Park City, Utah

Nate and I were married 4 1/2 years ago and the only wedding gift left unused was a week in Utah from my childhood neighbors, the Youngs. Their house provided a fabulous get-a-way for us this past weekend - actually extending into this week too. A snow-packed trail runs right along the side of their gorgeous mountain home, leading you to the bottom of Sunrise Lift which gave me, a snowboarder, and Nate, Travis, Jess, Paul and Kristy, all skiers, access to Canyons - a Park City ski resort. Although no fresh powder fell while we were there, the thick snow-base was glorious compared to our non-existent base here in Wisconsin, so we were happy.

On Sunday morning, after feeding Lou and putting her down for her morning nap, I awkwardly made my way to the lift to meet up with my skiing companions. Nate and I both learned to ski as kids, but when I moved to Denver in 2006, I took up snowboarding. Whether he bought a snowboard for himself to win my heart or because he really enjoyed the sport, I don't know, but for this trip, Nate decided to rent skis instead of a snowboard. This worked out fine...I was just a little slower than everyone else. I'm not sure that skiing would have been any better though, because my risk-taking score (ie enjoyment of speed) is fairly low either way.

We only skied/boarded one day, leaving plenty of time for snowshoeing, walking, sheepshead, cooking, reading and sleeping in. We all took turns cooking breakfast and dinner and as a result, enjoyed delicious food everyday. I often wonder why I don't write more about food on this blog, so here goes:

• Friday dinner: Red Iguana - fantastic Mexican food in Salt Lake City
• Saturday breakfast: Travis and Ariyl made pumpkin cinnamon rolls, bacon, fruit and yogurt
• Saturday dinner: Nate and I made grilled chicken sandwiches, potato leek soup & brownie sundaes
• Sunday breakfast: Seth and Laura made veggie scrambled eggs and toast
• Sunday dinner: Erin made penne/Gorgonzola pasta bake and turkey/spaghetti/marinara bake
• Monday breakfast: Jess made scones, lemon curd, yogurt and fruit
• Monday dinner: Paul and Kristy made quinoa with roasted vegetables, red pepper soup and homemade bread for grilled cheese sandwiches
• Tuesday dinner: Travis and Ariyl made chicken nachos

Enough talking, you say? Okay, okay - here are some photos!

My favorites from Seth and Laura's engagement photo shoot

Snowshoeing