Mid-Winter Break

In Washington, we are lucky enough to get “Mid-Winter Break” from school I’m not really sure why it started, but in February, all of the schools get a week off.  No complaints from me.  For the past two year, Mid-Winter break has begun with my birthday.  It’s a perfect way to celebrate my birth if you ask me!

On Valentine’s day, Rob and I took off on a Whirlwind driving trip to do some skiing and to catch some of the Winter Olympics. 

We started by skiing at Schweitzer, near Sandpoint, ID. 

Then we headed to Kalispell, Montana.  Rob’s cousins, Rob and Heather Mackenstadt were nice enough to put us up for a couple of days.  Together with their cute family we tried to make sense of the rules of Curling.

Rob and Heather and their children Keegan and Darby.  Thank you for sharing your home with us!

While we were staying with them we were able to ski at Whitefish Mountain Resort. 

Whitefish was our favorite day of skiing.  The weather was nice, the views were beautiful and even though it hadn’t really snowed in a few days, it was cold enough to keep the groomers nice and fast.  If Rob could find a job there, I’m sure we’d be moving to Kalispell.  :)

On Thursday morning we left Kalispell and headed north to Canada.  We went through Banff National Park.  It was one of the most beautiful drives I’ve ever been on.  We stayed in Revelstoke, British Columbia and Decided it is definitely a place we would like to explore more. 

We then headed to Whistler, British Columbia.  We hung out in the Village and enjoyed all the sights the Olympics brought with it.  We were able to see the Medal Ceremony where Lindsey Vonn got the Gold.  We were also able to see Bode Miller Ski in one of the Men’s Alpine Skiing events.

USA and Canada side by side :)

The Olympic rings in Whistler Village

Getting ready for my bobsled race.

Skiing in Whistler.  The men’s combined was taking place the day we skied.  You can see the start gate at the top of the hill.

After Skiing in Whistler, we decided to drive into Vancouver to watch the Canada vs USA hockey game with the rest of the nation.  The streets of Vancouver were CRAZY.  There were people every where, with 20 minute waits at every hot dog stand.  It was fun to be a part of it all.

Vancouver crowds watching the Hockey game.

One of the TVs playing the game on the street.

 

The Olympic flame.

The Olympic rings. 

We got home really late Sunday night.  Four hours later I was waking up and getting ready for a new work week.  We were both glad that we were able to go up and be a part of the Olympics. 

For Stephanie…

My dear friend Stephanie recently complained that she needs more people to post to their blogs so she can be entertained while she is wasting time at work.  So here you go Stephanie…

What you did last weekend- Went Skiing at Whistler then went to Vancouver and watched Canada vs USA on the streets of Vancouver with a bunch of rowdy Canadians 

Your latest cooking fiasco- Used Butter Flavored Crisco in my last batch of chocolate chip cookies.  Bad idea.  :(

Future vacation plans and hopes- We’re pretty much broke after our last adventure.  During Spring Break we need to concentrate on turning our bark yard into a grass yard (or at least pulling all the weeds that are now growing through the bark).  Anyone is welcome to come and visit, just know you will be put to work!

Latest impulse purchases big or small, cheap or expensive- We went to buy a leather ottoman with a lid for blanket storage.  We bought that and art for our bedroom.  Probably spent a little more than we should have, but the pictures look great in our bedroom.

Stories of your kids at their finest-  My kids are my students…One of my favorite students recently wrote a college entrance essay.  He asked me to proofread it.  In the essay he talked about his troubled past and how he hated school.  He then explained how much he had changed during high school because one teacher had taken and interest in him and showed him he wasn’t stupid.  After reading the essay, he told me that teacher was me and thanked me.  So Sweet!  I love my job!

Something that drives you NUTS, makes you roll your eyes and even growl under your breath- Watching stupid people do stupid things and be on TV for it.  There is WAY too much bad television out there.

What excuse you used today for not working out-  “Working out?”  What’s that?

Step by step on crafts and home decor tips that I will never make, never purchase, and never get around to but like to imagine I will- Before painting walls in a house a unique color, make sure you have art that will match the walls.  I love our wall colors, but finding things to decorate with is a challenge.

A funny moment that made you laugh out loud- At ski lessons today, we were skiing next to a set up race competition. You could hear the racers names and times being called over the loud speaker.  As we were coming down the hill one of my 4 year old students yelled, “I’m racing, do you hear them, they are timing me and I’m winning!!!”

When luck strikes and you win big and everything worked out perfectly- Rob one $5 in a Montana Keno Machine.  It paid for our snacks at the gas station!

A few words about what's on your mind lately- Why there’s never enough time to get all the sleep you need!

I’m grateful for Rob

Rob just complained that I use the blog to talk about myself too much, so I thought I would do a post dedicated to some of the things he’s done for me.

I love Rob very much.  Recently I have been thinking of all the things I am thankful for.  I realized that a lot of the great things I do in my life are because of Rob. 

Since I have known Rob, he has shown great patience in teaching me to ski (this pic is from my first day ever on skis);

encouraging me to become a ski instructor;

teaching me to ride a motorcycle;

teaching me how to mountain bike, helping me find a great mountain bike, painting my mountain bike the perfect shade of orange;

taking me snowmobiling;

taking me jet skiing countless times,

and learning how to windsurf with me.

I’m excited to see what new things Rob has to teach me.

I have to admit, I have an amazing Husband.  I love you Rob!

An Adventure with the Motorcycles

After we were done with ski lessons yesterday, when we got back into town, the weather was nice so Rob and I decided to go on a Motorcycle ride.  This is what I usually drive:

This is Rob’s Suzuki DR350S.  It is  dual sport.  I like it because it is light and easy to turn.  I also like it because you sit up straight when you drive it.  It’s very similar to riding a mountain bike.  The other great thing about this bike is that it is made to be banged around.  If you lay it down, everything is plastic and it doesn’t cost as much to repair, or at least it doesn’t matter that much.  With this bike, I had little fear of crashing.

Yesterday’s bike ride was different though.  I must have been doing well enough on the dirt bike to have convinced Rob to give me a chance on his newer bike.  So we took a drive to a church parking lot and I gave this bike a try:

This is Rob’s Kawasaki ZR7.  Needless to say, it has a little more power than the dirt bike.  Also, it costs a little more money.  Also, it is a lot easier to break if you were to crash it…

I have to admit that I was nervous.  I drove it around and around and around the parking lot until I felt comfortable.  Then we were off.  I drove the bike all the way home (15 miles) and even ventured out on the freeway for the first time.  I was nervous, and at times I drove slowly (especially around the corners), but I did it!  Who knows, maybe Rob will turn me into a biker chick after all.  I’ll keep you posted…