Ice Castles

On Saturday we and about five million of our closest friends trekked out to Midway to view the Ice Castles.  It was crowded.  There were a lot of small, crying children. Mom and I spent a lot of time and energy mostly-unsuccessfully dissuading my girls from licking the ice and eating the snow that those same five million people had already walked through.

And despite the headaches, it really was breathtakingly beautiful.  The whole experience was magical.  Mom and I followed the girls down aisle after aisle of ice, looking up into blue skies through frosty icicles and remarking almost non-stop about how very unique and lovely the castles were.

We also spent a lot of time talking about how glad we were to be wearing snow pants and boots and shaking our head at the multitudes who seemed surprised that the ice castles were actually quite chilly and maybe jeans and tennis shoes weren't their best choices in attire.

But never you fear, we always returned eventually to the wonder.

If you find yourself in Midway Utah with a couple of hours to kill, we definitely recommend the Ice Castles.  Bring your snow boots, put on your childlike-wonder glasses, and go explore every twist, turn, and cavern of the castles blissfully humming, "Walkin' in a Winter Wonderland" to yourself.

Just do your mom's frayed nerves a favor and don't lick the ice.

Downhill Racer

Q: What happens when your cat decides to bed down in your son's ski racing supply bag?
A: Your son equips him for the slopes!

Mandy doesn't seem to appreciate Ben's attempts to keep his noggin safe

Oh!  Mandy was displeased because his eyes weren't protected!  He's a lot happier now that his goggles are in place

Ben and I debated at length about this post.  I thought it was a good candidate for Tragedy-averted Tuesday given the clear safety orientation of Ben's work here with Mandy.  Ben thought this was ridiculous because no tragedy was actually averted. I think that's ridiculous since the fact that Ben wasn't scratched or attacked while dressing Mandy up is nothing short of a minor miracle and Tragedy-averted Tuesday is all about how we (Ben) should have lost an eye, finger, or burned the house down and didn't.  But since Tragedy-averted Tuesday is pretty much all about Ben (coincidence?  I think not) I figured I'd let him decide what's approved fodder for our recurring theme and consequently this post is relegated to Ferocious Feline Friday :)

Coasting into 2014

New year, blue skies, and clear roads - must be time for a bike ride!

2013 was a wonderful year on 2 wheels and I enjoyed lots of individual firsts.  I clocked over 3,700 miles, completed my first 3 century (100-mile) rides, and welcomed 2 new bikes to the family!  Wahoo!

Cycling has been such a joy and unexpectedly fab new hobby for me.  When Steve bought me a bike for my birthday 2 years ago, I don't think either of us had any idea what he was starting! I'm so grateful he took the chance on a very surprising birthday present - way to go, babe! It's been a life-changing new adventure.

Hopefully 2014 is a year with even more miles, fewer new bikes (for budget's sake!) and lots more riding with friends. 4,000 miles this year?  Yeah, we can totally do that.

'Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving."

- Albert Einstein