Park City, part 2

Going to just put a bunch of pictures.
I will say that we went on this alpine slide...it was a BLAST!

It is very easy to taking amazing pictures when the scenery is stunning!!

Park City, UT part 1

If you ever get a chance to visit this exquisite part of Utah you will not be disappointed. I completely understand why our friends spend the summers up there...why stay in this heat when you can live in paradise.

Beth is a mom to one of the amazing young men on Jacob's soccer team. She is so fun to be around, and alot like me...or at least that is what I think. I truly enjoy her company and she was an excellent hostess. I may have to make this trip an annual "mom's taking a break" weekend!

I fly in on Fri, however the trip started off a little crazy. Imagine boarding a plane, then sitting there without any A/C for over an hour. If yuck was your first thought you would be right. It was miserable. I guess there was a part that needed to be replaced, and it wasn't very comforting watching the mechanics work on the plane you are about to fly on let me tell you. One bright spot was I was in a row with a young couple who were funny and sarcastic as we all tried to deal with a literal "sticky" situation. Finally we were on our way, an hour delayed but I was so excited to be somewhere cooler.

Once I finally landed I got an interstates view of Salt Lake as we headed to the other side of the mountains toward Park City. We stopped at Utah Olympic Park which had a great little museum of the area along with all kinds of Olympic stuff from 2002. Hopefully I get a few of the pictures from her camera so I can post them here. I also watched people practice ski jumping on a water ramp and pool. Shortly after Beth took me to an outdoor concert at one of the resorts near by and we set up our picnic, wine and plastic cups ready to talk the evening away and listen to a bluesy group. Ten minutes into the concert all went silent...of course we hardly noticed because we were chatting so much. I guess power went out in the whole area. Someone yelled to the crowd that it would be after 10:30pm before it came on...it was only 6:15pm by this time. We laughed a little at my luck on this Friday the 13th...but enjoyed the mountain air for another hour before we headed back to the house. It ended up being a lovely evening sitting on their patio, watching the her kids play until nearly 10pm...the sun is up until then. (States that change times crack m up!) Not exactly sure what time we finally called it a night, but the power managed to come back on  sometimes after midnight. So I also got to "camp" a little too!! (Heeeheee!)


What I love about getting a little mom time away is that everything is on "resort" time. Did I sleep in? Well, maybe, just a little. But I enjoyed getting up and shorting in my own time...no little ones begging for breakfast or a small time table to get going the mornings.  I could actually drink a whole cup of coffee at one time...not sip, set it down, sip, make breakfast, sip, take kids to school...you get the point. The mornings were quiet!! It was heaven.

Had my camera out with me every where I went...took some great shots. Thinking about our summer plans next year...and they may included Park City!

Some amazing pictures of the local area and their scenery. Flowers, animals, farms...it was beautiful!

This is Beth...we went up to this amazing ski lodge and had lunch. It was a drizzly day but I do not mind a little sprinkle one bit.

Some of the Utah Olympic Park summer ski jump ramps.

View from the Montege Lodge...that is downtown Park City in the background.

She also took me up to one of the highest mountains at Silver Lake Lodge. We rode the lift to the top...10,000 feet. It rained on us and was windy but stunning! On a clear day I guess you can see all the mountain ranges all over...again, another reason to head back!

Beth and I the lift.

Yes, I "hiked' in flip flops...we laughed about it later. My hair was crazy in that wind but I love this just the same.

This is me, Beth and Melissa..another mom from the team. She visits family every July and I was thrilled to hook up with her on Sunday at the Park City market on Main Street. (I just adore both of their kids too.) These women are a blessing in my life!

And THIS is one reason she is an amazing hostess...fresh flowers in my bathroom all weekend. She knows the way to my heart!

A little bit of heaven...

Here is a picture from my weekend in Park City, UT. I promise to get them all on the blog soon, along with some pretty crazy stories but now I am catching up with the kiddos.

Leaving the heat behind

I am taking a little weekend away to visit one of the moms from Jacob's soccer team. I am making my way for the first time to Utah. Utah?? Funny thing I never really imagined I would ever have any reason to go to Salt Lake City. I thought maybe Moab some day...but not Salt Lake. I am extremely excited for a few reasons. This amazing mom lives in Park City. It sounds (and looks amazing from her FB pics) refreshing! It is cooler there obviously than here and that alone makes it sooooo worth my time! I want to breath some fresh air and take in God's beauty for the few days that I am there. I want to giggle like a high schooler again, only now it included a glass of wine! I want to grow this friendship because I honestly adore her. I want to come back feeling filled and ready to tackle the last few weeks until school starts.

I am reminded as I sit here waiting for my ride to the airport just how lucky I am to have a husband who supports these mini retreats away. I appreciate so much that he knows I need this. He helps keep me sane! I am still a mom however and there is always a small seed of doubt about leaving...about feeling like it is 'ok' to leave my kids. I realized it IS 'ok'...but call it mommy-guilt or whatever. I am always really happy when I go and believe it has a positive purpose in my life as a stay at home mom to a large crew. I have a hard time admitting I have needs and this IS a need, so again, I am thankful for a hubby who gets it, and even pushes me through some of my doubts. My kids will be eating who knows what this weekend, but they will also have an amazing weekend with their Dad. So off I go, ready for a great, restful, refreshing weekend. I can't wait to share it with you when I get back!!

Healthier Twist on an Old Favorite

Ingredients:
10-12 Campari Tomatoes (I used Grape tomatoes and will double them next time)
3-4 tbsp olive oil
fettuccine noodles
2 large, ripe avocados (I used 6 small ones)
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts (I didn't have these on hand so skipped it)
grated Parmesan (optional)
pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 350. Slice tomatoes in quarters or halves. Place on cookie sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. Roast for 15 min.

2. Start noodles to boil, cook as directed per instructions on package

3. Add peeled and pitted avocados, 3 tbsp olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper to food processor and blend until creamy smooth. Once noodles are done add sauce to warm noodles, mix in tomatoes and Parmesan cheese and serve!

I made it as a side dish to go with a top sirloin steak. It was a great compliment and SO MUCH more healthy. I love Alfredo sauce but as I am getting older it doesn't love me back so I think I found my new compromise! (Plus you get a healthy dose of the good fats avocado has to offer.) And if the taste wasn't enough to convince me ALL my kids gobbled this right up!! YES!! It is a win, win for this mama.

Apple Annie's Again

It just seemed wrong to drive past Apple Annie's on our way home from NM and not stop. I told Shane how cool it was, what great adventures we were teaching our kids even though it was almost 100 degrees. He relented. So we made our way there to pick fresh peaches and what ever else was in season and ready to be picked. The peaches smelled so good even as you walked up to the trees. We grabbed ourselves some yellow squash, jalapenos, and okra too.

We had cooked the veggies last night with dinner and I am sold...fresh is the best! All our peaches are sliced and in the freezer ready for smoothies at any moment. Oh how I long to live where farm fresh is not over 3 hours away. (sigh)

 14lbs of peaches

 Nathan was our most eager "picker"...I had to stop him just to get a picture...and it's only his hand.

 That is the biggest cucumber we have EVER seen!! We didn't pick it, but used Samantha's hand for reference.

 Okra is a Self family thing...so I had to get some for my father in law!

And, why not burn off some energy running in the fields before we head home??