The Holidays

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year! Ours was wonderful and crazy like it is every year. It's always great to spend the holidays with family and friends. We got some awesome presents like a new camera from my in-laws, and a collection of yummy recipes that my sister Sarah gave me (thanks so much! I already tried out the chicken alfredo soup, and Peter and I both thought it was delicious)! I also got a new pair of snow boots. Now my feet won't freeze in the snow when I trudge to school. Boots have kind of been the theme for us in 2009. For Peter's birthday in April he finally got his Whites fire boots, and for my birthday, I got a nice pair of Vasque hiking boots. Now my feet can stay warm and comfortable in the snow or when climbing a mountain!

Peter took this picture of me trying on my new boots.

I think it effectively captures my true essence.

During the Christmas break I decided to become a true Howard and learn how to ski. So along with Peter, my brother-in-law Adam, our friend Kelly, and her brother John, we headed up to Alta Ski Resort bright and early on the 28th. It was an absolutely beautiful day up in the mountains. The sun was out and shining and the air was crisp and clean. I was excited to master the slopes...but it didn't really go very well. I'm kind of gangly and uncoordinated. Adam and Peter both tried their hardest to teach me, but I have to admit that skiing is not something that comes naturally to me. I fell. A lot. And each time I fell I couldn't get back up without assistance or taking my skis off. It was very frustrating and bruising to my ego, but it's good to find humbling things. They keep our pride in check. I spent half of the day trying to master the bunny hill, but after lunch I was pretty pooped. I also felt bad about holding Peter back. He rarely gets the opportunity to ski and I knew he was itching to get some runs in, so I dismissed him from being my teacher and told him to have fun. I didn't dare try skiing on my own so I hung around the lodge for the second half of the day.

Beautiful sunny day at Alta

Kelly and me learning to ski

Peter showing off his skiing skills for me

John was a lot of fun, and I was impressed with Adam's skills

The whole gang ready to pack it in after a fun but long day

After everyone was exhausted from skiing, we refueled ourselves with some tasty Mexican food at the Red Iguana. It's a fabulous restaurant in Salt Lake City that's won numerous awards and has even been featured on the Food Network show, "Diners Drive-ins, and Dives." It's kind of in a rough spot of town (our car was once vandalized while we were there) and the wait is pretty long, but it's worth it. If you've never been, you should go.

I may not have done well at skiing, but it was great to spend time with my family and friends. Although Kelly lives in Wyoming, I have been able to see her several times since we left the U-W-C National Forest after the summer. She's a great friend and I'm glad Peter and I had the opportunity to meet her this year. I hope we can have many more epic hiking adventures with her in the future.

As for skiing...I'm definitely going to have to keep working at that.

(Thanks again Mom and Dad for the camera. We'll try and post many pictures for you.)