! 

           

Our high end Rental equipment

 

Holidays...

WOW! As my family reminds me I'm the worst blogger ever... Here comes Blog overload! We will rewind to Thanksgiving, I know it's a stretch but everyone remembers the turkey, stuffing, and napping right? We were able to head to Utah and spend Thanksgiving with my family. As usual we were running every which way, riding my mules, hanging out with family, eating lots of food, shooting 10 boxes of skeet and lots of pheasants. Anytime we are able to head back to Utah and visit the fam is amazing! Big family dinners with my family and Travis's were loud, rambunctious, and delicious! 

 

                       

For all 8 Heber people that read my blog...this is Mr. Justing Kelly riding a MULE! Please tell him that mule makes him look good!

CHRISTMAS!!! 

It's our favorite time of the year! One of the few perks of being a student is the month long break for Christmas! Sadly my husband has like a big boy job that doesn't get an entire month off. I was luckily enough to go home for 2 weeks and spend my time skiing and skiing and well, skiing! When Travis made it into town we jumped from holiday party to holiday party. We were able to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with Travis's family. We had such a blast spending the night at his brothers and opening presents with their kids! We finished up the vacation back in Heber with more family and more skiing.  It was a great trip and a successful Christmas season.

                    

                  

Travis...

First things first...I am not one to write gushy obnoxious blogs about how in love I am with my husband (which I am) or how incredibly good looking he is, how kind, selfless,generous, blah, blah, blah...really it gets nauseating. I mean I'm not opposed to those who do because it is extremely entertaining to read with friends and have a good laugh.  I may not be writing a gagging tribute but I am going to give credit where credit is due.

 I have this frustrating idea of what I am supposed to do as a wife. You know, cook, clean, do laundry etc. etc. but I am not that great at any of those things. I spend so much time at school or studying or thinking about studying that I don't exactly get to the vacuuming every week. I get stressed about it so I come home late and begin cleaning... Travis interjects and says he can do it tomorrow, then the guilt rides in about how I'm a terrible wife, and most of the time I take it out on him and the cycle continues. Well, I cam home saturday evening after being at the school since 7:30 and walked into a sparkling kitchen, folded laundry, and clean bathrooms. I immediately got upset because I am supposed to be the one to do that, not him! I had it all planned out, I take my test on Monday, head to the grocery store, cook dinner, then clean the house. How dare he mess up my plan!  Then it hit me...I'm NOT a terrible wife I just have a good husband. So I have realized it's not that I suck...he is just that awesome. With the risk of being "that" blogger, I want to give credit to my amazing husband who cooks, cleans, and does laundry while I'm buried with school. I am so grateful for him and find myself pretty darn lucky.  To clarify before anyone gets the wrong idea, Travis gets his payback by playing ridiculous amounts of golf. He can play all the golf he wants if he continues to bail me out of domestic duties every once in a while (don't tell him I said that). Travis thank you and I love you.

Labor Day...

I think we are in serious denial about school starting. It's not our fault that they give us a three day weekend two weeks into school. We have been planning on making it to Portland all summer but it just never panned out. So labor day it was. When we discussed a weekend in Portland, Oregon I did not anticipate the meandering road trip that it turned into, especially understanding my reputation in the car...30 minutes tops until I am fast asleep. But I would just like to proclaim that I have become the ULTIMATE road tripper. Seriously, in the last 2 years I have harnessed my chi and learned how to stay awake and enjoy...scratch that...tolerate driving long distances. I found the key!...if you let me stop every 2 or 3 hours then I can have a continuous supply of snacks and drink all the Diet Coke I want! If I'd known that road tripping could be like this, then maybe I would have been on board years ago. (Dad I'm telling you, if I could eat muddy buddies in the car I would drive anywhere with you!) So the 5 hours it should take from Pullman to Portland took 6.5 because we needed dinner, gas, and of course the Nation's largest dairy was on the way so we had to go looking for it, (to no avail). We continued past Portland to stay in Beaverton, because...well that's where HOTWIRE.COM told us our hotel was. Saturday brought the day Travis had been waiting for...NIKE employee store. My dad was able to get us tickets to the store, and Travis had been saving all summer for it. Once inside we were like kids in a candy shop! 50% off of everything. Let's just say my budget and Travis's were not the same but we managed to stay close and come away with some great stuff. The rest of the day was spent wandering the streets of Portland which has the greatest hippy/ big city feel. Sunday we were back in the car to head to the coast. When planning the trip Travis asked me what I wanted to do...of course I said "the ZOO!" and "Tillamook cheese factory". He rolled his eyes and made some comment about marrying a 6 year old. I caved on the zoo because I won that battle in Seattle but I was stuck on Tillamook and Travis was ANTI. It was a bit out of the way but I could dream. So our drive to the coast from Portland consisted of multiple stops at fruit stands looking for fresh peaches and gathering more snacks for the car. Once we hit Seaside we played on the beach and found some more food. It was a little crowded for us so we packed up and headed south. Our friend Lyle, was determined to find our "spot" to have a  fire on the beach and fly kites. Everywhere we stopped just wasn't quite up to his standards so we kept driving along the beautiful Highway 101. The further south we drove on the coast, the more I kept reminding Travis that were getting closer to Tillamook...ya know just saying. At a random stop along the way in search of a lighthouse, we consulted Google Map and sure enough it was going to be closer to go through Tillamook and back toward Portland than to turn around. I had WON! Tillamook ice cream here I come! I was not disappointed in the slightest, cheese factory tour, free samples, cheese market, ultimate grilled cheese and EVERY ice cream flavor they make...yup I was happy. Once we had our fill of cheese and ice cream we continued our journey to find our "spot". Further along highway 101 we found it. Just before sunset, the abandoned beach with cliff's going up all sides was beautiful and the perfect spot for a fire and kites. We stayed until the wind blew out our fire and we realized we had a ways back to Portland. You would think our road trip was finished but no...driving directly home from Portland was too boring so we detoured up to Mt. Hood to hike around the resorts and ride the alpine slide. It was beautiful, I can't wait to go back in the winter to ski. Once we were back on track toward home we came across the MOST GIGANTIC TREE FARM EVER...so of course we had to stop and attempt to drive to the end (we never made it...Brit and I had to pee). By this time we were ready to be home and my mind had switched to homework. It was a great vacation and I have been converted to road trips! Now it's time to really focus on school with 5 tests in the next 2 weeks it will be a while before I surface again. Great Labor Day...until next year.

Our hotel was just down the road...so pretty

Nike Campus is unbelievable.

Brittany and me at Seaside

Cannon Beach

I was so excited!!

Travis was looking for a seal for me...no luck.

The lighthouse...slightly smaller than anticipated.

I was determined to find wildlife...and I did!! 

Flying kites

The infamous VooDoo donuts...I'll give it to them the bacon is amazing

Mt. Hood

Farewell Summer...

To celebrate the end of our summer, we headed camping at the southern tip of Couer d'Alene Lake. We found a great camping spot about 50 yards up off the banks of the lake. We unloaded in the dark but successfully set up our camp and enjoyed the summer night. By nine o'clock the next morning my friend Brittany and I had gone on a run on a trail along the lake, made breakfast, ate breakfast with the boys and made down to the lake with our floaties. The day could not have been more perfect. We had a great little shoreline where the boys brought down our cooler with snacks and diet coke. Brittany and I never left our floaties...literally we floated around from 9 until 3 when thunder clouds covered the sun. We enjoyed watching the guys swim around and allowed them to pull us along exploring the lake. When thunder heads covered the sun we got nervous about our camp and headed to pack up. With lightning flashing around us we stowed all of our stuff in record time! Of course by the time we were safely in the truck, the storm had passed and the sun was shining. What to do? Head back down to our dock! We unloaded the grill and coolers and set up a great lunch. It was the perfect end to our Summer and now we are ready for school.

Bondurant...

Every year...meaning the last 2 my family heads to my parents "barn" in Bondurant, Wy over the 4th of July. I have especially been looking forward to it this year because it is our only visit to the Barn this year. Most people who know us understand that our vacations are not exactly what people would call "relaxing" but they are definitely a blast! My brother and I started the week off with a 13 mile trail run 5,000 vertical feet up Mt. Timpanogos from American Fork, UT before driving to wyoming that afternoon. We wrangled 4 little girls and 5 adults on a mule ride, which takes a lot more coordinating that most people would think. We rode 50 miles on road bikes around Teton National Park and around Jenny Lake, by far the most beautiful scenery I have ever ridden through. Travis, my Dad and I went on a spectacular mule ride 12 miles into Cliff Creek falls with a saddlebag full of lunches and snacks. Not to mention the daily trail runs and mule rides over wyoming wilderness. The rest of our time was filled with gunning down hundreds of pot guts, multiple different work projects, and of course great food and even better company. It was so much fun to hang with my family and have Travis there too! (He has had to work over the last few trips). Till Next year!

Saddle of Mt. Timpanogos

Rugged trail run

Glacier Basin

50 miles around the tetons

Mule Ride into Cliff Creek

Cliff Creek Falls

My all time favorite trail run.