My Happy List

I was not tagged, but it seemed like fun... so here goes!

TEN THINGS THAT MAKE ME HAPPY

1-Josh. It's pretty cheesy I know, but he does! I tell him daily. He does some of the funniest stuff. He would kill me if I outted him on the Internet, but sometimes I just sit back and watch him in his quirky, adorable ways.

2-Elu! She makes my life so much more interesting. I love spending my free time hiking in the woods or snuggling by the fire with her

3-Making jewelry- it's my favorite way of expressing myself... plus, I always have something to wear with every outfit!! Even if I have to throw it together at the last minute

4- Hansen's Soda- I LOVE soda, but do not really like High Fructose Corn Syrup or any of the other not-so-natural crap they put in Coke and other sodas. Hansen's is all natural, made with cane sugar. They have delicious flavors like Kiwi Strawberry and Mandarin Orange. so. very. delicious.

5- The Tetons, and the fact that I get to look at such a majestic mountain range every day!

*in the 1820's French Canadian Fur trappers came to Jackson Hole and named these mountains Let Tois Tetons, or the Three Breasts... I live amongst WAY prettier boobies than those in Miami or LA, that's for sure!!!

6- Music Festivals: There is nothing quite like sitting in a field with your friends, drinking a coldbeer, dancing when you feel like it and eating turkey sandwiches and quesadillas. I always have a giant grin on my face when I spend a weekend not dealing with the stress of work, home responsibilities and just hang out and listen to good music!

7- The Seasons! I wanted to put them all separately, but I would use up four whole things on my ten favorite... so I'm going to lump them into one, as no one outdoes the other.

7a- summer- come on, who doesn't love summer! swimming, boating, bare skin, bare FEET!, warm temperatures, camping, wildlife!

7b fall- the colors change, the weather cools, you get to wear scares again, Halloween, flannel pants..

7c-winter- snow, snow boots, fires, snowboarding, snow, cute hats, beards (on men), fleece pants and apple cider!

7d-spring- warming temperatures make it great for hiking, there's new life springing up and the rivers rage when the run offs hit...

to sum it up, I love the change of seasons and I love the things that come with each season. You've always got CHANGE. Life can't get too monotonous for very long. There's always a change of the seasons.

8- Hot Showers- When I grow up, my number one priority in my home (besides that it sit on lots of land) will be by bathroom. I could live in a tent as long as my (indoor) bathroom is top-of-the-line. The center of a bathroom, for me, is the shower. I long to be able to sit down, maybe watch TV and just let the hot water fall on my back... but for now. I just take the computer speakers into the bathroom, plug in the iPod or the laptop and steam up our tiny bathroom. It's my favorite time of day. Pure muscle relaxation.

9- Water- I'm a water sign... whatever that means... I am in awe at the power of water. It has shaped and carved this Earth for hundreds of thousands of years and continues to do so on a regular basis. It creates rain, it carves canyons and rushes in rivers, dams up and makes lakes... not to mention the Ocean and it's vastness. Water is the force of life and is always in motion.

10- My whereabouts in life right now... the circumstances of events which lead me here were not ideal, things did not go as I had originally planned, But I'm here and I'm loving my life. I have a great condo in an awesome town with a cool roommate, and a sweet dog. I have a great job (where I got a promotion, by the way), a good group of friends, wonderful family and a man to share it all with.

DEAR MOTHER NATURE

Please let it snow soon.

I'm actually ready this year!!!

I have my snowboard set up almost dialed in. I'm looking at a new snowboard that my friend Whitney won in a raffle. It's too small for her, but a 148 is PERFECT for me, being more of a beginner.

It's a Roxy Team MTX Banana Board, retails for $510 just the board, but she's going to sell it to me for $375- with bindings!!! I haven't seen and touched the board itself yet- she gets back to Jackson tomorrow- but every snowboarder I've talked to says it's the BEST board I could possibly get. Luckily for me, it's really short so not too many gals are gonna be jumping all over this. My friend Evan said that if I don't buy this board, I'll be kicking myself all season! SO hopefully, by opening day I'll be riding this:

Other than the board, I'm ALL SET! Josh's discount at Sports Authority is quite helpful for both of us getting our gear dialed in...

All we need now is some SNOW!!!!!!

Dear Mother Nature,

We are REALLY REALLY sorry for all the pollution we have put into your lungs. We are sorry for stripping the world of it's natural resources. I promise to do all in MY power (and the rest of my household) to continue to be conscious about what we take and what we give back. I recycle, I compost, I don't run the water while brushing my teeth. I carpool to work. As soon as the mountain opens, I promise to ride the bus to and from town. I will do everything I can to make you happy again. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let it SNOW!!!!!!!!! I will continue to spread the word in the fight against the climate crisis. I will reduce, reuse and recycle MORE! Just a little snow!!!!

Thanks you very much!

Tricia

Is it off season or am I actually domesticating?

Yesterday I spent the whole day "nesting." It's the strangest thing to made. I'm not a nester. I'm NOT a house wife.

But Saturday, Josh and I woke up to SNOW! It was cold and overcast and snowing- but there was not enough yet to play in so the thought of being outside was less than appealing. We had a semi-productive morning: went to the ski swap and purchased $10 snow shoes! Then went to Nora's and had a delicious breakfast with Jeff. I took Josh to work and went to the Jackson Whole Grocer.

The Grocer is one of my favorite places to be. Which is funny, because I work there. I love the coffee, the soup and salad bar, the bakery section, the deli! But most of all, I just love the atmosphere. So I roll into the store, grab a basket and head for the Tonic Bar. I grab a cup of coffee and conclude that my day is going to be domestic! I ask Al, my favorite chef, what I should cook. I explain to him that I want to cook A LOT of something... THIS is preparing for the winter.

I leave the grocery store with $45 worth of groceries(before the employee discount), an Al original recipe for Chicken Pot Pie and my mom's recipe for "Husband's Delight" *which I changed to "Boyfriend's Delight... I'm not ready to go there yet!

Back at the homestead I unloaded groceries and started a fire. I started with the veggies for the Chicken Pot Pie, added some delicious chicken flavor better than bullion stuff to boiling water- thus creating the best chicken stock EVER.... added some roux (which I am proud to say I now know how to make!) added some pulled chicken and some thyme. Boiled. Simmered. Let sit. In the midst of this, I took all my veggie scraps from the c.p.p. and boiled them in water, resulting in vegetable stock for later. I also browned meat, boiled egg noodles, mixed cream cheese, sour cream and green onions together. layered with cheese in four single serving baking tins and the rest in one large tin. baked. While the casserole was cooking I separated the c.p.p. into six single-serving baking tins and wrapped to freeze. I put the rest of the pie filling into a pre-made pie shell.

First of all, it was all delicious! And now we have TEN in the freezer, for times when we are poor/snowed in/just plain lazy. And, the ENTIRE thing only cost $45... and that wasn't even buying thrifty! I went all out on some nice ingredients, as well as god staples like milk, 1/2 & 1/2 and PBR...

While food was in the oven, and before Josh got home from work I did all the dishes, four loads of laundry, vacuumed, showered and even shaved my legs!

I randomly have stints of domesticity... but there seems to be more of them and they are occurring more often. It's alarming. I think it may just be the off season... there's not a whole lot else to do. Maybe it's the condo... it's really nice, don't wanna mess it up. I fear, though, it may be the last option: I'm just getting old! I must, however, make sure that I maintain more hours outside than I do in my kitchen- we will be juuuust fine.

Outdoorsy VS girly?

Why does a girl have to choose?

Why can't a girl have it all?!?

Why do you have to sacrifice looking sexy while having drinks apres-ski just because you rode hard that day?

Why not spend the day on the hill looking like this:

and transform yourself into something more like this before hitting the bar?

The reason most girls don't bother, is they are under the assumption that it takes a lot (of work and product) to look beautiful and fresh, especially after a day of skiing. Well, I have discovered the secret. And I'm going to share it with you. The best part: all you need can fit into your jacket pockets (or your climbing bag, a dry box in your kayak, whatever your outdoor poison.)

All you need are four simple things:

1- FACE LOTION

you would be surprised how a simple application of facial lotion can give a refreshed glow to your face.

I use Weleda Almond Moisture Cream (sometimes I use Rose)

If you're concerned with blemishes or redness (I know my cheeks are always very rosy after a day in the snow) you can try a tinted moisturizer.

ORGANIC WEAR (found at Target)

2. CHAPSTICK!!

I know that I can't be outdoors for any length of time without having chapstick with me. Nothing is sexier than smooth lips and you're much more likely to smile and allow your personality to shine through when your lips feel healthy and not chapped!

I have so many brands I cannot point you in a direction. I honestly buy whatever is organic and on sale.

I stick to non-tinted. But for a little extra "umph" you could go with tinted- Burt's Bees has some nice tinted chapsticks.

3. FOLDING COMB(optional)

I rarely actually use one, but when I need one, it's quite nice to have. If you find yourself without a comb it is just as easy to wet your hands slightly in the sink and run your fingers through your hair several times.

4. ESSENTIAL OIL ROLL-ON (optional)

I prefer Khuumba Made "Water Goddess"

(no pictures of the flavor, but all Khumba Made roll-ons are in the same packaging- the Amber is nice too)

Now there is something to be said for planning ahead. If you're planning on having drinks after a day of skiing, wear your brightly colored thermal underwear.

I prefer Capilene 2 zip-necks. Not only does it keep you warm and dry as a while on the hill, but when stripped down to the base layer, you do not appear to be wearing your grandmother's thermals.

Base layers look super sexy paired with a vest. I have a Marmot Power Stretch vest. It's fleece lined so it's practical and it's fitted so it's fashionable.

Top it all off with a bandanna or scarf that matches!

The execution is crucial and luckily, quite simple! When you enter the warm, toasty bar after a long day of skiing, you simply tell your hottie ski-bum boyfriend/date that you would like a PBR (no need to be too fancy) and to please excuse you while you duck into the ladies' room. (sans date this is even easier, just got straight to restroom)...

Step 1: remove crucial items from pockets of your ski jacket and place them on the counter.

Step 2: remove outer wear

step 3: brush hair, WET hair with hands to maximize the removal of ponytail bump.

step 4: rub moisturizer on face, apply chapstick, pinch cheeks just a tad and apply roll on oils if desired

step 5: use whatever accessories you may have on your person (scarf for example) to ad a little something extra to your "outfit"

That's it! You now look fresh and hot!