March is winding down

Okay...once again it feels like time is just flying by...and so I'm playing catch-up again. All I can say is it's a good time I'm not in school....
Earlier last month we met up with Martha & Tony, Ian & Tara, and Wim & Maris (my sister's in-laws) out in Utah.
We stayed at the same resort where we stayed last March...just in a different condo this time. This year they has a little more snow left on the ground....so we could actually take advantage of the "ski in" feature...which was pretty convenient!
The first day in town we had to go get my skis and boots, etc...so while the rest of the group headed out; John and I headed down to the store.

Neither John nor I were in any hurry to get out on that particular day...because it was kind of warm and raining at the bottom. It was snowing up on the mountain...but a wet snow...so everyone came in looking damp and kind of miserable. We got all of our gear and took it to the condo/lockers for the next day. We decided to venture over to the other end of the resort so we could pick up a couple of things at the general store.

even the skating rink had a sad wet look to it...hahaha

but we could see that the amount of snow on the mountain was better than what we had had last year....so that was a good thing.
By the time we made it back to the condo...everyone else was coming in...calling it an early day and making plans for the next day....... that had a much more promising forecast.
The next day was bright and sunny...so we all got out pretty early. The snow was a little damp and with the new powder it was clumping up a bit...not too bad for the snowboarders...but a little extra work for the skiers!
We had a good time in spite of the conditions... because (a) there was plenty of snow and (b) it wasn't very crowded on the mountain. Hardly any lines for the lifts, which is always a good thing.
Later that afternoon storms were supposed to move through and so we wanted to get in as much skiing as we could before the weather changed.
We got back to the condo and some of us went in the hot tub...while Tony and his B-I-L Wim made dinner preparations. Unfortunately for John...he wasn't feeling 100%...so he kind of took it easy. It started to rain a little...then it switched over to sleet...then finally snow!!!!

Wim and Maris had some friends from Maui, who were also in Park City...so they joined us for dinner. We had a great time, eating, sharing stories, listening to music, etc.

Wim was on crutches...he's recovering from ankle surgery. He stayed back at the condo each day...and usually was involved in cooking something up for all of us to eat...like our own personal chef. (he's a good cook too!)
Our plans for the following day included a half day of skiing/snowboarding and then a snowmobile tour in the late afternoon. That was nice because Wim could participate in that with the rest of us. After skiing and lunch we all piled up into the rental vehicle and headed out to the spot where we were taking the tour. It was about 20-30 minutes away...so it was a close/tight ride for those of us in the back seat...hahahah We were glad it wasn't any farther away and there were no traffic delays...hahaha

It was a beautiful afternoon for sight seeing. The spring conditions made driving the snowmobiles a little tricky in some places...but everyone did just fine.

ready to go

                                                                      We loaded into the van and we were off! We got a brief training session with our guide, they gassed up the vehicles and then we lined up, ready to head out one by one.

           Some of us rode double, but Martha, Tony, Tara and Ian all had their own bike.

All along the route I was trying to hold on, keep my hands warm and take pictures all at the same time...hahahah Kept hoping I didn't get bounced off...hahaha

We stopped for a few minutes in an open field and the guide let us take turns riding around the area with a little more speed.

After a short break...we started back up the trail.

                  Just looks at the blue skies in these pictures....it was such a pretty day.

Here's me acting like I was driving...I was happy I wasn't...Martha said it was hard work keeping her snowmobile straight...and as it is John and I managed to tip ours over one time. Luckily it happened slowly and we both fell away from the bike....and neither one of us was hurt. But that thing was pretty heavy! we were behind Martha for part of the time and I could tell it was hard work keeping it balanced and going straight....especially on the icy patches.
It was a nice afternoon. John was finally feeling better...which was a relief for him. He was worried that he might not feel up to going and would miss out. I was happy...because I had no desire to drive and enjoyed being his passenger. :)
we followed the guide and the trail kept us going up. we stopped to take photos at the "top".

Crutches don't work well in the snow...but no problem...Tony just picked wim up and carried him to and from the snowmobile to get him in the pictures. hahaha Luckily Wim is not a big guy.
When you're standing around and there are piles of snow...you almost feel compelled to do this.....

Tara making a snow angel

Then...it was time to head down and make our way back to the base camp.

There were a few tricky spots, but no one had any issues...so we just enjoyed the trip down. John was telling me to keep taking pictures...so I snapped away while were bounced along the trail.
That night when we got back to the condo we had a nice dinner and then we had some fun with Charades.

The best one was when we were all acting out "Quicksand" Wim had just his head above the table and he was wimpering "Help, help ahhh"...hahahahah I forget who was guessing , I believe it was Tony.......but he finally figured it out.
That night we got some more fresh snow. we were excited because we knew it was supposed to let up during the night and all the slopes would be groomed in the morning. We all got up and out the door to be the first ones out. It was GREAT! Probably the best conditions I've skiied on in the last few trips we've taken. It wasn't crowded and the runs were all groomed and smooth and FUN! JOhn was feeling better and decided to switch things up and try skiing again after 20 years of snowboarding. He had a good time....and only thought about how nice it would have been on the snowboard once or twice...hahaha
Maris and Wim were the first ones to depart....we had one more half day of skiing after that and then we were off to the airport. Martha, Tony ,Ian and Tara all left the next day.

It was a nice little break from work for all of us. Things were busy at the library when I got back.
We usually are busiest in January, February, March...Usually sometime around Easter, all the part time residents and "snowbirds" head back north. This past week was considerably slower for us. Word is there were a steady stream of RV's heading west and north on I-95!
We had a quiet Easter here. For the first time in a very long time it was just us. Brenna, Josh and Mark joined John and I for some great fresh fish that John and Reid had caught earlier in the week....so that was a good thing. Mark was shipping off to Colorado the next day for the next phase of the Orion project.; so he appreciated the dinner...especially the fresh fish.
I'm enjoying the longer days.....it's great to get home while the sun is still up in the evening. The weather has been pretty nice...not too hot yet. everything is blooming...so as long as the Advil Cold and Sinus medicine is handy...we're good to go.
Now we're gearing up for a wedding this weekend and another in May and yet another in June. It's nice to have plans on the calendar...it makes the work worth the effort! when I have a "bad" day at work....(aka when I get annoyed with the BS, hahaha I just mark off another day on the big calendar in my mind. Less than two years before I have 20 years in with the county...so I am counting down (sort of) the days till then. Of course if the director retires...I might stick around awhile. For the most part I enjoy the job....but there are days/..................................................................................................
Till next time!!!!

By tick and tock a day is done.....

By tick and tock a day is done, when seven go by a week is done.......... and before you know it a whole month is gone. The first part of that is a line (as I remember it) from a children's book I like to read to the kids every January about the months of the year. It's called "Month by Month A Year Goes Around". I know it sounds cliche...but time really does seem to be flying by.

 After all the holiday and party fun, life got back to normal. We have settled back in to our regular, sometimes boring, routine, but all in all I can't complain. It is lovely in Florida at this time of the year. We have a lot of sunshine and even when the temperatures drop...they don't stay that way for long enough. It's perfect for walking, taking bike rides and finally getting to open up the windows to let fresh breezes in.

This year it seems like there are more than the usual amount of "snowbirds" in town. While winter started out pretty mild up north...I guess the price of gas inspired a lot of people to head south. The traffic has been terrible and  at times it seems like every other car is from somewhere else. I am not looking forward to the Spring Break crowds...mainly because you have to constantly remind yourself to factor in a little extra time to get places due to the increased and often times, slower traffic. I certainly understand why people want to come here...but when you need to get somewhere, you don't always appreciate the sight seers...hahaha

Our January trip to the Viera wetlands...Erik was a great guide!

I haven't posted in a while...so I'll back track a bit to catch up. Super Bowl Sunday this year wasn't really very exciting...because none of the teams I care about were in it. The play-offs were fun to watch...and for a minute it looked like "my" Steelers might just make it.....hahaha but in the end neither the Broncos or Panthers really excited me.
We did however have a fun Super Bowl Party at our local hangout...LongDoggers.  Al made some extra food just for our group and I made some cookies. We kind of "took over" the outside patio area and we just had fun.

I barely watched the game...but had plenty of fun talking and eating and just enjoying the gang. There were several "pools" of course...and John and Ron got lucky and hit one square; so that was an added plus.

Next up on the calendar

 our plans included a quick trip down to south Florida to celebrate our anniversary and see David in the Coconut Grove Art Festival.

It was a busy weekend in Miami...the art festival plus a big boat show down on Key Biscayne.

Our friend Al had a booth at the boat show, and we had hoped to get down to check it out too. That didn't work out...more on that in a bit.

We lucked out and found a room within walking distance of the art festival...with this beautiful view.

art show booths

We walked around and enjoyed the artwork. Stopped by to visit with David and Augie...and people watch for a bit. After a brief time at the art show...we decided to see about heading over to check out the boat show. We knew there was a water taxi service so we thought we'd try that.

We took a nice walk through the park and to the dock. There were a lot of boats! The amount of money spent on those boats was hard to comprehend..... lets just say the economy seems to be doing well in South Florida. Well...we got to where the water taxi was picking people up and found out that we would have to wait. There was no way we'd get on the next boat based on the number of people in line. Boats hold about 30/35...we were just past that mark in the line. Several different boats were running...but there was a lot of traffic on the Inter coastal Waterway...slowing things down. 45 minute wait for a boat...followed by a 45 minute ride over....we began to realize that this was not going to be an easy process. did I mention John is not good at waiting in line...hahah. Plan B we decided to set out on foot back to the hotel area to try to find the shuttle that was also taking people over to the boat show. After a meandering walk around Coconut Grove...we found where we needed to go for the shuttle...then we had to wait some more. All the while John's cold medicine was starting to wear off and he was not feeling 100%.....but he hung in there. Just as we were about to give up...the shuttle appeared and we headed over, along with a handful of other folks. The trip over was quick! But as we got closer to the entrance to the show...we saw hundreds of people waiting in lines.....and we realized they were in line trying to get BACK to where we just came from. OKAY.....this was not looking too promising...big crowds of hot, grouchy people (I assume...we didn't actually get off the bus...hahah). We evaluated the whole picture and decided there was nothing at the boat show we really needed to see...so we told the driver we were just going to stay on the bus and go back where we started. hahaha Apparently this is the first year they have had the boat show on Key Biscayne and things did not go as smoothly as the organizers had hoped they would...as far as getting people to and from the venue. Oh well...we got a nice little tour of the area while we rode the bus to and fro.
When we got back we found a local spot for a bite to eat. Live music ( a little loud...but that's the way it goes), decent food...not exactly the steak dinner we had kind of planned on...but much easier.
Basically nothing really went according to plans that day/night...but it was beautiful and we still enjoyed ourselves. I scored a little piece of art. Had David go negotiate a deal for me, since he knew the artist. He saved me $40.00!
Enjoyed sitting on the balcony back at the room listening to the sounds of the town down below and watching the lights come on. Sunday morning we enjoyed a beautiful sunrise right outside our window.

We planned to scoot out of there fairly early in hopes of avoiding most of the traffic on I-95. There was a coffee shop downstairs in the hotel...and while I had to wait several minutes to get my sandwich...I have to say it was one of the best breakfast sandwiches I have ever had! Turkey, egg whites, spinach and Havarti cheese on a toasted English muffin...a nice way to start the day, that's for sure.
 So...even though out trip turned out to be nothing like we had planned...AT ALL...hahah I really enjoyed it all anyway....John...with his cold, the lines, the waiting... etc...maybe not quite as much...hahahah
Now a little poem by Elizabeth Coatsworth:
                                                               MARCH
                                                              A blue day,
                                                               a blue jay
                                                        and a good beginning.
                                                               One crow,
                                                            melting snow---
                                                           spring's winning!
                                                                             

Friends and Costumes

I told you that the whole costume aspect of the party was met with mixed reactions. It made some people nervous; but not us! hahah I knew some people wouldn't get into it, but I was curious to see what ideas everyone would come up with. In the end I was (actually, I think everyone was) impressed with the amount of participation and the variety. The costumes certainly were a good ice-breaker and they kept everyone laughing and smiling all night....just like a good costume party should. The people at Party City were probably wondering what was going on...hahaha I bet they were wondering where the party was...hahah I know I would have been.
Any way...here's some fun pictures of the various costumes. Facebook did a Friends movie today for Friend's Day...pffffffffft...here's MY "friends" review. They're in numerical order on my camera...so this is kind of how the night progressed.

It's fitting that some of the first people to arrive were family members and old friends....like Art and Gayle. John went to first grade with Art!

It was also funny when it took a few minutes to figure out exactly who was who...Al above looked a little different with his "sideburns and mustache". When Megan came home after Brenna teased up her hair...John didn't even recognize her for a minute. hahah That's okay...Megan didn't know who I was either...hahaha
When the invitations went out...I had a start time of 7:30pm...in hopes that people would get there by 8:30pm. Honestly most nights I'm falling asleep by 8:30pm...and I was afraid if the party didn't get going early enough...we might all be slowing down when we needed to be amping up. Fortunately...for probably the first time ever....people actually started arriving early! (we did tell some people to come at 7pm...but it surprised me that they actually did come then.) I can't lie...hahaha many times when we had parties in the past, I have been known to stand by the front window watching for the first car to arrive.

  Band t-shirts included The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, Allman Brothers

                                    There were lots of glasses... and some rose colored lenses.

cousins

Some wigs made people look completely different...or years younger...like Nancy here, who looked just like she did in HS in her wig.

                      We had NASA engineers and Astronaut wives and Audrey Hepburn styles.

I remember people thinking I was a little crazy because I wanted to come home from  Gainesville for "The Mardi Gras Ball" a crazy costume party /dance that the church put on every year as a fundsraiser. (Comments like "Let me get this straight...you need to get home for a party your parents (and their church)are having???)
 It was a party that my parents and all their friends helped plan, organized and went to...and they had a blast every time. Once we were old enough to go...we had fun too. Watching them, etc. Well...that's kind of how our kids feel. Their friends were curious the first time we had a costume party and they came to it...but now they know it's going to be a good time!

Jon (on the left)...along with my sister and my niece walked through the lobby of the hotel in this get-up. hahaha

                 beards and sunglasses and big hair make it hard to tell who's who...hahah

                                           At 8:15 the party was already hopping!

someone asked Elizabeth if that was her real hair...hahaha

   These were blue tinted glasses.....but he couldn't see...hahah so we popped out the lenses.

as I said...the video FB made for me wasn't even close.....here's what my "Friends" video might include...:) :) :)