In the Mind of Trish

Visual Pleasures

2011-05-08T22:04:00.008-05:00

I've been trying to establish myself as a Media Arts Designer for a little while now. I've gotten some little gigs here and there, but just recently I landed a REAL job designing, from scratch , a web site for the Garage Door Handiman here in Jackson. I've started, but he is out of town and I am at a stand still until I get some things from him.

So in the meantime, I figured I might as well REALLY create my own website. I have messed around with a bunch of other platforms and blogs and stuff, but I think it's time that I have a fully custom, from scratch website...

Well that means taking a step back and creating an ENTIRE ONLINE PERSONALITY for myself. The problem is, I'm a bit of a renaissance woman. In addition to my web design, graphic layout design and photoshop skills, I also create and sell jewelry. My biggest sellers are feather earrings. Feathers are delicate. But I'm not, really. So I went with the Bleeding Cowboy font, as the Western edgy-ness and the white background and feather for the feminine side of my, and my business. I also like the clean, crisp look of the logo, the letterhead and the entire site.

So, without further ado... here's a sneak peek.

I still have yet to get any quality photos of either my jewelry or, better still, of women wearing my jewelry- so I'll tell you what. If you want to help me out, I'll send you a free pair of hand wrapped earrings, necklace or bracelet in exchange for some beautiful (quality) pictures of you (or your best friend) being you (her) wearing my stuff.... shoot me an email if you're interested.

I'm proudly rocking Freeway software to create all my websites.

2011-02-19T00:19:00.002-06:00

Damn! I fel off the wagon again... just can't seem to come up with much to say that's interesting. Off season's approaching and it's time to starting thinking about this years vacation(s)!

In March we're going to Baja with Josh's family, so I think we'll follow off-season tradition and spend some time in (you guessed it) the DESERT! Tossing around the idea of going and getting jobs for a month- taking Elu, stuff like that. Or maybe we'll just chill out...

127 Hours: A movie review

2011-02-07T15:21:00.004-06:00

Josh loves scary-situation/"I shouldn't be alive" entertainment. He made me watch Frozen, which I couldn't even watch most of. But when we heard they were making a movie based on the book Between a Rock and A Hard Place, written by Aron Ralston, we wanted see it. 127 Hours was actually being filmed this spring when we were in Robber's Roost/Hanskville area.

As avid canyoneers and lovers of the desert, we had to go see this movie.

The premise: Aaron is a bad-boy outdoor enthusiast who takes a solo (first mistake) trip to the outer area of Canyonlands, Utah to descend Blue John Canyon. He triggers a choke stone to fall on top of him, pinning his arm between the stone and the rock wall of the canyon. There he sits, stands actually, for six days until he finally frees himself by cutting off his arm with a cheap and dull pocket knife. All this we knew going into the movie. So I knew it was going to be somewhat painful to watch and was bracing myself for an hour and a half of being stressed out.

Before seeing this movie, I held ZERO respect for Aron Ralston. He was stupid and careless in his quest for adventure, and I do not approve of his selfish and self-righteous attitude. And to top it off, he made millions by doing what you're not supposed to do.

There are simple rules that Josh and I always follow when going into the backcountry.

1- Never go alone

There is safety in numbers. Had Aron been with another person, that person could have left him with water and food and gone for help, he would have only had to sit in that canyon scared and worried for a day at most!

2- Be prepared for the worst

Always carry more water than you'll need, and an extra layer and some extra food

Aron kind of followed this, no one is ever prepared for a week-long stay when setting out for a day trip- but he could have had more water.

3- Tell at least TWO people where you are going and when you plan to be back.

Everytime Josh and I go anywhere away from home, we tell someone in Jackson, usually a friend who knows the area in which we are headed and then Josh's mom, or my mom... they are most likely to worry if they don't hear from us and call SAR (search and rescue). Now make sure the first people you call when returning to civilization are those two people so tax dollars are not unnecessarily spent. And stick to your schedule! don't take side trips too far off your plan! No one will find you if you're not where you said you'll be. Aron didn't answer the phone when his mom called and told no one where he was- even remotely!

4- Check the Weather!

Especially when decending into canyons, once the walls are high, you can't see the sky anymore and rain in the desert=flash floods. Of course, mountaineering and climbing and even just backpacking can be very dangerous if the weather turns on you. SO check the weather and check it again before you leave for any kind of backcountry trip. Aaron, luckily did not get caught in a flash flood, otherwise most likely would have drown.

Okay- so all that being said about why I did not respect of like this man, the movie was fabulous!

James Franco is very nice to look at and more importantly is a phenomenal actor!

The movie kept close-up pain staking footage to a minimum and used a lot of flash backs and hallucination scenes to break up the monotony of "Aron" being pinned by a rock. He had lots of revelations about how is actions have lead up to this time in his life. He realized he should call his mother and sister more often. He realizes that he is alone figuratively and physically because of the choices he has made in his life. Walking away from the movie, I almost liked the guy again. But still hold no respect for his foolish actions.

My only real problem with the movie is that it showed my favorite place in the world and truly captured it's essence- bad for us, it may send lots of gorpers to the canyons of Utah we hold so dear...

Our first canyon, only a mile or two from Blue John where Aron was trapped.

I swear this tree was in the movie

Pine Creek in Zion, UT. The most technical of canyons we have descended thus far.

It's like a cave-but cooler!

Antelope Canyon, totally non technical that if you're interested in Canyons, you should start here, in Page AZ.

Overall I recommend you see the movie. But (Mom, Barb) if you do go see it, know that Josh and I are safer than this-don't let it scare you. You cannot control nature, and we know that! We are always prepared for the worst, and we never descend a canyon that we can't get out of. We never pull a rope until we know that we are in the right place, and we always tell you where we are going!

Happy Birthday Bob Marley!

2011-02-06T13:31:00.007-06:00

I was commissioned from my boss to make a poster for

"Super Bob Sunday"

which is a double-themed party for this Sunday's bar specials. We're having 24 oz Red Stripe bottles and tall boy cans and Jamaican Jerk Chicken wraps and slices. Boss had an idea, but it came at the last minute, so he needed a quick and easy poster and someone who was willing to do it really quickly. My boss not only owns the bar I work for, be he also owns a production/booking company. Dom is responsible for bringing the best music to this valley. But I digress... When I interviewed with him, I mentioned that I was experienced in PhotoShop and HTML and social media marketing.

So my time came on Wednesday, I got the chance to prove what I could do.

Dom wanted to have a Rasta-ed out flyer with the head of Bob Marley on the body of a quarterback. We chose the Packers, because two-thirds of the colors were already represented. I will admit, it took me longer than a professional would have taken to super impose Bob's head on #12's body (I do not know my pro football), but I think I nailed it.

Then I put the rest of the flyer together with lots of red and green and the text that Dom had specified along with the Village Cafe logo he emailed me. 12 hours after I was assigned the project, after a couple of "change this here" emails, I delivered this to my boss.

He loved it, so I printed several flyers and posted them up on the walls in the cafe and the bar and felt really proud of myself.

All Business...

2011-02-05T14:59:00.004-06:00

Okay, so not too long ago I decided that the only way I'm really going to be truly happy is WORK.

I want to find a career that I love and pursue it and put my heart and soul into it. Unfortunately I'm here in this town that doesn't value work. In fact, it values the lack of work. It values play.

Don't get me wrong, I love to play, but I want to work. So, I've dived head first into working. I've lost the need and desire to go snowboarding (maybe because I hit a plateau and get really frustrated with how badly I suck- but that's another story) so I spend my times when I'm not working my paying-job at the VC working on "small business" ideas and expanding my knowledge and whatnot.

I have a few requirements for my business:

1- I would like to be able to conduct business from anywhere, home-bases are nice, but not really my style. I'm a nomadic and antsy person, being in one place for too long doesn't work out. Although I do like to have a (couple) of place(s) to call home.

2-Creative CONTROL. I don't work well with others because, simply put, my way is better! So if I do partner up, I would have to choose very wisely.

3-Interesting media. I like to be challenged and I like to learn constantly. I want a business that will help me grow as a person along with my growing business.

That's about it. Obviously I want to make money, but that's not where my need to work comes from. I ENJOY being responsible for something, and since it's not looking like I'm going to be a mommy anytime soon, might as well become a career woman!

I'm going to take this jewelry design thing as far as I can, but I've found out in the meantime that I'm actually pretty good at simple graphic design and website building. So maybe some schoolin' is in my future again.

Wanna see my bad-ass bio I made?!?!

check out this link. I can't convert it to a blogger-friendly document type, as they will not accept PDFs

Okay, so that's about it for today's rambling. I'll leave you with some photos of my off season, just for aesthetics's sake...

Pheonix Rising

2011-02-04T16:57:00.004-06:00

I've decided to resurrect the blog. Grateful Adventures is still there, and soon will be featuring a lot of Josh's edits with his GoPro and music and stuff. But I need a (cyber) place to call my own, so I'm back here.

It's been forever since I've posted so there's lots and lots of things to discuss. Then we will get into the purpose for this blog spot: to tell stories!

Josh and I are back in Teton Village, this year living in a hotel room for the winter. We are two of about 10 long term residents in the Inn at Jackson Hole, and it's kinda like Melrose Place meets Salute Your Shorts. I promise, there will be lots to tell you about our drama-filled little ski world.

I am working at the Village Cafe as a barista/server and hope that maybe if I'm a good girl, next year I'll get a bar tending shift! I would make the best bartender! I LOVE my job. I get to see cool people all day and make good money doing it.

I have been officially published! In Jackson Hole Snowboarder Magazine, page 66. I will be scanning and posting my page for the masses to read.

I'm selling my hand crafted jewelry in a real-live store: Brenda's Gifts in Teton Village.

Feather earrings like this for $30

And wire wrapped goods like this for $18-30.

I just got that all set up so (fingers crossed) I'll be making some cash flow. I'm working on my website for the jewelry set to launch before my 29th birthday (March) so stay tuned... I'm currently accepting jobs for custom work, so if you're gearing up for Valentine's Day, email me at irelandpatricia@me.com

Josh is good, skis a lot. We finally got him his very own computer so that I don't have to share anymore, and we're getting super geeked out and networking them together with a single hard drive we can share wirelessly!

so yeah, there's the quick update and I look forward to reconnecting with all of you out there and getting back into the swing of writing at least twice a week. It's good for all of us- catharsis.

Cheers!

Trish

2010-08-31T18:51:00.002-05:00

Changing Directions...

2010-06-02T13:00:00.003-05:00

Josh and I have decided to take our trip to another level- we've created a webpage. You'll be able to see photos that we have taken in a full format, slide show form, I will still be blogging about the adventures on this site, and maybe Josh will contribute his two cents...

I can't figure out how to transfer this blog over... or if I even can. But one way or the other, it's going to be a way cooler way to follow our trip. The best part is I can work on it when I'm not around the Internet, and then just post it when I am, thus making the updates and pictures come much more frequently. Check it out, email me with feedback and/or tips and subscribe to my blog over there via the RSS feed. www.gratefuladventures.com

We're about to shift gears on our trip as well. We're now in the east at my mother's house. It's lush and green and we have cable and swimming pool access and a full kitchen and my friends from this era of my life and I get to share it all with my boyfriend. It's nostalgic and awesome to be here in Birmingham! From here, we're heading north through the Appalachian Mountains to do some hiking and swimming hole finding, maybe some more music festivals, etc. Then on to Michigan to do some chill-axing at Josh's folks' place on the lake.

I will probably still use this blog for ranting and raving about sill things... I will still need an outlet.

2010-05-26T11:04:00.009-05:00

After getting run out of the desert by rain, we hid out for a night at the Escalante Outfitters and planned our backpacking trip. We were out four days and three nights walking along the Escalante River. It was a spectacular trip!

We went back to town after our backpacking trip to meet up wit Josh's friend Kelly. We headed back down Hole in the Rock Road to show him some things we had discovered. We explored a non technical slot canyon, showed Kelly Davis Gulch and made another trip to Lake Powell. This time, the boys took their Thermorests and used them as rafts. The desert was in full bloom while Kelly was there. We saw a lizard fight in our camp!

When Kelly left to go back to Denver, Josh and I packed up to head to Zion!

Viva Las Vegas!

2010-05-24T11:32:00.005-05:00

Okay, so there was very little down time in Vegas for me to follow up on my previous word... sorry 'bout that. We are starting out eastward trek after some relaxing downtime in Denver. "Downtime" is probably a humorous description coming from one with no job, no real destination and no time frame. But I will tell you that keeping up with adventures is a difficult task and I can only hope to do them justice in writing and pictures- stay tuned!

As for Vegas: I don't even know how to start. To put it most simply I felt more out-of-my-element there than I ever did 75 miles from pavement in the Dollhouse, miles from human contact in the depths of a slot canyon or anywhere in the wilderness altogether. I spent the whole time there just soaking it all in. That place is spectacular, and frightening all at once! But over all I had a GREAT time!! I sat down at a black jack table with $60 and left with $180! so I feel accomplished and Josh won a hundred or so over the weekend. We saw the Beatles Cirque du Soleil and it was beautiful and fantastic.... Pics and stories to come in chronological order.

I am SO behind, I know, I know!! But I just want to leave you with the ultimate promise that I will indeed share my adventures in due time. For now, I am safe and happy and well fed and put up with friends in Denver.

Here's another couple of pictures that I love!

Miss me?

2010-05-19T16:06:00.007-05:00

Well!! We have been all over the map since I've last found the time to blog. Please check out the full array of photos on Facebook. I'm currently sitting in Denny's trying to get all the pics on the Internet so that friends and family can see... but finding the time to type out all my journals and thoughts is a different story altogether. The short story is: we spent two, maybe three weeks in Escalante, Ut down Hole-in-the-Rock road. Then headed to Zion National Park for about a week and in both places got in some really cool slots canyons!! Our technical canyoneering skills are being honed every day. Along with our physical skills, our photography skills are also being honed. (While we're at improvements- my legs and arms are getting rather toned as well!)

The highlight of our technical canyoneering career took place in Zion just three days ago. We hiked/rappelled Pine Creek. Pine Creek is considered a "classic moderate" technical slot canyon (the advanced technicals will have to wait until next year- they are a bit of a jump up in skill level from what we are used to) Pine Creek had six rappels: the first one just 100 yards from the parking lot! We geared up in full wet suits, complete with booties and gloves, and boy were we glad we did, because we did some full-on swimming! and boy, was it CHILLY! We had to carry two ropes with us, one 10 meter and one 60 meter. We were able to use the shorter rope for most raps, as they were short and sweet. The final rappel, however, was 96 feet, and free-haning! the idea of it was a little scary at first. Josh and I both, strangely enough, are a little fearful of heights when ropes are not in the equation. The scary part, is setting up the ropes and clipping in, but once your are attached and secured to the rope, it is one of the most exhilarating experiences ever!

I promise to post pictures soon, with commentary so you can follow along. But, like I said, we're dealing with shotty Internet (at best) and I cannot overload my poor browser with uploading in more than one spot at a time. We are leaving Page, Arizona post-haste headed for the Grand Canyon and from there we will be in Las Vegas. Once we get to Vegas (and get a hotel room) I'll have more time to commit to blogging (maybe...) either way, stay tuned!!!

Okay, okay, I'll give you a little teaser:

2010-05-02T19:39:00.012-05:00

After Little Wild Horse/Bell Canyon we moved our camp just down the way to a spot more sheltered from the wind

We stayed in the San Rafael Swell one more night then headed south to Escalante...

We stopped to have a beer and gather local info at the Escalante Outfitters. It was here, that we ran into some old friends of Josh's. Tulsa and Mac were on vacation from Montana with their dog Shackelton. Shack rode in the side car of Tulsa's enduro bike...

Plans were altered... we camped with Tulsa and Mac (and Shackelton) for two nights and did a little hiking with them

Josh took Shackelton for a spin

Then we said our goodbyes to our friends, said we would come visit them at the Yodeler Motel(which they are the proud owners of) and parted ways.

Tulsa and Mac (who by the way is from Alabama... who knew I'd meet a fellow 'Bamaian way out here in the desert?!?!) went north towards Moab and we headed to the Hole in the Rock road.

The Hole in the Rock is famous in the Mormon community for the trek made back in the 1800's from Escalante to the San Juan River... it was one heck of a trek by horse and wagon let me tell you- 'cause it was a long ride in the Subaru.

The first day we spent looking for the home. It took a while, we went to several open houses, we walked around a few nice lots- but we went back to the first one we looked at and moved right in. It had everything, a view, shelter from the wind, a nice neighborhood- unfortunately it was in a bit of a drainage, but this is the desert, so it doesn't rain-- right?!?

We spent three days playing in slot canyons and taking pictures... doing what we do...

Lake Powell is at the end of the 54 mile dirt road and down a STEEP trail about 1/2 a mile... but totally worth the haul to see clear water

Then wouldn't you know, at 5 AM this morning, Josh woke me up to inform me it was "game time" it was pouring and we had to pack up and move out of our humble abode before we got washed away. So we drove to town and got a room at the Outfitters (we were going to just get a tent site, but the temptation of a queen sized bed for only $30 more was too much) and started planning our backpacking trip in the Escalante National Monument. We're off in the early morning and we'll be back in about a week. With plenty pictures and stories to tell!

Have a great week!!

xoxo

Trish

So much to report...

2010-05-02T13:54:00.011-05:00

Well, we're sitting in a cabin in Escalante, Utah right now. We have showered, eaten and ingested some beer... now we can safely move on to pictures and recapping the last week or so. Where did I leave off?

(April 22) Green River.... After spending a day in Green River, Utah golfing and hot tubing...

(April 23) We headed East to Moab to catch the infamous car show and hit up the gear shops to get more books on Canyon Country.

We also did a bit of laundry- while we waited for our clothes, we did some hiking and exploring near town.

After our laundry was finished and we were done in town, we head out in search of the perfect camp site. The search turned into a scenic drive up Potash and into the back of Canyonlands NP... We keep finding these gnarly roads!

Turns out, the car show brought more people to Moab than we thought, and we ended up at a group camp sight just outside of Canyonlands- not ideal, but we'll set up where we can when we have to.

The next morning (April 24) we rose early to get to Arches NP and hike the Firey Furnace. One of our friends from the Raft Trip said if we liked the Dollhouse, we would also enjoy the Firey Furnace- and Ali is a rather trustworthy gal...

After Arches, we headed back to the San Rafael Swell. We got there in plenty of time to have camp set up in time for a sunset beer- unfortunately the wind was not cooperating and we had to take in the sunset from the car window, and cook in the tent. We played Go Fish by headlamp.

(April 28) The next morning we went to check out Little Wild Horse Canyon. We'd hear good things...

This canyon is actually two canyons- Little Wild Horse and Bell. It's an eight mile loop suitable for just about anyone. We knew this because upon arrival we saw a family with a toddler walking back to the parking area. It was well worth it, even if we weren't the only people in that canyon that day.

okay, all this blogging (indoors) is making me stir crazy. I'm going to go the restaurant, I'll be back with the rest of the story later...

QUICK UPDATE!!

2010-04-28T13:05:00.002-05:00

We are in the town of Escalante for a hot minute to get clean. There's an outfitter shop here with gear, pizza, beer and running water. So we paid $5 each for a shower (and I milked every cent out of that) and we are sitting in the parking lot waiting on our towels to dry just enough so we can go back out. We're headed down "Hole-in-the-Rock Road" to explore a canyon or two a day for the next week. i'm stoked about setting up a base camp, as it's been a while since we've been in one place for more than a 24-hour period. I loaded some more pics on Facebook... but haven't gotten around to editing them and making them cool to show over here. So next week or so.... stay tuned.

The Dollhouse!

2010-04-22T11:17:00.017-05:00

April 18-21 Days 5-9 (but that doesn't seem right- so I'm giving up on days).

Things we dscovered this week:

* When the Nation Park Service tells you you need High Clearance/ 4WD, they are not lying!

The Dollhouse is located 87 miles down a dirt road near the Colorado/Green River intersection. We started about 40 miles in, in Robber's Roost (where the last post took place). We left from the Hans' Flat Ranger Station in Canyonland's NP around nine in the morning. We were on a mission to meet up with a rafting trip that several of our friends from Jackson were a part of. They were scheduled to be there on the morning of the 18th, we knew it was going to be a two mile hike from the Dollhouse to the river, so we had our backpacks ready to go. 32 miles from the ranger station we saw a sign that said HC/4WD ONLY but figured the Subaru was "close enough." We made exactly one technical move on some rocks before we had to stop. We made a quick switch to the ultra-light set up and started off on mountain bikes.

The top of Flint Trail- quite possibly the steepest road I've been in the car for.

Me, moving rocks so we didn't bottom out on the Subaru

* There are nice people in the world

As soon as we set off on our bikes- with me wobbling on my bike under the weight of my bike- we passed a group of middle-aged car campers in the appropriate HC/4WD vehicles. They, too, were going to the Dollhouse and offered to carry our packs. We rode 15 or so miles before the road conditions turned into deep sand (have you ever tried to ride a bike on sand?!?) and had to ditch the bikes behind a tree and walk the remaining two miles to the Dollhouse, get our packs and then hike the 2 miles down to the river. I began calling it the "Desert Triathlon."

Josh and our bikes somewhere along the way

* Again, this Earth is freaking AMAZING!

By the time we got to the Dollhouse (in 4.5 hours- beating the folks with our packs by about 45 minutes)

I was so tired, I could barely move. I rested in Josh's embrace for a few minutes, let out some deep breaths and then looked around...

Finally, we got our packs and headed down the trail to Spanish Bottom in search of our river rat friends.

*Things do not always work out has you hoped/planned

Sadly, after a full day's work, we did not reach our friend on the river that night- we went up river when we were supposed to go down river and missed the mark. We slept on a sandy beach (me without dinner, I was so exhausted). The next morning we woke up and backtracked a mile, then headed down river for about a mile- and voila! there are our people!!

*There is something to be said for a day's rest

I stayed and rested on the beach while the raft crew and Josh went to explore the Dollhouse. After two BIG days of physical activity and knowing that I had a 20 mile exit from the beach, I chose to catch a tan and rest my aching muscles.

*Miracles DO happen

I was sitting around the raft camp, sipping a PBR when out of nowhere, Kevin, one of our friends from Jackson walks around the corner. HE DROVE HIS CAR ALL THE WAY TO THE DOLLHOUSE! AND had room for our bikes!

The next morning, we woke up early and headed up to the Dollhouse. Thanks to my day of rest, I smoked the boys up the steep mountain. With time Kevin bought us, we spent the day exploring the Dollhouse. I cannot even put into words the magnificent beauty of this place...

We camped another night and then hit the road early. We made it back to the Subaru in a mere 3 hours- then all the way to Green River by 4 pm. We ate at Ray's Tavern, a local favorite, had some 3.2% beer on tap, then checked into a hotel room. Here we sit, in Green River, to tell the tale of excitement and beauty. We are re-grouping, doing laundry and repacking the car. We plan to head to Moab tomorrow to read some guide books and poke around town then head back to the wilderness. We should have more to share in a week or so!

xoxo!

Trish

2010-04-21T23:44:00.016-05:00

April 15- Day Two

Getting started is always the hardest part of any adventure. There's the planning, which for the most part we did months ago, but there's always last minute shit-we-forgot errands. These errands are are fun- but hectic. Today we spent the better part of the day running around a town we don't live in trying to tie up the last of the loose ends. Finally we got to our first real stop on our trip, and for the first time really got to know our Universe. We are just beginning the long journey of becoming the most efficient, dialed-in, badass travelers. There are certainly things that need to be tweaked- but that's part of the fun! My food boxes need some attention, but I'll have to cook a few more meals to figure that one out. There are other things that I'm sure need reorganizing, but we won't notice until we come across an issue.

There is bound to be a learning curve in EVERY aspect of our trip, where and when to get gas, how to cook the best meals, where to hike- Our trip will no doubt be full of discovery...

April 16 Day 3

Things we discovered (or rediscovered) today:

*There are more things that we need quick access to than there are "quick access places" (qaps) in the car

Annoyingly, we have the bikes on the back of the car, because we don't have roof racks for them- so every time we need to get to something we either have to a) have Josh hold the tailgate with the bikes (HEAVY) up while I quickly root through the stuff to get to whatever it is we need or b) take the bikes off, open back hatch, get what we need then reattach bikes. This makes our only two "qaps" the back doors- leaving us with very little. It's a constant unpack and repack mess.

*I suffer from severe dust allergies, apparently.

Who knew? Not I! I thought I had no major physical ailments. Well, the dust makes my sinuses close up and swell. I can't blow my nose, 'cause it's so dry but I feel like I have a million pounds of snot in my face.

*Failed attempts to do something epic will happen, however, we can still see some pretty cool stuff.

*Cows apparently give birth in the first two weeks of April

we saw SEVERAL babies (and may have heard one giving birth all night)!!

*Red beans and Rice with Summer Sausage and pepper jack cheese is the Bomb!

April 17, day 4

Things we (re)discovered today

*Earth is a spectacular planet and we are pretty damn lucky to have the opportunity and ability to explore as much of it as possible!

*Mirages are not a myth!

The desert (I was WELL hydrated!) will make you see things that are not there!

*Chimney-ing is much easier going down.

If it was trying on the way down, going up is going to be twice as hard.

*Gear that is designed for the job you need it for is worth every penny!

My new shoes (bought on sale for $75!) grip so well on rock, I feel like Spiderman!

*Echos can really happen like they do in the movies.

We yelled in a canyon and heard a response as clear as day a few seconds later.

*We are small

*Cooking in bed after a long day's hike is awesome!

if you would like to see ALL the pics you can view my facebook album here.

also, sorry for the wishy-washy left, center, small, large pics- the Internet here in Green River Utah is kinda crappy and I don't feel like re-uploading.

Onward and Southward...

2010-04-14T15:13:00.003-05:00

We're out!! We have the car packed, the condo cleaned, security deposit back in our (ok, mine- I love Josh, but we are NOT co-banking anytime soon) account. Now we are waiting on parts of the Yakima rack that I ordered from ebay to come from UPS and we're taking off.

We'll be bee-lining it to SLC tonight, to get up and tie up a few more loose ends in the big city (camera battery so you guys can enjoy what we see and a car battery so we don't get stranded in the desert).

Hope you guys have a great week! I'll update as soon as I have something to report and have Internet connection.

PEACE and LOVE!!! (guess I'm kinda a hippie now?!?! lol)

HAd to take a break

2010-04-12T20:22:00.004-05:00

and found this...

We used to sing this song and do the dance at Camp McDowell when I was younger, and for some strange reason it popped into my head today and I YouTube-d it and felt the need to share it with you!

Countdown: 3 Days

2010-04-11T21:31:00.003-05:00

We got all of our stuff in storage! We were able to rent a 5x5 unit for only $35 a month. And the rest of April is only a DOLLAR! woot woot. SO we prepaid through July- 106 bucks and our stuff is safe and sound until we return. Sadly though, our ski/snowboard gear is in there too =( But the fact that BOTH Josh and I have only enough stuff to fill half a storage unit is pretty impressive.

After loading the storage unit we went to Targhee and had a parking lot party before seeing Equal Eyes. Six of us camped out in the parking lot (Two people and a dog in the back of the Subbie is pushing it- glad we're leaving Elu in Jackson this summer). We woke up early and went skiing! After a good day on the hill, we passed back by our storage unit in Victor and gingerly placed our snow gear in the box with the rest of our stuff and headed home.

Now all we have to do is pack for the trip. The dining room is the staging area- right now it's a mess- but that's the fun part. I get to meticulously organize all gear, clothing, food, recreation and "business" and make it fit in the car.

We are on the lookout for a second Skybox. We, for obvious reasons, do not want to pay full price for a new one, so we've been checking Craig's list and ebay for used ones. If you know of anyone in the tri-state area that may have one for sale, please email me irelandpatricia@me.com even if it's not in great condition, we are not afraid of bungee cords or duct tape!

The MOST FUN part, though is researching! Every time I tell people that we're going Canyoneering we usually get: "OH! You have to go..." We proceed to get all kinds of beta about Zion, Escalante, Grand Canyon etc etc. I've only spent a very brief time in Utah and no time in Arizona and southern Nevada, so I am STOKED to do some exploring.

Here's a little taste of what is soon to come:

OH DEAR!

2010-04-09T21:24:00.004-05:00

Well, since my last "Condo-to-Subaru" entry we have made some changes...

We're leaving in FIVE days.

SO, my take-your-time guide to downsizing and organizing your storage boxes has been foiled. It has since turned into a "Get it done in a semi-organized, yet somewhat hasty manner."

Wednesday morning: Josh and I are both officially "temporarily retired." We wake up (annoyingly) early and get to town! Gung Ho! Got. Stuff. Done! Hung around and saw a movie :::side note, Hot Tub Time Machine is an excellent and hilarious movie- go see it!:::

Thursday morning: We successfully slept in, and went to town. Helped our friend Andy move. Came to the conclusion that we should meet up with Andy in the desert at a place called the Dollhouse. The river trip he's on is camping there on the 18th... so we have to leave here on the 15th. Done! It's going to be a blast, but that just took three whole days away from my calm, collected, this-time's-gonna-be-different packing experience. Then we proceeded to spend the rest of the day hurrying up to wait... no big deal- my list is only getting longer by the second.

Friday morning: we wake up too early, and force ourselves to stay in bed. We are only going to have this luxury five more times (for a while). So we watch a movie on Netflix (World's Greatest Dad is NOT a comedy... even though it's listed as one...) We get up and go to town. Today was a slightly more productive town day, and we made it back home before 5pm. We spent three hours cleaning, packing, tossing, semi-organizing and separating. Everything that's going on the rip with us is finding it's way to the dining room table. Laundry is being rotated every 45 minutes or so and boxes are being stacked on one side of the room.... Boxes are organized only slightly. The only comforting thing is that Josh has his own pile. Everything that is "my realm" is in my boxes- a mess, but at least it's only my mess. So tomorrow we are meeting our new "landlord" at the storage unit (4 pm) with a load. We are making the drive over the pass (about 35-40 minutes) to save some cash- PLUS SIDE: Grand Targhee resort is still running the lifts. And they have a band! So it's looking like we'll be storing, partying, sleeping in the car and waking up to ski some pow (it snowed up high today).

The countdown has begun: Five days to departure. And I would say we are on schedule to leave... let's hope it stays that way!

Testing testing

2010-04-08T13:18:00.001-05:00

GeoTagged, [N43.49949, E110.78871]

Ok- I'm getting ready or the trip and thought to myself that there may be times when I really want to let u know why's going on with us. But we won't always b around wifi... So I'm doing this little ditty on the phone to see if it works... Just in case we need to use it:)
Xoxo

From Condo to Subaru. Vol 2

2010-04-06T15:12:00.002-05:00

Closets are FUN! (not)

SO on my clothing reduction I had to break it down even more... four piles were necessary here.

1-keep with: this is a TOUGH decision. because I never know what I'm going to need- especially given the climates I'll be traveling though. But clothes are a luxury on this trip.

2- storage: most things in this pile ended up being strictly winter clothes and "fancy" clothes

3- Browse-N-Buy :our local thrift store... pretty small pile, because I recently purged a lot.

4- Christen's pile- I made a deal with my dear friend that she could "babysit" some of my summer clothes and shoes while I was gone. She's a lucky girl that she's my exact body twin- down to the freakishly small hands (carnies!)

So, I have a large garbage bag full of clothes and shoes and eventually some movies and a Wii console that she will be in charge of for the next three months. I have a few things that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy that are going to the browser and I have a suitcase and a couple boxes of clothes going to a storage unit. The problem is, I think that I still have more clothes than are necessary for a road trip. I have to remind myself that there are laundry mats in most towns and there's really no need to look cute for the coyotes and bugs in the desert. (and I guess Josh knows this by now lol).

SO here's the inventory list of what one NEEDS on a long road trip:

1 pair jeans

1 pair long (quick dry) pants

1 pair PJ pants (they are great for car rides and sometimes you need them to sleep in too)

1 pair shorts (I hate shorts so I'm allowing extra skirts)

2 skirts- skirts are SO vital for traveling, they are comfy and cool yet you can hike in them if necessary- I live in tennis skirts in the woods in the summer.

1 "festival dress"

1 "cute outfit" for when we end up in a town for a few days, never know when you are gonna wanna go out dancing

2 (okay 3) pair of shoes- 1 Chaco, 1 hiking boot and 1 lounge shoe

ALL underwear. I don't care how many laundromats we pass- I need enough panties to last three weeks in the desert...

1 "real bra"

5 sports bras

5-8 tank tops

3-4 tee shirts

3-4 long sleeved shirts

1 hoodie

1 pair longjohns

2 jackets

10 pair socks.

2 bathing suits

At first I was trying to go on the backpacking rule, one of each length pant and one of each length shirt- but that's not happening for me. I like to wear clean clothes. so I need enough to only wash stuff once a week- maybe less. This, is by far my biggest challenge on what I can bring and what I have to leave here. I will be shipping some stuff to my sister in Alabama so that I can have an outfit to wear out with family. I will also, most likely ship a few things to Michigan so that I can mix it up a bit when I get up there. I'm toying with the idea of vacuum sealing a few bags of clothes for "emergencies" so they won't take up as much room.

Whew! I guess I need to get back to work, as I sat down mid-packing spree to write this entry =)

xoxo

From Condo to Subaru. Vol 1

2010-04-03T17:10:00.006-05:00

As I mentioned earlier, Josh and I are embarking on an epic road trip in about three weeks. We have been living in a two bedroom, 1200 square foot condo for the past six months. We will soon be living in a four door (guessing here) 50 square foot Subaru Outback. HOW? most people would ask. Well, I am here to walk you through the steps of downsizing into a vehicle.

First of all, it helps that I have a pretty decent sized vehicle. The Subbie is perfect for road trips and, with the right finesse, can fit an awful lot... but packing the car will be the final installment in the From Condo to Subaru Chronicles.

In downsizing, the most important thing to do is take it slow. Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to go through everything and decide what you need to keep with you, what you need to put in storage and what you can throw away. Make three piles. You may need to go through the keep-with and storage piles more than once to make sure you aren't hoarding things you don't need.

DO ONE ROOM AT A TIME!!

Start with your smaller rooms first. I started with my bathroom. I have a tendency to over buy products and homeopathic medicines. I like herbs and I have an obsession with hair products... but I only ever use one at a time. so I have a box of half used products under the sink that I rarely use. I also have a hair dryer and a curling iron that I hardly ever use. Also kept in my bathroom is my jewelry. (I LOVE jewelry!)

I had a rule on the bathroom. One (small) box for storage, one (shoe) box for medicines/first aide, my three drawer Rubbermade "chest" for make-ups and products and one travel bag for jewelry. The rest, I threw away.

This box will go in storage, full of things that I will not need while traveling, but won't want to buy when I get back... (including jewlery)

This is all of my "beauty" products that will be traveling with me. (this includes shampoos, soaps, lotions, tweezers, razors and blades etc) I am going to look really cool running into a truck stop bathroom with this guy =)

And this is all the jewelry that I will be traveling with. I realize that this is a little much, but I cannot live without certain pieces of Steaze!

Next up-Bedroom. I have to reduce A LOT of clothes and shoes into ONE suitcase.

Gaper Day 2010

2010-04-02T17:34:00.006-05:00

Traditionally, on Gaper Fools Day, everyone gets dressed up like a completely clueless touron and skis like an idiot. This year April 1st was a 16inch powder day and it was still snowing! But that didn't stop everyone from acting a fool (after getting in fresh pow turns early in the day).

Jordan and I were posing for a picture just when a bottle rocket went flying past- hence the serious stoke on my face!

And as per usual, we all gathered at Nick Wilson's for Aprés.

And drank beers, danced on the deck and welcomed more snow for our last three days of ski season!

Winter is coming to a close...

2010-03-29T18:51:00.005-05:00

We have four days left in the ski season here in JH...

lés sigh... just as I was getting the hang of the mountain.

BUT we have had some snow! Two great pow days in a row and more snow in the forecast!

Josh and I are going to be leaving the Hole for a few months. Our lease is up, Josh's job will be over for the season on April 7 and I am recently unemployed- it only makes since to to do some traveling.

We're hoping to find someone here in Jackson keep Elu for a little bit while we bounce around the country from National Parks to Amusement Parks to Festivals. We're going (in no particular geographical or chronological order) to San Fransisco (I've never been), the Redwoods, Moab, Robbers Roost, Las Vegas, maybe the Grand Canyon, Zion, Alabama (gotta show Josh where my roots are), Michigan (to see Josh's roots), Asheville, NC, Smokey Mountains... who knows where we will end up between all the "planned" stops! I'm super pumped about getting to see more of this country. I find it strange how I can call myself an "American" when I've only visited less than half of the states, and less than a tenth of the major cities. Time to change that.

We are up for suggestions on your favorite corner of the US. Naturally, I will be blogging about this entire process... so hopefully my entries will get a lot more interesting =). We plan to be in Jackson until late April... and then, of course, we'll be moving back here in the fall to start working and preparing for NEXT SKI SEASON!

Holy shit I've become a ski bum!

The Smiths Came to Town...

2010-03-29T11:22:00.005-05:00

...and we ate...

...and we drank

and were merry...

Brooke and I did a little interpretive dance to some Elton John after doing the dishes.

We skied as a group one day. Another day Josh took his sister Brooke and Bro-in-law Dave to do some out-of-bounds goodness, while I cruised groomers with Josh's dad, Bob. We put Annie (4) and James (6) in ski school and they LOVED every second of it. Barb (Josh's mom) and Brooke and I went shopping in town one day, while the boys played pool. Elu was very good with the little ones, Annie especially loved Elu- and Elu Annie. I didn't take very many pictures, as it turns out I'm a terrible photographer =). Brooke and Bob were on top of their photo-taking, so maybe I'll be able to snag some from them.

The Smith family is a lot of fun! I was quite worn out when they left, but in a good way!!

just a few shots of St patty's day and the weekend following

2010-03-18T20:05:00.003-05:00

Magical, Mystical Mind of Trish

2010-03-10T15:10:00.000-06:00

I had an interesting conversation in the hot tub the other night. The woman I was talking to lives here and was very interested to find out my "story." Mostly the story about how I ended up in Jackson Hole. My simple answer is always: "Broken engagement and I decided I was tired of being responsible." Both true, both also very vague. The next question is always, "but why Jackson?" That to me is the answer. Jackson Hole... it just made sense.

But WHY JACKSON?

Jackson is surrounded by mountains. Beauty on every corner. Friendly people (for the most part). Jackson is a playground year round. And when the going gets tough in Jackson, you're not too far from some other really cool playgrounds. All of these very rational reasons to choose a place to live.

The funny thing is I had never been here. I had not really even seen pictures so much... I didn't move out here with a group of friends. The only real thing I was going on was that Lola said I would love it here. Lola is a friend of the families; I barely knew her personally. It all just fit together. I was moving to Jackson Hole. I would stay with Lola for a month or so and get a job and make friends and make a life. I did.

However, tonight I started to get the impression that maybe Jackson Hole is the one doing the methodical choosing of her residents. There are some interesting stories about how people ended up in JH. I know a guy whose van broke down here twenty-five years ago. I know a woman who was planning on moving to Oregon, made a pit stop here and stayed, Uhaul in tow. I get the feeling that this area- whatever you want to name it- is a magical place that chooses its residences with careful planning.

Jackson Hole is a vacation spot for most people. Tourism is our biggest industry- Jackson brings in 3 to 4 million people a year, yet has a population of roughly 8,600 (town limits). How is it that more people don't just stay?

My only guess is that it has to to with the type of people. The people that visit range from cross-country, RV-driving retirees to families of six to young professionals to spring breakers. (I'm going to generalize and stereotype here) A lot of tourists, in the winter months especially, are über rich professionals from back east. I'm willing to bet that the money is what keeps them in their home towns. The money, the glitz, the cars, the wardrobes, the fancy restaurants (which we do not lack here, but you get my point). The "city folk" stay in the city because it's what they need to survive.

Those of us that end up in Jackson Hole, are polar opposites to the "city folk." Speaking for myself, and quite possibly the rest of the population of this valley: We need big spaces, open air, mountains, fresh air and water... we need adventure!!

I think that this valley knows that in some way... it draws people like me, and Josh and Brandi and Scherba and Steiner and.... it draws us in. There is some mystical, cosmic force. And I am GLAD it found me!

The Rest of the weekend

2010-03-09T17:26:00.005-06:00

Saturday Christen and I had our usual day.... It was a slightly lazier day than it has been in the past. But we got some good turns in and attempted some jumps. Hit the kiddie terrain park and practice going off kickers.

We ended the day with one last Gondi ride and shared a delicious burger that Steiner cooked us on the outdoor grille!

Sunday was a girl date with Brandi!

We stopped and watched the Dick's Ditch Comp.

We at some lunch and then did a tram lap. On top of Rendezvous we just had to take a "gaper picture"

Christen has the pics of me shredding on her camera, which her fiancé has, in San Diego or some l.a.m.e.-o excuse like that. So as soon as she gets them to me, I'll share them with you!

Birthday Shenanigans!

2010-03-08T22:01:00.010-06:00

I had a pretty stellar birthday!!

Josh and I slept in just a little- got up and had coffee and slow roasted through the morning. My friend Jess text me to listen to KMTN after 10. So I streamed the station just in tome to hear a dedication to my birthday and "Birthday" by the Beatles.

Josh left to get some "real turns" in before he had to ride with me =D and I took the opportunity to make myself look cute for the day, even though I was going to be in snow clothes all day ... luckily it's warming up a lot. On a bluebird day you can totally get away with a light hoodie and a teeshirt under a shell.

Jess came over and we met up with our friend Andy. We hoped the tram. Aboard the tram, they sang Happy Birthday... I am thoroughly humiliated... but in a fun way.

First stop: Corbet's Cabin. Andy buys a round. After we drink the majority of our beers, we headed down Rendezvous Bowl and out Our Trail to a secret spot with an amazing view! Josh and a few others happened to show up too.

Then from there we met the rest of the the crew at Nick's. Drank a beer, Gondola ride to Couloir, beer...

to Casper, Beer. (sadly I forgot to charge my camera, so I missed the photo op at Casper). From Casper we skied to Aprés Vous, down to the base, did another Gondi Lap and ended the day at 4:15 or so at Nicks...

After Aprés at Nicks, Josh and Jess and I hit the hot tub. Jess went home, roommates went out for a bit, Josh and I took a nap, back up for the Indo Board session "late night). I was asleep by eleven. Had to get up and do it all over again with Christen!

It's My Birthday!!!

2010-03-05T12:02:00.004-06:00

And I'm so very excited! The only thing I wanted for my b'day was to be with the people I love. Unfortunately, there are a choice few who are unable to make it- Mom, Kelly, Dad (and clan) and Megan are just a little too far away. Brandi and Christen have to work. BUT! Everyone else has pledged their day to me... lol! We're going for a little "cruise" around the mountain. Just hitting groomers, making lots of stops at restaurant bars and hidden places in the woods- it should be a helluva time!! I'll try and remember to take pictures and tell you all about it sometime after this weekend is over... I'm officially signing out for the duration of the birthday. You can reach me on my cell =)

xoxo

Working for the weekends...

2010-02-28T11:45:00.003-06:00

I realize that it seems I never do anything during the week. That's mostly true.

Here are some pictures from the "Redtop Ski Jump Party."

This party happens every year. Hundreds of ski bums gather at a ski-bum chalet in the middle of nowhere. We all pack our cars equipped to sleep in (some designate a driver), load up backpacks full of beer, skis and party pants and head to this party.

The guys that live in this house are professionals. They built a ramp off the roof of the garage to a kicker over a fire pit, to a landing.

You need no credentials to jump.

Overall it was a good time...

wax-on, wax-off

2010-02-26T11:44:00.003-06:00

Wax... it's not just for bikini lines anymore.

It's a very important part of shredding. My board was getting to the point where I was literally getting stuck to the snow. No beuno! I had a few scratches and dints and dings from hitting rocks and generally wear and tear. So... a wax job just had to happen.

My main point is not to walk you through how to wax your board. There are plenty of web sites out there that will teach you that- probably better than I can.

I just wanted to comment on how snowboarding is, in fact, an entire body work out: riding you get the core and leg work out and waxing builds mad bicep muscle! I think I should get a job as a tuner and become über buff!

ANother Fabulous Weekend!!

2010-02-22T15:55:00.016-06:00

I just LOVE weekends... who doesn't?!?

So, in recap:

Saturday I met Christen at ten, as per usual. We went from the Gondola, over to Thunder, then down Laramie Bowl to the Sublet lift, then over to Wally World. Wally World is the run that was renamed in honor of Big Wally- a ski patroller who died during a slide while doing avalanche control earlier this season. From Wally's World- formerly Bivouac- we cut back down and across to Gros Ventre (if you ever come to Jackson, btw do NOT pronounce it as "Gross Venture" it is "grow vaunt") and back tot the house.

When we got to the house, both Christen and I were perma-grin and giggly! We declared it the best run either one of us has ever had while riding together. From here, we went to eat a "fancy lunch" at the Osteria- complete with mimosa for me and champagne for Christen...

After lunch, we did a tram lap- then over to Casper for some beer drinking. I did a final lap on Aprés Vous and down to Nick's. Sadly, I had a terrible migraine by the time I got my first beer at Nicks, so I took the bus home and passed out. My sweet boyfriend came home after work and took care of me. I slept pretty hard.

Sunday had sub-par conditions, so Josh and I decided to sleep in. I decided to take it easy. SO I rode through the trees on the way to Casper Restaurant. Stopped to take a few pics.

I met up with Josh and our friend Abby and a couple of her friends in the restaurant. We figured the day was a perfect day for this:

yes. those are lunch trays. I know you're jealous!!! And Abby did a sub-par job of documenting my tray sledding experience- but I slid all the way to the deck. I'm just sayin'

We did ride a bit... we took a lap down, back up the Gondi then around the long way (via Lupine Way) right back to the same spot. Another lap down and up the Gondi and I rode home- as I had to go to work for the Flying Tomato.

All-in-all the weekend was fabulous! Can't wait until the next one!!

testing testing...

2010-02-18T17:27:00.007-06:00

Thought I would play with Photoshop and try to give you guys a visual to what I mean when I say "Moran Woods," "Hobacks" "Rendezvous Bowl," etc. So instead of you pulling up the trail map in a separate browser, and trying to follow along- I laid it out nice and simple for ya!

This is a "map" of what Christen and I did on Saturday. Our first run is in pink, second through fourth (they can kinda be lumped into one) are in various shades of blue and our final run- our Tram lap- is in yellow. Where we come out at the end of the yellow trail is my neighborhood. I'm on of those little monopoly-looking buildings on that street.

You can click on the picture and it will bring up a giant version of the map if you want closer look.

Feedback would be appreciated. Does this make sense? or do you guys not give a rat's ass? =)

Hope you have a GREAT DAY!!!

New Terrain!!

2010-02-15T20:01:00.013-06:00

This weekend was, as the bro-brahs like to say:

SICK

EPIC

COREY!

Translation: I had a really good weekend snowboarding =)

Saturday, Christen and I did our usual Gondola lap to to Casper. We hit up Moran Woods and got deep in the powder... after a few runs we found ourselves sitting on the deck at Nick Wilson's having a tall boy and a sammie. Josh came out to sit with us before his shift started. Somehow, (okay, he told us he would buy us a shot) he convinced us to take a Tram lap.

I have only ridden the tram in the summer, as a total gaper with my dad and step mom and aunt. Christen, had never been on it- as she has an irrational (love you Christen!) fear of heights coupled with claustrophobia. But we suffered through the crowded tram while we swung in the wind atop the mountain. As soon as we stepped out on the tram dock, I felt that I was in a totally different world. The day had been calm and warm mid-mountain- but at the top of Rendezvous Bowl it was windy and arctic... We made it! Rendezvous bowl was nothing harder than other terrain I have previously ridden and the traverses were cake- albeit a little higher up =). We decided to ride the Hobacks- which turned out to be a bad idea at the time of day- but how were we to know? we'd never been up there. So we plowed through the crunchy packing peanuts that some people might have called snow. Bumped over horrible crunchy moguls and fell over a lot. We also laughed a lot. We eventually made it to the Union Pass Traverse, which essentially leads to the condo... flailed up the stairs and plopped on the couch! What a day!!!

Sunday was no less epic. I rode solo for my first gondola-to-thunder-to-base run, then met up with my friend Rusty at the base of the Sublet lift- another first ride for me. From Sublett we took mostly the blue trails down... some switch back traverses which were a bit of a challenge and then took some more familiar terrain to Casper...

At some point along the way to Capser I got a phone call from Josh... (remember, if you will, this is Valentine's Day). Backstory: there is a show at the Knotty Pine, in Victor, ID which is about an hour drive from our house. cut to scene:

(trish) "hey baby!"

(josh) " Abby just called to tell me she has an extra ticket to the show... and a place to stay."

(trish) "well- go if you want babe..." choking back tears.

(josh) "well, come have a beer later"

(trish) 'K, bye"

cut to Casper Restaurant: I'm mess. I'm actually convinced that my boyfriend is going to leave me on a holiday that I pretend to hate but secretly love and if he ditched me I could not pretend to care, because as far as he knows I'm completely not romantic and just want him to be happy....

cut to two hours later at Nick Wilson's

(josh) "I've got reservations for 9:30- I know it's late, but it was the best I could do,"

(trish) "great!" (secret squeal!)

SO I go home, take a nap, take a shower get dolled up and meet him at Nicks at closing. Together, we go to the Village Cafe and have a drink before walking over to Osteria. Let. me. tell. you!

This place was amazing!!!! but before I get to chronologically out of order let me tell you what my darling boyfriend did. He bought me jewelry! JEWELRY! I have never (not counting two times...) gotten jewelry from a man besides my father! And it is absolutely beautiful! Don't believe me? Here!

Isn't it beautiful?!? It's Amber!

We sat down for dinner. First we ordered Pomegranate Mimosas. (delicious) For our appetizer we had mozzarella speck. Which is basically mozzarella cheese wrapped in fancy bacon and baked with some marinara sauce. We had a glass of Pinot Noir with our apps. For our entrees: Josh enjoyed a lobster pasta while I dined on a prime rib and cous cous topped with fried onions! I did not even need a steak knife to cut my meat! (medium rare, as it should be) We had a beer with our entrees, can't remember what the beer was-something Italian- but even it was fantastic! We finished it all off with a chocolate truffle and ice cream.

I just have to say- I love my boyfriend!

So- in conclusion: my weekend was

EPIC!

Girl Crush...

2010-02-07T00:15:00.006-06:00

DREW BARRYMORE

I've admired her since E.T. I've enjoyed almost all her movies. I love her wide range of characters and her crooked smile. I think she's beautiful and funny and talented. I have a girl crush. (which urban dictionary defines as:an overwhelming sense of awe felt by a girl for another girl elicited by varying causes ranging from deep respect to unadulterated lust. may result in the any or all of the following: general euphoria, prolonged sense of inspiration, desire for intellectual-intercourse with crush, simple sexual arousal, etc

zoe bell is such a badass in deathproof, i am completely amazed at what she is capable of. she is my new girl crush)

I bring up my latest girl crush because I watched her directorial debut this evening. Whip It is about a girl named Bliss, who feels that life in small-town USA is just not cutting it. Her mom wants her to be a pageant queen, and she's a little more "alternative." She stumbles upon the roller derby league- tries out and makes the team by the name of "The Hurl Scouts." With her new found passion for skating and knocking chicks over, Bliss finds out who she really is and creates a new family. The rest of the story is slightly generic in formula, but the movie as a whole is extremely witty and chock-full of girl power!! Drew has a roll in the movie as the hard-core, albeit a little bit of an airhead, teammate of Bliss with the skating alias "Smashley Simpson."

I highly recommend renting this movie! Drew did a great job with her first movie... I hope to see many more from her!

Sorry I've been away...

2010-01-24T11:31:00.008-06:00

The Condo had been a revolving door of ski bums...

When we're not out "slashing freshies" or "shredding gnar gnar" we've been hot tubbing, playing Wii and training on the Indo Board (which I don't have a pic of me doing but I am quite the pro at)

Oh, and consuming lots of PBR!

2010-01-20T18:19:00.002-06:00

Not really a whole lot to report- except I'm sitting in my own living room... alone!!!

I've been home alone since one thirty! I've cleaned the house, fixed the vacuum, finished cleaning, taken the recycling out, done some ballet workout in my dining room, shaved my legs and downloaded music. And listened to what I wanted to listen to as loud as I can stand it (which is a few notches down from what the boys can handle). It's now five-thirty- I'm contemplating a dip in the hot tub and maybe some Wii...

Thank goodness for "Tricia Time"!!!

Today I was higher than I have ever been

2010-01-17T21:02:00.002-06:00

I flew...

In case you thought I was lying...

2010-01-17T21:00:00.000-06:00

I really do snowboard =)

Everyone's a Meterologists...

2009-12-30T15:17:00.000-06:00

When you hear the saying "talk about the weather," you generally think of someone making small talk. right? Well, here in Jackson talking about the weather is a serious conversation. No one relies on a single weather source, many are armature meteorologists with barometers and tools to predict weather patterns on their own.

On my bookmarks bar, for instance, I have three different weather sights. The Weather Channel (is quite generic), the Jackson Hole Avalanche Sight and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association). the JH Avie sight updates twice a day with all kinds of numbers about pressure and jet streams etc etc. Everyone has their own take on the weather.

With the drought we've had here (and ONLY here it seems!) the weather has become one of those things that if you bring up, you may end up in an argument... Snow is something we, as a ski town, rely on! The conditions on the hill are sub-par and people (i.e. Josh) are starting to get very frustrated and antsy. Tourists have booked their condos/rooms and flights and are not getting the prime ski vacation they had hoped for. What little poweder we do get is skiied up quickly. Locals are getting frustrated because we've been having days with temps as low as 22 BELOW with no snow to insulate our pipes. I never thought a winter drought was that big of a deal, being from Alabama- but snow is how we fill our rivers in the spring and keep fresh water in our wells throughout the summer. This isn't the first time in Jackson Hole's history this has happened. In 1976-1977 only 128 inches fell at Rendezvous Bowl (summit) all season (jackson averages 450 inches annually). Right now we are recording 142 inches fallen, with a 32inch base at the summit. But only 79 inches total mid-mountain (where I'm skiing) and a 25 inch base, most of it man made. Because of the lack of snow, we only have 45 or 116 trails open!

Luckily, today, we have experienced a steady stream of light snow. Two to three inches expected to accumulate. Apparently there is another system on its way, hopefully blessing us with another four to six inches by 2010.

Christmas in the Tetons!

2009-12-27T23:42:00.004-06:00

Christmas is always hard when you're not around your family. We've been doing Christmas in a pretty certain way for a very long time. I got grumpy when I was a teenager and my first cousin got married, bringing in new folks was kinda strange... then babies then worst, meals started changing. We no longer did Christmas Eve dinner, we did lunch... I digress. This year was a WHOLE 'NOTHER world! It turned out to be fabulous!

Josh and I did our Christmas present-exchanging on C'mas Eve. In addition to the Wii Fit Plus (complete with Wii ski and the snowboarding game!), I received a stocking. My boyfriend knows me too well...

The big bottle is dark, but it's a "Howling Wolf" from Grand Teton Brewing Company.

SO... in addition to opening presents we "conference called" Josh's family, his mom read the Night Before Christmas- quite possibly the most epic reading of that story ever! We also watched my favorite Christmas movie of all time "Emmit Otter's Jug Band Christmas"

Christmas morning we slept in, then skiied (together!) for about an hour, then headed back tot he house to prepare for our Christmas FEAST!!! We had ten friends, two turkeys, plenty of booze, and a chocolate fountain (thanks Mom! Josh LOVES it!). Here's some shots of our fabulous party!

we started the day with a tribute to Choo-Choo and his famous milk punches!

Josh prepped the bird(s)...

Took a second to get a picture from our balcony

Played a rousing game of Wii Bowling

Enjoyed Appetizers

Then enjoyed a delicious meal...

the aftermath...

So in conclusion:

Christmas is never as good as it is when you are with your family. Luckily, friends are the family you choose- so none of us were without!

Happy Holidays everyone!

Saturdays!!!

2009-12-20T22:04:00.005-06:00

I look forward to Saturday all week long! Not only is it my day off, and my day to spend the whole day snowboarding, but also it's my day to shred with Christen!

Yesterday was the first Saturday that the Gondola was open (and the Tram... but I'm not ready for that just yet). So, I met Christen at 11 and we hit up the Gondi. We turned on my JHTapped App to log our runs for the day. We rode straight down from the Gondola Summit on Sundance first, then we hit up a second lap, this time going from the G.S. to the Casper lift via the Amphitheater Traverse (all the yellow lines on the trail map are traverses- "cat tracks" and they are a bitch!) We rode the Casper lift a few times, had a beer at the restaurant (okay, three) then rode down via the Southpass Traverse- where I was graciously helped along the flats by a skier's pole pull. Then down Werner and onto Teewinot.

My log said we did three runs totalling 2,074 vertical feet- but I don't think it logged all of it.

Apres at Nick Wilson's (where Josh bar-backs) was stellar! Santa dropped out of the bottom of the tram. I left my camera inside, but here's a pic from the web (last year)

We watched Santa, had some beers, had some shots and called it a night at 7 or 8. Josh came home several hours later... we were some of the more tame ones leaving so early.

In short: Saturdays are fun!

cannot wait to see what next Saturday will bring. Hopefully some POWDER and a full day of making turns! And, hopefully I'll remember to get some action shots! and some Board shots! Maybe I'll even get saucy before the season's over and get some video. Stay tuned...

Just a few shots of winter...

2009-12-20T12:13:00.003-06:00

SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-12-13T21:02:00.003-06:00

snow snow snow snow snow!!!

I experienced my first *powder day of the season today. (For my southern readers that means the first day with lots of fresh snow on the hill.) And now I totally get it! The combo of my new snowboard (pictures to come very soon) soft, fluffy pow and a bit of a daredevil attitude got me up Apres Vous (a lift that only services blue trails).

I rode by myself with my iPod blaring K'naan (check him out!) and took it very easy, just cruising. There was so much soft snow that I wasn't as afraid to make turns. Being on my toe-side edge was not nearly as scary because when I fell it was like falling into a ton of pillows! I caught speed, I floated and I LOVED IT!

I rode until noon, ate some food, cleaned the house, then took Elu on a walk, then went climbing at the gym. I'm pooped, that's all I can give you for now. Pictures and more details to come.

Dear Santa (love Elu)

2009-12-09T21:35:00.005-06:00

My feet are cold. I am a pretty tuff little husky dog, but still, 8 Below (one of my favorite movies by the way) is pretty hard my tootsies. I think I need some booties like the dogs in the movie have. I saw all the sled dogs wearing them last year and they seemed pretty beneficial. I mean, those dogs run for days in sub-zero temperatures! Anyway... I think I need some of these:

I also really like food. Treats of any sort will gladly be accepted. I will make sure to leave the reindeer plenty of yummy goodies.

(I can't wait to go on-line shopping for Mommy! I'll let you know what I get for her!!)

Also, Santa, I just wanted to wish you a Very Merry Christmas! Mommy and I are both a little sad to not be with our family again this year, but we are also pretty excited to be together and maybe take a nice, long hike in the backcountry (with my new booties!?) and take pictures of the white Christmas. Hope your Season is great!

Love,

Lady Elu Ireland

Dear Santa:

2009-12-03T17:30:00.003-06:00

In case you are low on ideas...

UGG Smithfield Boots: in black, size 6. They are a tad pricey, so I won't cry if you can't afford to get these beauties in the sleigh... But won't they look SO CUTE with stripped tights and a wool skirt?!?!

Speaking of wool skirts... I'm a size 2 and like the colors blue, green and black...

My Happy List

2009-11-21T13:57:00.017-06:00

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

2009-11-20T10:52:00.004-06:00

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?

2009-11-15T14:17:00.007-06:00

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?

2009-11-07T15:49:00.002-06:00

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!

Ode to the Subbie

2009-10-28T12:51:00.029-05:00

**this was written while still on the road, so the timeline is off**

As I lay here in a pool of gear in the back of my Subaru Outback waiting on Josh to get a few runs in on Loveland Pass, I must reflect on my vehicle's performance over the last week.

This is the first true road trip I've been on in my wagon. She's been to a couple of festivals, plenty of car camping trips and 100+ mile trips, but not until this week has she provided transportation, shelter, gear tote and overall comfort for an entire week.

Josh and I set off for an intented loop from Jackson, to Moab to Loveland Pass to Boulder and back home. We left Sunday (19th) evening with bikes, climbing gear, backpacking gear, skis, snowboard, boots, camping chairs, a cooler, clothes and a crash pad. We had the seats down and put as much gear as we could fit into the Sky Box. We left Jackson after dark and drove as far as we could. We eventually found some BLM land in Southern Wyoming and found an out-of the way spot to camp- in the car. See, as much as we love camping: setting up a tent just to sleep in, then take it down, repack it into it's tiny little bag and stuffing it back into the car can be a pain. SO, instead we just took the Backpacks and cooler out of the car, and set up camp in the back of the Subbie. With two inflated Thermarests and sleeping bags that zip together and a couple of fluffy pillows, the back is rather comfortable. Josh and I have it dialed in. In the morning, at the crack of dawn, we were semi-ready to get on the road. I had a lot more motivation to get to Salt Lake City than Josh did, so I drove while he slept in the back. After lunch in SLC, I was pooped, so Josh drove and I took a nap in the back. I woke up just as we were getting into the interesting part of Utah.

The landscape went from flat and vast to spiny, rocky and ancient. It looked like we were driving into the Jurassic period. Southern Utah is beautiful. Unfortunately we were pulling into the desert as the sun was setting, so we pulled off the Interstate on exit 131 and drove through the San Rafael Swell towards Goblin Valley. We were deep in BLM land, so it was quite simple for us to find a nice camp site and catch some shut eye. We were able to find an actual camp site with a fire pit and what seemed to be a pretty nice view, but it was dark, and we were lazy, so car camping won out again. This time around, we discovered that if we set the cooler just outside the door, we could use it as a "bedside table" and enjoy a coldbeer before going to sleep.

We woke up early the next morning, to realize that we were about to get rained on. Quicky-packed the Subaru and headed out just before the rain hit. We high-tailed it to Moab, with the Subaru all disheveled and starting to smell a little like feet. The rain slacked off when we got to Moab, so we decided to put my All-parks pass to work (For $80 a year, you can visit every National Park in the Country- a Teton-Yellowstone is $50, so it's a pretty good deal) and go to Arches. The rain held off long enough for us to see one "gaper" set of arches and explore two off the beaten path.

The bottom dropped off on us so we raced to the Subaru for shelter. Once in the haven of our campsite on wheels, we were able to dry off a tad before heading into Moab. We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant, where the power went out on us. (Apparently Moab is not built for rain.)

While in Moab, we went to a gear shop to find out some insider information about the area. We bought a harness for Josh and a book on slot canyon exploration. We headed back up the interstate towards Robber's Roost. Just outside of Moab, but before you get into the cast Robber's Roost area, there is a little town called Green River. Green River had quite a selection of hotels, and although the Subbie has proven herself comfy and functional, the idea of being able to spread out a bit and dip in a hot tub was awfully appealing. So we stayed at the best Best Western I've ever stayed in!

After an overnight re-coop Josh and I headed out for the desert! Robber's Roost is an area located between the Colorado River, Green River and the Dirty Devil River about an hour north-west of Moab, Utah. We turned off I-80 onto Hwy 24 and drove about 20 miles west. We turned off on a ranch road and headed 55 miles back into the plateau. As we were driving, we consulted the map over and over again because it just didn't seem that there would be any kind of canyons in this vast open space. Finally, the guide book lead us to a spring, and we were supposed to look for some signatures on a wall, then we would find the mouth of the canyon.

Our first Canyoneering experience was a good one.

We got back to the car with plenty of time to travel 70 miles to the San Rafael Swell before we slept. Again, we slept in the car and woke up to a beautiful day in the desert...

We set off for Music Canyon. After traveling about two miles down Music Canyon, we realized that this canyon was not nearly as interesting as the one we had found the day before, so we turned around and headed for another spot just a few miles away. We still never found the one in the book, but we did stumble across a pretty cool drainage that we followed for about three miles before we had to turn around at 5:30 (did NOT want to get stuck in the desert away from the car after dark).

Josh was pretty upset when I made him turn around...

But when we got back to the car just in time to crack a PBR at sunset, he was pretty happy

From the San Rafael Swell we headed back to civilization. I drove well into the night while Josh slept. I pulled over at a rest stop in Rifle, CO around midnight, slept for a few hours then got up and drove to Loveland Pass.

All-in-All the Subaru has been WONDERFUL to us! She never complained when we drove her through treacherous terrain, she sipped gas when we needed her to conserve and kept up when we needed to trek on! She deserves a bath and a good detailing after her trip to the dessert!!

Can any girl really claim to be low-maintenance?

2009-10-11T23:37:00.008-05:00

Lying in bed this morning, hitting snooze a time or five. Watching the snow fall on the aspens outside my bedroom window, I truly treasured the simplicity of my life. I had to be in town at 9:45, after a 25-30 minute commute (9:15 departure time) I safely concluded that I could lie in bed until 9:08, thus leaving me seven minutes to get ready for the day. I LOVE that I can be ready for the day in just a mere seven minutes. My job does not require me took look pretty, the town I live in does not require me to wear couture, so the wardrobe is quite simple. My choices include: fitted jeans vs. baggy jeans, long sleeved tee shirt in black, white, green or brown, under tank top in white, black, stripped, purple, green or blue(the one on top of the drawer usually wins) and Merells vs. Evolve shoes. Dress, brush teeth, face lotion, quick run of the comb, scarf and jacket and bam! I'm ready! I dread the day that I no longer can do this.

Not that I ever look glamorous from day to day. I always just look like this:

(taken after two days in the desert)

But this got me to thinking, am I really what someone would consider low maintenance? I wouldn't be so quick to say so. I definitely have my "fetishes" just like any woman.

Some women like to spend their "me money," on fashion and beauty items, I just like to spend my "me money" on toys!

Some women have a desire to line their closets with delicate shoes, heels and such. I have 3 pair of Chacos, four pair of snow boots and a pair of hiking shoes.

Lots of women I know have a purse fetish, I have a backpack collection. (one purse, many have told me it's actually a camera case)

Women nickle and dime themselves to death on new tubes of lip stick, nice perfume and fancy shampoos. I prefer to spend my money on chalk for climbing, wax for my snow board, ad chap stick.

Josh would argue that although I am simple that I am still quite high maintenance, just in a less girly kinda way. But he doesn't complain, because the things I buy for "me" end up benefiting both of us and our travels.

Moderate Creativity.

2009-10-07T20:53:00.004-05:00

Randomly I have the need to write down my thoughts. I'm going to try it on a blog. We'll see what happens.

I'm watching HGTV in the condo by myself. It's the first time I've gotten to actually control the remote and watch EXACTLY what I want to watch on TV. Sigh, so while flipping for the cheesiest prime-time television I could find on a Wednesday night, I get stuck in cable-land. You know, the upper stations that never have gripping, steamy, McDready style television (what I was hoping to watch) and instead I got sucked into HGTV. I stop because I heard "his and her two house compound" and was intrigued. This couple built their houses(s) on two adjoining lots. They share a yard, but little else. They each had their own space. This show was, of course, not about their relationship so I can only speculate from here: What a cool idea!! She can have her place to put her "smelly candles" and have a bathtub the size of the bathtub in the Peewee Herman movie, while he has his house for the ridiculously large flat screen television and hibatchi grill in lieu of oven and stove... two bathrooms. two kitchens. two bedrooms (or more!) two living rooms. He could have all the sports parties in his house and she could have the dinner parties in hers! I'm sure they alternate bedrooms to sleep. I cannot imagine a couple in love that wouldn't want to sleep next to eachother everynight. But then again, I guess there are tons of people that have done that. But sleeping is the best part of being in a relationship. I just don't understand how people can not like at lest being able to touch your love in the middle of the night. Just reach the big toe back ever so slighty and touch his leg- just know that he's there. But that's just me... Two houses though, that would be awesome! Even better- one house, two wings One bedroom. Work with me now. You start in the middle with a shared bedroom. Just like any couple's bedroom it's slightly void of too much personality- neutral. The bed is large, preferably a California King, with beige in color, and high in thread-count linens. The television is centered across from the bed. From there the house splits. Her side leads to her walk-in closet. To the right is her bathroom. Her bathroom has a large jacouzi tub and a multi-head shower with a bench for shaving her legs. Her vanity is somewhat girly with a place to sit and put on make-up. Back through the closet and straight ahead is a door leading to "her" house. She has a full set up with a kitchen, dining room, living room and a powder room and a couple of guest rooms. If you step outside on her front porch, it looks like a duplex. If you go out "her" front door, you step a mear ten feet and you are knocking on "his" door. "His" house opens up to a large great room, the living area in the front and the kitchen off the back. He has a couple of extra bed rooms, that could be used as guest rooms- if the guest didn't mind a recording studio or gear closet. The door to the shared bedroom is through is bathroom. His house had little need for a closet and a bathroom, so he just opted for twice the bathroom. In his bathroom, there is another large television, a steam room and a large multi-headed shower. Back full circle to the shared bedroom. She would invite him over to her house for dinner and a movie. He would woo her in his bachelor pad from time to time and they would always go home together. It would be pretty cool. *end stream of consciousness*

Do not judge for grammar, as I have not edited for more than spelling. My imagination lies deep in the middle of "my own little world" and in my world, there is not much structure, thus, no grammar.

Nesting and Waiting...

2009-10-04T15:23:00.003-05:00

The off season is officially upon us. It's the time of year when the town clears out: the summer residents are moving south for the winter, the ski bums haven't quite gotten here yet and the gapers (tourists) have stopped flooding town square. The off season is a time to slow down and shift gears. Summer was amazing! It was a world wind of sun, water, mountains and tons of activities... The winter will be jammed packed full of skiing and snowshoeing. But October and November's weather forces you to put the breaks on. Today, for instance we woke up to wind howling, snow flurries and chilly weather. The idea of going on a hike was less than appealing. So for the first time in a long while, I am staying in and doing NOTHING.

The catch is, I'm very bad at doing nothing. So instead, I have been organizing, doing laundry and in general "nesting." I almost have the house dialed in and comfortable. Josh's mom is in town and she's been making lasagna all day for us to freeze! The boys have been keeping the fire ablaze all day, it's just been a delightful day! I love the off season!

The new digs!

2009-10-03T12:53:00.004-05:00

This is my roommate Steven showing off the kitchen/laundry room

Our bedroom...
The dining room
The living room!
the other half of the living room, and my sweet boyfriend showing it off

2009-09-22T20:54:00.004-05:00

It seems I have been doing little but making up excuses as to why I'm not blogging. Truth be told: I haven't had very much alone/down time that has coincided with inspiration.

First, my computer had an unfortunate run in with a cup of coffee. Didn't work, submerged it in rice and now it does. There is a DVD stuck in the drive but Internet and music still work. Le sigh, I should really be discouraged from owning nice things ;)

But the news of the week is the new condo! Last I updated you, we were talking about moving in together. In the meantime J and I have hit some growing pains in our relationship, moved past them and signed a lease. We now live in Teton Village, Wyoming. For those of you who have never been to Jackson, let me try and give you an idea:

okay. Broadway is the main street. Town square is at the corner of Broadway and Cache. From Town, you go south on Broadway, take a right (up in the map) on 22 and head to the stop light, turn right and go about 6 miles to Teton Village. The Village, as it is more commonly referred to is centered around the ski hill. There are some shops and restaurants, a few five star hotels, a bunch of rich people and some condos slightly off to the side. I now reside in one of said condos.

This place is NICE! It's a vacation rental by summer- rented by the week. By winter, it is ours! There are four of us living in this fabulous two bedroom, two bathroom condo- Me, Josh, our friend Bungee and Lady Elu. Granted, three of us are sharing a room =).

We have a fire place, a wet bar, a separate dining room, kitchen with laundry off it, a gigantic balcony and best of all- it's ski-in. We can pretty much cruise right up to the back steps.

I promise I will have pictures up soon! Right now I'm just sitting here basking in it all while the boys drink beer on the porch.

Anyway. I PROMISE now that I am settled (and living with two boys who will inevitably win the battle on "what do we watch on TV") I will do more blogging. I vow here and now to take more pictures and let my (two) faithful readers know what is going on in Teton Village and the rest of Jackson.

Hope you have a great day!!!

Peace!

One Year

2009-09-01T09:07:00.000-05:00

I bailed on my life.

That's how I finally came to describe it, later.

Not too long ago, I was having a conversation that started out to be about money, my financial situation. Owning a house 1,800 miles away is bad enough, but to start in on thinking about everything that house stands for, is a whole 'nother story.

Six years ago, I was engaged. I was happy and young and foolish and rich (as far as I thought). I bought a house. Said engagement lasted three months into living in the House. We break up,cordially, friendly, easily. We both recognized that we were too young to be starting a grown-up life together when neither of us had fully outgrown early-twenties idiot-ness. Roommates move in, another boyfriend happens upon me, he maintains a lease on his apartment for eight months, all the while staying at the House most nights. Eight months do not lead to much but a slightly more bitter break-up than the last. Another roommate in, another out, once again another in. Meet guy at bar, next day calls early wanting a date. Lunch, swimming, kiss on the cheek. Several months later, by accident, guy moves in. Cohabitate, "fall in love," proposal, wedding planning. All the while this poor House is the setting. Bad news, I bail a month before the wedding. Six months later, I bail on the House, I bail on Birmingham, on a job, on everything that I was. I up and leave.

Quite possibly the best move I ever made.

I bailed on my LIFE.

...and here I am, a year later. I feel free. I feel like I have found a home in Jackson. I have collected a great group of loving friends, while maintaining the meaningful friendships back home. I have a wonderful job and a great little (rental) house. But the irony of it all? I'm taking the plunge again: cohabitation. Josh and I have decided to move in together. We have yet to decide if we will stay here, in the log cabin, or if we will start fresh in a place that is ours and was never just mine. Elu accepts the challenge, I'm looking forward to what is to come.

CHECK OUT MY NEWEST BLOG!!

2009-08-27T20:23:00.003-05:00

As some of you know, I've dabbled in wire wrapping and making jewelry for some time now. Many of my friends have received Christmas presents and other random gifts made with love. Well, I have just launched a blog-site to showcase my creations. If you have any gift needs for a special lady in your life, if you LOVE fun and hand-made jewelry, or if you're just curious what it is I do click here and check out Grand Design Jewelry by Patricia Ireland. Feel free to spread the word!

(NEW POST BELOW!)

HOLY BLUEGRASS BATMAN!!!

2009-08-24T22:44:00.008-05:00

What I love the most about bluegrass is that it is a genre that spans across generations. Old men and women sit hand-in-hand in their festival chairs and young fathers dance with their babies on the grassy lawn. Good music knows no age limits and bluegrass music will never die.

This weekend was the 22nd Anual Bluegrass Festival at Grand Targhee Resort. I was excited about the line up when I first heard Railroad Earth and Yonder Mountain String Band were coming. Sometime later I learned of the David Grisman Quintet and was totally sold on the weekend. Tickets weren't exactly cheap, but worth every penny to spend three full days eating, drinking and being overall pretty Merry!! It was a trip I didn't mess around in the planning for. I spent three days organizing all of our gear, buying a shade tent, grocery shopping, beer shopping and packing the Subaru. We set out early Friday morning to secure the best

campsite. Real estate is important!

We set up shop: shade tent, real tent, camp chairs, crash-pad couch, thermarest loungers, and coolers galore. Sarah came a little later and added a table, another cooler and her tent to the mix- we were ready!

Josh sold Bloody Mary's all weekend and made a killing. I attempted to sell my jewelry, but no one bit. I did make one custom piece for fifteen dollars...

But the camp grounds in a festival is only half the fun... the rest lies in the music!

Friday night: John Cowan Band, Darrel Scott band- both very good- also can't really remember much about their sets. After a quick run back to camp we were re-beered enough for Railroad Earth! We danced and danced and had such a great time. Met up with some other friends: Taylor and Jeff and "other" Josh.

Saturday was quite possibly my favorite day... ever... I lounged around camp while Josh made the rounds with his Bloody Mary's and Sarah and Taylor went for a hike. We had some cloud cover so it was nice to be in the shade for a while. We went back and forth between camp and music all afternoon, lounging in the hammock to some afternoon bluegrass. Josh went on a walkabout and I swung in the hammock- just watching people go by. Everyone was so happy, babies danced barefoot in the grass, couples snuck kisses when they though no one was looking, people lounged, people smiled, people danced. It was hot, but not too hot to keep people from enjoying themselves. As the sun started to go down Saturday night, the part really started to get-a-swinin'! The Steep Canyon Rangers played their entire set in grey suits with short ties. They were an amazing band with high energy! Sarah and I weaved our way up front and danced and laughed and had a blast! After they were finished, we met up with Josh for Yonder Mountain String Band! Now Yonder has been one of my favorite bands for some time now and I will tell you, Saturday they outdid themselves!

Sunday was cloudy and rainy, so we packed everything but the tent and essentials in the car and headed to the music in the cold rainy muck. And HAD A BLAST!!! The Wilders were my favorite of the bands I didn't really know. Then of course, David Grisman Quintet played their little hearts out. I teared up a bit when we had a moment for Jerry.

As soon as Grisman finished his set, the bottom dropped out and it proceeded to pour for hours. People were running around in the rain like crazy folks and I went straight to my tent to catch some relief. Josh, Jeff and Josh came to get me and we went to the bar, from there it's less than exciting to discuss, there was packing, some sleeping, some driving home in the morning, a little napper before work and voila! the weekend is over.

Bad Blogger!!

2009-08-06T00:07:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry! I have been selfish. I have kept all my fun to myself.

This summer is AMAZING!

Quite possibly, my favorite summer ever.

I'm not kidding!

When I'm not on the boat, or hiking, or hanging out with my friends or working, I'm generally hanging out with Josh. For that, I am NOT sorry, but for failing to report, I am.

Let's see, I'll sum things up since the Waterfalls Canyon Trip as best I can:

Erin and her friend Wes came to town for 3-4 days and we went on a few easy hikes, had some beers, cooked some dinner, saw some sights and had a blast

Josh and I went (on a whim) to the Targhee Music Festival, which was AWESOME! We saw Jackie Green, Grace Potter and Government Mule, had a blast, bought a hoodie, saw some friends and danced!

Josh and I ride our bikes to the fair, watched the pig wrestling contest and rode some rides.

Granger came to town, we camped in Jeff's backyard with Jess, took some hikes, did some climbing, put together 1/2 a puzzle and hung out

I had some good girls' nights

Josh and I saw the Hangover

I have taken Elu on some cool hikes

I started climbing again.

In between all these things, I worked

I am pretty sure I hit the highlights. Not everything I do is worthy of pictures and a narrative, but my summer overall has been delightful! I love that I live with a playground in my back yard! I love that I have found a group of friends that make this place feel like home! I love that I have my best friends back home on speed dial to share it all with (and wish they were here with me).

and... here's a few pictures to sum up the beauty that awes me everyday

I've got the itch...

2009-07-14T19:11:00.004-05:00

...to do a little traveling.

My friend Brandi and I are thinking of skipping town in January or February about the time the snow will get the bestter of us. We are thinking South America.

We've both been to Central America and think it's time for a dip below the equator. I found this cool little website about backpacking to foreign countries, which is totally what we plan on doing! So now all we have to do is decide where we want to go and where we can afford to go and hope that at least one place is on both lists.

Anyone have any suggestions?

so far we're thinking Ecuador/Galapagos, Chile, and Peru. Central America is not out of the country, we were just hoping for somewhere neat! please comment with any cool trips you've taken, or ideas. I especially need to figure out which airport to fly into, no matter where I go

Waterfalls Canyon Trip

2009-07-11T22:03:00.013-05:00

Every day is a new adventure here in the Hole. This weekend was no exception.

Josh had a long weekend off work, so he headed to the lake to put around on the Wailer. I had to work Wednesday until 8, so I told him I would meet him up there early Thursday morning. Wednesday night around 9 or 10, he calls (from the boat) to tell me to plan on backpacking, we're going to do Waterfalls Canyon, which sits between Eagle Rest Peak and Ranger Peak, just to the North of Mt. Moran. "Okay!" I said cheerily and started repacking my pack for lightweight travel rather than luxury lake-side "boat camping."

Thursday morning I get up early and head for the park. Josh and Sherba were out fishing with another friend who works at Signal Mountain Lodge, so I told them to take their time, I was going to lie out. I sat by the lake at Spalding Bay for about an hour or so, reading, catching a tan and just relaxing. The boys came to get me, Sherba went home and Josh and I headed out to meet up with Pete and Abby, friends of Josh's, for our hike. With "Team PBR" all accounted for, we crossed the lake to the base of the mountain to begin our hike. (if you would like to follow along, click here in a new window and look for Mt. Moran- across from Colter Bay Village, head North a touch and locate Wilderness Falls... from there direct line towards Colter Bay was out route)

Here's a picture of our hike from about mid-way up. The white stuff (snow) dead center of the picture is about where our camp site was.

Upon first glance, the worst part of the hike was going to be the change in elevation. Jackson Lake sits at about 6500 feet, Columbine Cascade, where we camped is at 8,000 feet and Wilderness Falls is at 9,400. Upon arriving at our "dock" we were swarmed with mosquitoes, so we high tailed it up the mountain and record speed. Once we got out of the mosquito territory, we entered bushwhacking territory. Eventually, though, we found some semi-flat ground and set up camp.

We made dinner, drank a couple of PBRs and went to sleep. The next morning, we woke up bright and early, packed up base camp and went for a day hike up to see Wilderness Falls.

There was some climbing involved...

Abby and I kept up with the boys for as long as we could, but we got to the top of Columbine Cascade and noticed that there was some class 4 scrambling that I was comfortable with going up, but knew I would not be so comfortable with on the down climb, so we decided to wait for them about a mile before Wilderness Falls. I was bummed that I could not see it in person, but I sent Josh with my camera. The entire time he was gone I was not sure if I was more nervous that he would fall, or drop my camera ;).

The boys came back, cameras in tow and we headed back down to base camp. Downhill scrambling is super fun! You just get down low and crab crawl the whole way down. My arms are SORE!!

We did have a great view for the down-scramble though...

Once at base camp, we loaded up full packs and headed out, thinking this time we would go high and try and miss some of the brush and forest that we hit on the way in. We found a game trail and cruised for the first mile or so and then hit some seriously THICK growth. I was not sure if I was stepping on ground or bushes, all the while holding onto poor saplings and bushes trying to keep from tumbling down the side of the mountain. I will spare you the details of my minor mid-(non)trail breakdown and skip to the end... we made it! Down through the thick, through the thin, through the burn area, through the SWARMS of mosquitoes and to the BOAT!!!

We coined the term "Reverse Normandy," stormed the boat and took off at full throttle (about 8 miles an hour) headed for Leek's Marina- we desperately deserved pizza and beer after that one!

by the way, although I HIGHLY recommend Chacos for hiking on trails in the summer time, I do not recommend hiking in Chacos when you are off trail...

Well there you have it, my Epic adventure up Waterfalls Canyon. And as a side note, today Josh and I ran into an old friend of his, who claimed that he attempted the same hike and turned back. SO, I am feeling VERY accomplished and proud of my physical and mental ability to climb mountains!

PEACE!!

Tricia

I am so in love...

2009-07-09T00:49:00.005-05:00

With Life,

With Jackson,

With the Tetons,

With my friends...

I am quite possibly the happiest I have ever been. I cannot remember a time when "life" (in the superficial-gotta-have-it-all-and-be-the-best kinda way) has not gotten me down. I have stopped caring what others think about me, I have stopped worrying where my life "is going" and I have stopped stressing the petty things.

Jackson is the perfect place to live. You have ample camping and boating and climbing and hiking and playing within minutes of your place of work and/or residence.

It is completely normal to camp on a "school night".

Bars are no longer part of my life (well, sometimes).

Beer is best drunk from cans by a camp fire.

Sleeping bags that zip together are the new king-sized bed.

I want to spend my money on a new camping stove over a pair of heels.

Fresh air clears the mind.

Sunsets make everything okay

sunrises make everything spectacular.

Dogs kick ass

Food is best cooked over an open flame

Real friends love you for who you are

Family is by birth AND by choice

Mountains are never ugly

Clouds ALAWYS have a silver lining

Love is abundant

Life is SPECTACULAR!!!

xoxo

Tricia

too busy enjoying summer!!

2009-06-30T15:13:00.001-05:00

Summer's so short here and it's finally in the 80's so it's warm enough to go swimming! Speacking of which, I'm late to meet Josh at Jackson Lake! gotta run! just wanted to say hey and let everyone know that I'm still alive. and LIVING I am!!

PEACE

Tricia

I don't worry, 'cause I'm sittin' on top of the world...

2009-06-25T17:52:00.005-05:00

Last year if you asked me what I felt about summer, the response would be something along the lines of "it's the worst season, it's hot and I hate life." Well today was the first day that the temperature has reached 80. I don't have A/C at my house and it's not even a little bit warm in the house, however, I haven't really even been at home. I haven't watched a second of television. I haven't been bored. I've been dirt baggin' it in the woods. I do not hate life, or summer... in fact, I'm kinda in love with both.

I've been sitting by campfires, climbing trees, chillin' with friends, making new friends, playing fetch with Elu, riding on boats, sleeping under the stars and LIVING

Zen...

2009-06-22T13:28:00.006-05:00

You know how when you're stressed out you are supposed to take a deep breath, close your eyes and picture your "happy place"? Well, I have found that works to some extent, but if you want to find true peace and serenity, you need to go to that place pysically and reconnect with what it is that you've been lacking.

Luckily, whenever I need a dose of nature, I am not too far away

Morel Mushrooms

2009-06-18T01:28:00.006-05:00

When I first heard people talking about how excited they were to go mushroom hunting this summer, I automatically assumed I was hearing hippies going looking for "wacky 'shrooms". But then more and more people started heading to their "secret spots" looking for these mushrooms. People are talking in the grocery store about primo conditions, they are late this year, etc and so forth. I have gathered by this point that we're not dealing with trippy heady 'shrooms, we are in fact dealing with some sort of delicacy gourmet food. At this point, I am still not seeing what the big deal with these mushrooms are, but I'm throughly intrigued.

So when Josh took me to his secret mushroom patch, I was very excited to be a part of this which I've heard so much about. I was never any good at "Where's Waldo" or "I Spy" books. I'm terrible at finding proverbial needles in haystacks. Hell, I can't find my keys half the time! But I went, because he was very excited and I wanted to see what all the hype was about. We drove around a few places, and looked a little, to no avail and then we went to his "sure fire" spot and started to spot a few. I had only an hour to play before I had to go meet my friend Brandy, so I was unable to get the FULL experience, but I did find three!!

I left and Josh continued picking. After I went climbing, we met back at my house and proceeded to cook a meal with said mushrooms.

I don't like mushrooms of any other variety.

I at the best meal of my life that night.

Josh had a T-bone marinated in garlic and red wine. I had roasted eggplant marinated in garlic, red wine, a dash of salt and pepper.

The mushrooms were sauteed in butter, garlic and salt for about 20 minutes. I poured some of the buttery sauce over my eggplant before I took it out of the oven.

I put the mushrooms on top of my roasted eggplant, sat down with a glass of red wine, took one bite and fell in love!

I cannot do justice to how savory and succulent this fungus is. I now know why people keep their spots a secret and talk about it for weeks. I will no longer judge mushroom hunters to be stupid hippies... Morel Mushrooms are divine!

Balance...

2009-06-10T10:53:00.003-05:00

I grew up dancing. My mother always made fun of me that I had fantastic balance as long as I was dancing, but as soon as I stepped off the dance floor, I fell over. I have fantastic physical balance. I can stand on one foot for hours, I can center my body over whichever limb I need to to keep from falling over.

Emotionally, I am not so balanced. I am dedicating this summer to finding balance in my life. I have ups and downs. A lot. Rarely is everything just normal. It's either AWESOME! or ALL HELL IS BREAKING LOOSE. I am looking for things to be on a more even keel.

I am a super-sensitive person. I take other's emotions and hardships and internalize them as my own. I take my own short comings and problems and amplify them to a point where my life is over! Mom always told me I should be an actress because I am uber dramatic! It's not that I try to be overly dramatic... I just really think that things are that bad. I have taken up meditation and it really seems to be helping. I just need to get in the habit of meditating even when (and especially when) everything is fine. It's like preventative medicine. You have to do it even when you don't think you need it. It builds up in your (emotional) system and helps to BALANCE you all the time. If you start out balanced, when things get off kilter, it's a lot easier to fix. Mental Maintenance, if you will.

SO, my self-improvement project for the summer is to get my life in a constant state of balance- Zen.

I'll let you know how it works out.

not summer...

2009-06-07T15:49:00.002-05:00

AHHH!! rain, rain rain. and guess what?!? Forecast is calling for snow in the valley later this week. There was a blizzard on Togwotee Pass, according to my friend Sarah, I'm having to find my sweaters again. Apparently there is no point in putting winter stuff away out here. Ever.