Off to Thailand!!

That's right, I'm headed to the land of many beaches and summer time. Don't get me wrong I love winter, but I have been fortunate to get the chance to travel to Thailand and I had to take it. Nik and I leave this Wednesday at midnight and will be returning on the 18th of January. We are going with a bunch of his friends he grew up with. A couple of them have been there before so they know the ins and outs of the area. I am very excited and will be updating my blog along the way!! I can leave posts from my phone, so updates will be posted frequently. Keep checking in and you will see what we are up to each day.

We are packing light only carrying a backpack and will be traveling from city to city. Starting our journey in Bangkok then heading south to the beaches. Things I hope to do while we are there are scuba dive, snorkel, hike, sea kayak, eat tasty Thai food and of course get many massages.

Merry Christmas!!

This Christmas was smaller than past ones (Mom, Ben, Ali, Mariah and me) but, we still managed to have a good time. The morning was spent getting up whenever we wanted, making breakfast, opening presents and watching movies. Nik came over later in the day and took me to his grandmothers house, then on to his parents for a Christmas dinner. Afterwards we played the Wii!! It was so much fun, sword fights, bike riding, canoeing and free throws were just to name a few. I had to laugh because my right shoulder was so sore the next day. I couldn't believe a video game was capable of doing that. Over all it was a great holiday spending time with family and friends.

Thanks Mom and Ben for letting me stay with you for a few days. And, thanks Kosach Family for having me over for your Christmas dinner. I had a fantastic time!!

Morning Skin up Baldy

Sarah, Nik and I decided it would be fun if we got up at 5:30 in the morning to skin up Baldy (Sun Valley Resorts main mountain.) Sarah had to get to work at a decent hour, so 6:30 seemed like an appropriate time to start. Overnight it snowed about 5 inches and was continuing to snow as we arrived at the mountain. Turning my headlamp on before the hike began I thought to myself, "Now who in the heck would get up at 5:30, skin up a huge mountain in the dark just to get first tracks." Then, I smiled big and thought, "WE WOULD!"

We skinned from about 6:20 to 8:40 and about 2200 vertical feet or about 2/3 the way up the mountain. By the time we got to the top the clouds had broken a little and you could see how far we had come, with the valley and our climbing tracks in the background below us. It was a great feeling of accomplishment to be there. We were so drenched in sweat that we did not have much time to spare otherwise our body temps would drop quickly and we would become very cold very quickly. So, we added a layer, de-skinned our skis, got our bindings ready and pointed our ski tips down the hill. Yes, I was on skis again and this time I proved to be much better. The first half of the hill was untouched, so we had first tracks in the powder. The second half had been groomed, so we got to enjoy the nice corduroy. The ride down was worth every step up.  I truly understand the term, Earn your Turns.

Thank you Sarah and Zach once again for your exceptional hospitality. You guys really know how to show your guests a great time. I had a blast like I always do and I am pretty sure Nik did as well.

Thanks for everything!!!

Skate ski day 1, round 1

I decided to take Nik skate skiing for his first time. He was a little skeptical about this weird sport where you put funny boots on and strap on a toothpick to each foot. Also, the poles are exceptionally long, so everything seems out of whack compared to regular alpine skiing. Skate skiing is a type of Nordic skiing, where you propel yourself by skating along the snow instead of alpine where gravity propels you along.

Nik is very athletic, so he picked it up very quickly. We ended up going 5k out and then coming back, making it a total of 10k. For a first timer and me (I had only gone 4 times before) we did pretty well. Skate skiing is a fantastic workout. Your entire body is working the entire time. We figured for the hour we were out, we burned about 1000 calories. Not bad for a day's work.

Backcountry Skiing in Idaho

Sarah and Zach were kind enough to introduce Nik and me to backcountry skiing. They provided most of the gear (beacons, probes, shovels and skins). We met up with some of Zach's buddies and carpooled to the top of the mountain. Then, we strapped on our skins and hiked to the peak. Skins are a type of fabric you put on the bottom of your skis that allow you to walk up a hill without sliding backwards. It makes for a hard, but very beneficial hike.

I have to say hiking up was so much fun, it was the skiing down that was the hard part. Since I am new to skiing I had a heck of a time getting down the mountain. The snow was very heavy for Idaho and my skills just are not up to par. Zach was nice enough to do a flying lawndart, ejecting from both of his skis head first into the snow. I think he was just making me feel better. At the bottom, I had an audience giving me tips on how to make it down safely. It was very frustrating and at one point the camera got the bird from me (Not my best moment and one I won't share). In the end, we all laughed about the adventure and decided it was a great time.

Afterwards we headed to Galena Lodge for a fantastic lunch of veggie burgers and chili. Again, Zach and Sarah knew about everyone there and we enjoyed our times together.

Sun Valley Excitement!!

Nik and I arrived in Hailey, just in time to go to dinner with Sarah and Zach at the Pioneer Saloon. The Pio, as the locals call it, is a historic part of the Sun Valley area and a must do for a first timer (Nik) to the valley. It is known for its prime rib and potatoes. The restaurant is full of stuffed animals, old guns and, of course, the famous Phucker. Now, if you have never seen a Phucker, don't be alarmed, the Pio might be the only place that has one. It actually is a pheasant head on a chucker body, but it is always a good laugh to tell someone to go see the Phucker.

After dinner we headed to a few local spots around town. We had to start at the famous Grumpy's to get a schooner, a large beer that takes two hands to drink. Then, we headed over to the famous Whiskey Jaques. Whiskey's burned down about this time last year and this night was the second night they had reopened. They had a country band playing called The Damphools. Washboards, long beards and banjos were in full effect. We danced our hearts out and definitely had our fair share of PBR. Nik decided Zach should become the mayor of town, because he knows everyone wherever we go.

St. Johns in Portland

St. Johns is a neighborhood in north Portland and the bridge above is the St. Johns Bridge which leads into the neighborhood from north of downtown, in the industrial area. The neighborhood has a ton of character and the people were some of the nicest I have met. One morning, Nik and I walked into a Starbucks for some coffee and there was the cutest old man in a one piece mechanic outfit with a red and black plaid hat on. He had a smile that seemed permanent. He was looking at old pictures of Portland on the wall, and was so friendly with everyone. As he got to the counter to order he told the barista to make his drink as hot as possible. He wanted it to burn his mouth. Then, he proceeded to tell her he has gotten rid of a lot of women in his life, but he has never gotten rid of coffee. I think he was half kidding, but it was a funny comment that everyone in line chuckled about. Everyone in the Starbucks was listening and a women a few people behind him jumped in and told the barista she would handle the man's bill. He was very thankful and appreciative. I could tell everyone in the place knew this man and they all appreciated his company. I loved the fact the women took the man's bill. It just goes to show that there still are some really wonderful people in this world.

St. Johns Pub is the neighborhoods McMenamins, which is a local brewery/movie theater. McMenamins are located all over the city and each one is absolutely fantastic. Each one is a little bit different. Some have movie theaters, others have music venues, frisbee golf courses, hotels, etc. At St. Johns Pub, you arrive for a $3 movie, order you food/drinks and sit and watch the movie while you eat. This McMenamins is an old church. The place has vaulted ceilings and a very rustic feel with exotic lighting hanging from the ceiling. We headed down one evening for the movie Couples Retreat. It was so much fun, sitting on a couch, in this old building and enjoying some nice grub. Plus, the movie was hilarious!!!

Overall, I loved Portland! I think it is a city with so much character, friendly people, environmentally sustainable and of course great food/beer. I can't wait to be back there.

Snow Day at Mt. Hood Meadows

Nik, Wris and I decided that even though it was poring down rain in Portland, that was not going to stop us from heading up to Mt. Hood for some skiing (and in my case snowboarding). The weather was pretty warm, so the snow was the heaviest I have ever skied. We compared it to glue, when you slowed down it would grab you and suck you in, which made it hard to get going again. The entire day was hard work. Poor Nik was wearing in some new skis and boots, so he was having an extra hard time. Even though the entire day was spent working hard, I still had an incredible time with the boys.

When I was little I went to snowboard camp twice for two summers up at Mt. Hood and it brought back some great memories of the fantastic mountain. I remember seeing the beautiful peak of Mt. Hood and thinking how exciting it was to be snowboarding on a volcano. Too bad I couldn't see the top of the volcano this time around. The clouds were low and it snowed and rained a few times. Regardless, I still had a blast and loved every moment. I know I will be back soon enough.

     

Portland = Happy hour and breweries

Arriving in Portland, the weather was terrible. I think Nik was really worried I wouldn't like the area, because of the weather, but I thought to myself if this is the worst it is going to get, then this is not so bad. Nik graduated from University of Portland. He played division 1 baseball for the school and over the years he really fell in love with Portland. He was hoping I would feel the same way. I absolutely did, even with the terrible weather that we had the first few days.

Portland has the best happy hours I have ever seen. I'm not just talking about alcohol happy hour, but the best food. Everyday, Nik and I went to a different happy hour. The most we ever spent on food and drinks was about $25 total for our bill. It was great.  We would have local brews, great sushi, sliders, pizza, hamburgers, etc. It really opened my eyes to how affordable Portland is. My favorite place was Jake's Famous Crawfish. Apparently, it is one of the oldest restaurants in Portland. We arrived, ordered some local brews (which by the way, I did not have one bad beer while I was there) and 4 plates of food. We sat at the bar and watched the bartenders make these incredible looking and very tedious to make drinks called the Spanish Coffee. One of the bartenders was busy working away.  He seemed kind of flustered, but we kept watching him. The process of this drink entailed lighting the drink on fire. Well... he lit the drink on fire and somehow tipped the drink over on to Nik's menu. Neither Nik or I reacted, we just kind of watched the menu catch on fire and start to burn. The bartender proceeded to take the coffee pot and pound out the fire on Nik's menu. We still sat there in silence and a kind of awww!! Soon the fire was out and the bartender apologized for his mishap. He also thanked us profusely for not overreacting to his unfortunate accident. We just laughed and said it was good entertainment. After the bill was paid and we were ready to head out the bartender brought us the famous spanish coffee on the house. We were very grateful.

                                 

Another night, Nik and I went with his very good friend Andrew (Wris) to the Bridgeport Brewery. We happened to go the night that they were announcing their new beer for the season. It was the Scotch Ale. We had no idea. Actually, we showed up early for happy hour, because we had been out and about all day and were just ready to sit down and have some food and beer. Our server was kind of a drag to start, we could hardly get his attention and we thought we were going to have terrible service. I noticed that they had a scotch ale poster hanging up, but somehow I missed the fact that they weren't launching it until 5 PM that day. It was 4 and I asked the server if I could try one. He smirked at me and said, "We don't have that beer for another hour." I didn't really care, so we ordered a bunch of food, a few beers and soon 5 PM rolled around. Suddenly our server started to become very friendly.  The head brewmaster made an announcement. He said the new beer was aged in old Makers Mark barrels and they have spent a lot of time on making this beer, one of their best. Our server then brought us the first round of this new beer. Like I said he totally turned around. It was a great experience! Happy Hour and Portland go hand in hand. More great experiences to come!!

Holiday Travel Plans

Today is the start of my BIG travel plans. First I am off to South Lake Tahoe for some winter skiing. That is right, I am back to skiing. Actually last weekend, Nik and I went up to the mountain for our first time this year. I hadn't skied in about 8 or so years and not actively for about 18, so getting back on the skis was something very exciting for me. I surprised myself, and I think Nik, with my skills. I definitely wasn't as bad as I thought I would have been. Thanks to Nik and his great tips by the end of the day I was looking pretty good. Side Note: I'll still snowboard, but it is nice to have the option!

So, this weekend will be spent in South Lake, working on those ski skills. Then, on Monday Nik and I are off to Portland, OR to visit some of his friends and to look at schools, for me. We will spend 5 days there visiting with friends, looking at schools and hopefully getting out to Mt Hood for some more skiing. Then off to the beautiful Sun Valley to visit some of my favorite peeps, The Lathams. Another 5 days will be spent there alpine skiing, skate skiing, skinning, and of course enjoying the area. I am really looking forward to this trip. I have a feeling it will definitely be a memorable one. We will get back to town just in time for Christmas!!

Happy Turkey Day!!

Most of my Thanksgivings are spent cooking all day long, eating and drinking, then lounging around in Turkey comma for the rest of the day. This year was a little different. Our family decided instead of doing the whole cooking thing, we would attend a family friends party and join in their fun. We did bring along some cornbread stuffing, which proved to be a huge challenge for my Mom and me. I think our head was just out of the cooking game and our focus was not anywhere near putting anything together. We had some good laughs though, trying to revamp the stuffing we had nearly ruined. The Agee's, the Latham's (yep, Sarah and Zach came to town) and the Lyle (Me) all headed over to the Sewell's home and enjoyed a fantastic time. All of the people at the party were old family friends that I had not seen in years. Instead of having a kids and an adult table like there used to be, it was now the adult and the senior table. None of the "seniors" were really that, it was just the running joke with the "adult" table. I have to say the seniors were quite the partiers.They were the first ones to take over the dance floor. It was so much fun catching up.

Afterwards, I met up with Nik and his family at the Grand Sierra Resort to have a good ole' game of bowling. I wasn't expecting to have any sort of game, but I proved to hold my own. I managed to win every game but one. The one I didn't win, Nik's Mom managed to get a Turkey (3 Xs in a row) on the last round. It was quite the site to see. Then, Nik's Dad managed to beat his mom by only a couple points. It was so much fun having friendly competition with a family I had not seen in years.

On Saturday, the Latham's, Nik and I headed over to my Dad and Sherri's for a salmon Thanksgiving dinner. The food Sherri made was absolutely delicious and we had a great time catching up and hanging out.

Thanksgiving is always a long weekend of eating, drinking and family. Even though this year was pretty unconventional, I truly enjoyed every moment.

The things I am thankful for are: family, friends, love, health, happiness, creativity and Wanda.

Back to the Bay

Last week was a week of catching up with friends and of course family. I decided to take a trip down to the  Bay Area to meet up with some people I had not seen for a while.

First Stop was to visit Nana (my Grandmother). I try to make a visit out to her house a couple times a year to catch up and just spend some quality time with her. Of course, like always it was a fantastic visit. We went to a delicious italian dinner and went home to reminisce about old times. She told me the story of how She and Ken (my Grandfather) met. I hope I tell this right, but she and Ken were at a cocktail party with other dates. Some how she and Ken started chatting and completely ignored the people they had come with. When the party was over, Nana and Ken went their separate ways with their dates, but each of them ended up taking the dates home early. It was obvious that these couples weren't going to work out. That night at about 2 in the morning Nana receives a phone call. It is Ken and he tells her, he has spent the last few hours on the phone with the operator trying to figure out the last name of the lady he had met that night named Virginia (Nana) at a party he was at. It is all history from there, because they spent the next 40 plus years together. Thank you Nana for sharing this story. I love to hear about a true love that lasted like yours did. Also, as always it is great to see you. I love you and miss you already!

Next Visit was Pantea (Panties as I call her). She was my college roommate and great friend. I had not seen her for at least 2 years, so we spent a lot of the time catching up. She was so sweet to let me stay at her flat. Which by the way, is a great set up. We talked about old times, what we have been up to since we had seen each other last and of course laughed the entire time. We each have contagious laughs so when one of us starts laughing, the other is bound to follow in laughter.

Next stop was to meet up with Nik. Nik and I reconnected about a month and a half ago and pretty much have been inseparable ever since. We knew each other when we were very little, but had not seen each other for about 15 years. We decided to head up the coast to Fort Bragg for a Brewery tour. Our day consisted of stopping at, I think, 5 breweries trying samples as we went (being careful not to drink to much along the way). We had a blast enjoying each others company and sampling the brews. The next day was Nik's birthday. He didn't want his birthday to be a big deal, so he offered for his birthday to become my birthday. Of course, I took him up on his offer. It was fun pretending the day was my big day. That night we met up with some of his friends and family and we all went to The House of Prime Rib. The food was spectacular and I think he really enjoyed himself for HIS/MY birthday.

I had the best weekend, enjoying old and new relationships. I truly had the time of my life. I am very fortunate to have such great people in my life. I look forward to my future, but am very happy in the NOW.

Special Latham Thanks

Sarah and Zach,
I wanted to thank you both for putting me up in your home for the last few weeks. I have had a wonderful time. You guys are the best hosts and I am very thankful to be so close to each of you. I'm sure it was not easy not only having me, but my dogs and Cayla for a couple days. It was a packed house, but you both were always so gracious and caring. I only hope that I can return the favor some time.
Love you both very much!!

Idaho Adventure with my great friend Cayla

Well, to bad the weather had to turn right when Cayla came to town, but we still made sure to have a good time. The first day we met Sarah for lunch and took one of the official Latham tours. Sarah and Zach are notorious for giving great tours and Sarah did not hold back for Cayla. She took us to Sun Valley Resort and gave us the Grand tour of the hotel, the inn, the pavilion, etc. Afterward Cayla and I managed to go for a hike with the dogs, grab some coffee and then later go to dinner with S & Z and their friends at Wise Guys Pizza. Their friends own the place, so it is always a very friendly atmosphere walking in.

The next day I was going to take Cayla to see the spectacular Sawtooth Mountains, but we got rained out. It was a huge bummer, because this area is so amazing and something one should not miss while visiting. At the least we drove up to Galena Lodge, where S & Z got married. There was already about 4 inches of snow on the ground. We decided to head back to Ketchum to meet up with Sarah. She took us to lunch at a very prestigious restaurant called Cristina's and then hit the town for some shopping. Luckily Cay and I are pretty frugal, so we did not spend to much. For the evening we decided to go to the must see places in Ketchum. We went to the Pio (Pioneer Saloon) for dinner. A great restaurant with an old style hunting theme and then on to Grumpy's, famous for its Schooners (large beers). We had a blast catching up, laughing and enjoying each others times. Grumpy's has a lot of character. All types of beers line the walls for decoration.

Cayla, it was so great traveling with you, you are an amazing friend.  And thanks so much to the Latham's for holding not only me and my dogs up, but my very good friend as well. You guys are awesome. Love Ya!!

Halloween 09

Coming back to Reno is always fun. This week was filled with Halloween Hoopla. I met up with some friends on Friday and we did the Zombie Crawl. This is an event that you go from bar to bar downtown Reno and each bar has a different special. Everyone was dressed as a zombie or in their Halloween costumes. To bad it was so damn packed that it was impossible to order a drink. We made sure to have a great time anyways!

The next night, I dressed as a baseball bat (play on words) and went out with some old friends. It was so much fun dancing the night away. My friend Nik was Rod Stewart. We had the best time picking out his costume at Junkie, a local thrift store. He was hilarious acting out the part. Rod was the hit of the night.  The night was filled with a lot of dancing, singing and having the time of our lives. I loved every minute of it.

Thanks everyone for the great memories and the fantastic laughs! I had the best weekend!

Attempt #2 = Success

Ok, this time S, Z and I did it the right way. First thing Monday Sarah went and got a wood chopping permit. Then, Saturday morning we woke up early, got our stuff together and headed out to the same spot we did the weekend before. This are proved to be very successful, because we had about 4 trees down in a little over an hour. Chopped and loaded. We ate a little lunch and then back to work. Zach fell another 3 trees in actually one sitting. It was pretty rad! Nice work team. We weren't without injury though, Sarah managed to smash her fingers a couple times, luckily nothing to bad.

After all of the falling, chopping and stacking was complete we headed home. I was so hoping that ranger would pull us over, just so we could show him we were legal, but to my disappointment we weren't. When we got home Zach had to hurry and pack for his upcoming hunting trip the next day, but he made sure to split the wood in record time. I unloaded the trailer, Zach split and Sarah stacked. This system proved to be very successful, because we were done with about 2 cords of wood in about an hour. Zach rocked it. He reminded me of mighty mouse. It was like he wasn't even fazed by the heavy hitting he was doing with that axe.

For the price of two loads and two trips we got one, but hey... I think it was worth every minute of it. Love ya guys!

Day in the life of Zach Latham and the Hadley Stewart House

Yesterday I spent the morning with Zach (my brother-in-law). He is a hydrologist here in Idaho and he was doing some field work out at Sun Valley Ranch, so he invited me along. I took him up on his offer and off we went. Of course, we brought the doggies along. I gotta tell you it was like dog heaven. Creeks everywhere, ponds, tall grass, little rodents running around. They were lovin' every minute of it. The morning was spent testing underground water levels. There were about 40 white tubes placed in the ground around this property and Zach new where each one was. Although we did spend some time looking for one that was buried under some tall grass. This is a fairly large piece of land. I think he said it was about 3 square miles. Zach was the best tour guide, he knew about everything. We saw many many hawks, a bald eagle, herons, and some ducks. We even saw some duck decoys. Sally thought they were real. She swam out to them grabbing them, then realizing they were fake and letting them go. It was pretty hilarious!

After we were finished with the field work, he took me over to this house that sits on the property. It is called the Hadley Stewart House. Apparently it was built by this err to the Carnation fortune a while back. Sarah actually did a photo shoot in it last summer for Scott USA. This house it crazy! It is the most eccentric house I have ever seen. Definitely meant for parties in the 60s, with an overly large main room and the most outlandish designs. The house has been empty for some time and is only used for things like photo shoots. It was really eerie walking in there. I told Zach I felt like I was walking into a horror movie. The kitchen is a bright pink, there is a bathroom with frog wallpaper, one with (it looked like) aluminum foil for walls, a gigantic rabbit fur ottoman, and really odd fixtures and carpet all over the place.

All in all it was a great day of adventure! Thanks Zach for taking me along.

You can check my blog for more photos of the house and the ranch we were on.

gallery.me.com/eweed/100259

Idaho Fall = Productive

Since I am visiting Sarah and Zach for a bit, I decided I needed to help around the house to earn my keep. They don't mess around. On the first day of the weekend, we finished painting their house and did some repair work on the roof. I wasn't to much help on the roof section with Zach. That was a little out of my league, but I did learn a couple things.

The next day we headed out the the mountains to chop some trees down and make some firewood, the good ole' fashioned way. With the dogs in tow, we managed to find a couple spots. Sarah and Zach have both done this a few times, so they both were sure they had found the perfect tree a couple of times (disagreeing on which tree was better). It is all good though, Sarah and I were laughing how this activity is a good test of ones marriage. It doesn't help that everyone is a chief in this family and we all try to take the lead. I did my best to stand back and just be told what to do, because let's face it I had know idea what I was doing.

After rounding up about a cord of wood, we headed home. By the end of the adventure I was feeling a lot more confident in my axe skills and ability to carry as many pieces of wood as possible. (Mountain girl in the making) One small note... on the way down we got pulled over by the Forest Service because they wanted to check our permit. Well, we didn't have one because the place was closed to get one that day. We didn't really worry much at the time, because it is FREE to get wood from the area we got it from. The Ranger was not having it, he said it was like Hunting without a deer tag, which is ridiculous if the wood is FREE. Anyways, he confiscated our wood. ALL OF IT!! and he gave us a ticket even more ridiculous. So we came home empty handed with absolutely no wood and a fine. What a bummer!! Poor Sarah and Zach couldn't believe that this happened to them, because they are the real mountain peeps. Now, there will be another trip out to the mountains to get more wood and more tests of marriage for S&Z.

Even though the day ended as bad as it did, I had a great time in the woods, playing with the dogs, hanging with the fam and enjoying the fantastic scenery. Next time, we will just make sure we have a permit.