Day 193-218: What have we been doing? Where did a month go?

 For the most part, it has been pretty boring around here. There has been snow, we have skied, and life has been good. Nothing very exciting, but sometimes no excitement is a good thing. BUT THEN... We were gearing up for Dad and Dana's visit. The third annual Golebiewski/Blackshire ski trip. We had a mini one in Colorado when Dad came to visit in December, so now it was time for our Utah one. A full week of hitting the slopes hard, shredding the gnar, going big or going home. Or so we thought. Utah was expecting a big storm exactly at the moment Dad and Dana were supposed to land at Salt Lake City Airport. Ultimately their flights were cancelled. That was on Tuesday, and the earliest they could get rescheduled was for Thursday. Dana would arrive at 9am, and dad would arrive at midnight. This meant hard core skiing Friday, Saturday, and Monday. Sunday was reserved for Alanna's derby practice and the planetarium. I'll circle back to Sunday.

Friday we skied at Park City and Dad demoed skis, ultimately purchasing some new skis and bindings. Saturday we picked up Dads fresh skies and headed to Solitude.

The drive was great, we managed to snag awesome parking, and we were off to shred! We shredded the first run feeling the wrath of the day before on our legs. Alanna wasn't "feeling it", so she headed in to hang out with Titi Dana. Dad and I took a few more runs, as in one or two, and then headed in for lunch crashing Titi Dana and Alanna time. There is difference between Colorado skiing and Utah skiing. The mountains in Utah seem to be steeper, which will take a toll on your legs if you aren't conditioned to it. Some of us may not have been really conditioned to ski hard and shred that much gnar. It didn't help that I went pretty hard at the gym earlier that week, so my legs were feeling it before we even got out there. After lunch we took a few more runs and then headed out.  

Sunday is Derby Day! Alanna was very excited to have her Titi Dana there to see her, and I think Dana was equally as excited. The Wasatch Jr Rollers have a bout coming up, so they were having a scrimmage to prepare. The coach asked for volunteers to help with the scrimmage, and I know very little about the rules of roller derby, so it was Titi Dana to the rescue! Alanna was thrilled to show off her cool aunt who also plays derby. After practice we went to the planetarium where we played like kids and had fun. Dana and Alanna excelled at playing with robots to move balls around, and we learned some fun facts about space and planets (I don't currently remember, but I know there was learnings). We took a stroll to a thrift shop and on the way back we stumbled upon some seesaws. When was the last time you were on a seesaw? It was so much fun, giggles all around.

We headed back from Salt Lake City and headed to dinner later that night. We went to a great restaurant, ate amazing food, and then in the middle of the night Dad and Dana both fell ill. We didn't pinpoint exactly what it was, or where it came from, but it could have been food bourn illness. Whatever it was, they were down for the count, and Dana had an early flight to catch. The original plan was to bring Dana to the airport and then head out to Alta for a day of skiing. Between the winter storm we were still experiencing, and the stomach rumbles, skiing was out of the question. Monday became a day of afternoon relaxing and recuperating.  

Dad and Alanna had an early flight Tuesday morning and there was still a winter storm happening. We decided it would be best to have them stay in a hotel in Salt Lake City instead of starting the drive at 3am to make sure they got there in time. They checked into the hotel, we went and got them Chic-Fil-A for dinner (dad was feeling better by this point), and then dad mentioned a TV show that took place in Utah and we realized it was about 15 minutes away. We headed there to check out the shop and got there about 10 minutes after they closed. The trucks outside were pretty cool, but it would have been even cooler if we could have gone in the store. It was a bit of a bummer, but it is what it is. We took dad and Alanna back to the hotel and headed back to Heber. 

A winter storm was still around, but Salt Lake was clear, Park City was clear, and then right after Park City... storm! This was the first time I have driven in a storm in forever. I've been on edge about even being in a vehicle in a snowstorm since our move to Utah. It was basically a white out, and bumper to bumper traffic moving around 5 miles per hour. I did it! I got us home. Of course, we were about 10 miles from home, and our one-hour drive turned into two, but we got home, and confidence was built.  We got home safe, and Dad and Alanna got to Buffalo safe. 

Brandon had a Rookie Party for work, the theme was Euro Rave. I've never been to a rave, or Europe, and I didn't know how into the theme everyone would be. We put minimal effort into our attire, and overall didn't know what to expect. People were super into this theme party. There were music festival outfits that I've only seen in movies. It was quite the experience. There was a live band, and then a DJ. The food consisted of bags of chips, a table of pizzas, and random cookies. The drinks were random bottles of liquor and mixers, shot-skis, and a bunch of cans of beer. It was like a college party, or what I picture college frat parties are like. Brandon and I had fun, just not as much as everyone else. 

Our sweet Brooklyn had her check engine light come on. She started idling rough, and overall, not running too great. The closest Toyota to get it fixed is over 20 miles away, and through the mountains. We didn't think she would make it all the way there safely, so we had her towed. We are hoping for a speedy repair that doesn't break the bank. Send good vibes!

Our poor Bruce has an eye infection. Can't this dog get a break? One eye left, and it has an infection. He is on antibiotics for three weeks. We are hoping the goopy eye will go away soon. He is also missing Alanna like crazy. He has been extra lovable and needy. We all can't wait for her to come home. Here are some adorable pictures of Bruce sleeping.

What we learned:

• The Utah mountains are different, but fun!
• Acting like a child is necessary - go out and find a see saw or playground!
• Brandon and I are NOT in our early 20s.
• Euro Rave is a fun theme, and I think someday I want to go all out at a music festival!
• Brooklyn needs some work done.

Much Love and Happy Times,

The Blackshires