I'm BAAACCCCKKKK!

It has been many months since I last posted on here...but for good reason!!! I was busy trying to graduate with my Master's degree in Middle East Studies- Political Science.  I did that, and on May 4, 2012 I walked with my graduating class in two different ceremonies at the University of Utah.

My absolutely wonderful family supported me and helped me celebrate this momentous day. Allen flew in from San Jose to see my "cabin" since it was his first time to Park City and that was his impression. (Although he was not far off). Skip and Squirrel drove down from Boise and we all had just an amazing time. Not a family to miss an opportunity, we decided to hold the annual Seymour Family Golf Tournament that weekend as well. Allen got new clubs for his graduation present last year, and I also was given a new 3 and 5 wood and I bought a new bag, new badass wheels and the most pimp putter I've ever seen. I HAD to also buy some cute new outfits....I have to look good to play good!!! All of the new purchases did not happen until after the Golf Tournament, so needless to say, I lost. Actually, I will share the loss with Skippy and Allen because Squirrel had a great round of golf and he WON the 2012 Seymour Family Golf Tournament!!!  We played at Park City Golf Course, since it was in between ceremonies on my graduation day. It was a beautiful sunny day and to commemorate his big win, he posed in front of Hotel Park City with his trophy and.... the moose. Epic.

The next day Skippy and I went skiing up at Snowbird. One of my favorite places in the whole world!!!  We went to a few movies and hung out in the PC and then drove up to Idaho to meet up with the boys where we continued the family time in Boise.  We went golfing a few more times, I got to snuggle two new babies; Livia (Cathy's) and Bennet Dash (Spjute's), and Squirrel made his amazing homemade spaghetti sauce. It was sad to leave the family, but I hadn't seen any of them since Christmas so I was just more than happy and blessed to have had them all there to help me celebrate my big accomplishment.  So, Thank YOU Seymour Family!!! I LOVE YOU!!!!

VEGAS BABY!!!

I love Vegas. It doesn't matter that I lived there for 6 years. I still love Vegas and go back often. This time it was a girls trip for me and Skippy! Skip drove down here to Park City a few days ago and the first night we went and saw Rum Diaries with Johnny Depp. If it weren't for Giovanni Rabisi (Who I love and was surprised to see him!) This movie would've been a 1. (out of 10). But, there was a really pretty girl and Giovanni and the movie was spared.

The next morning we headed out after filling up the kids with food and cleaning out litter boxes. We drove down Provo Canyon which is one of my favorite places, it is so beautiful. It was incredibly windy and it slowed us down quite a bit, but it didn't prevent me from yapping the whole way. Skippy provided me, the fearless driver, with treats and entertainment and it was a fast trip down! Once in town, we exited at Flamingo and turned the corner to hear my favorite Bellagio Fountain song, Con te Partiro, which in Italian means, Time to Say Goodbye. We drove right past the fountains with the windows open and then pulled into the Bellagio parking lot, because that is where we stayed!!!! We stayed in a beautiful room that had a "lake view" so every 15 minutes, Skippy and I would set the tv to the Fountain channel which pipes the music into the room, curl up on our strategically placed chairs with our glasses of wine and watch the beautiful Fountains of Bellagio. It is nice to be loved :)

That night we went to dinner at Circo, the Italian restaurant in the Bellagio. Skippy had some big hunk of meat (a rare occurrence for her!) and I had lobster gnocchi. It was wonderful! While there, a photography came and took our picture, and of course, we had to purchase it, because it was so cute and we were already having such a good time!

After that.....we went to see O!!!!! Seeing this show again was on my life list and I am so lucky to have been able to see it again. Skippy, Donna and I saw it 10 years ago when I was a Freshman at UNLV and I have been wanting to see it ever since! It was the same music, with some of the same features, but there were new pieces too. It exceeded all expectations and it was absolutely wonderful!!!

The next day was warm and inviting so we ate outside and watched the fountains from the deck at Olives, also in the Bellagio. I had a bellini for lunch, because....I was on vacation! After that, we went to my favorite store, Q Mode and Skippy held all my clothes as I dashed around picking them out. She then accompanied me in the dressing room and also was kind enough to hang them all back up. I had an enormously success trip, which I usually don't, and was able to pick up all kinds of cute stuff!

From there we went to the Mirage where we sat in the front row of the sports book in big leather chairs and watched BSU beat San Diego and the massacre that happened to some of the top ten teams! On my trip to get salads, a man walked by me a few times and then on his last way past gave me 5 drink tickets. I went back to my seat and excitedly presented my free ticket and a tip to our busty, ratty haired cocktail server and ordered a margarita. She came back about 10 minutes later with as Skippy called it, "soapy water". I have no idea what that thing was. I am almost positive that it was Captain and Pina Colada. I couldn't let Skippy go thirsty, so I ordered her one too! It was pretty funny. I love how she humors me and lets me make fun :)

After the games we went out and watched the Mirage volcano, which has undergone some neat improvements and then we went to see JAY LENO! I have loved Jay since his first day on the Tonight Show, 25 years ago. Skippy and I went to a taping of the Tonight Show in California a few years ago, but he was exceptionally funny at our show. My favorite line was (he was talking to his wife's cat) "You do not meet the minimum requirements of a pet" and my favorite joke was; "So, what about Christmas at Jesus' house? Can you imagine the Christmas newsletter; "Our son Jesus, our Lord and Savior and then there's Jesus' brother James, who attends Bethlehem Community College." I was laughing so hard I was crying and snorting. SOOOO funny!!!!!

On our last day we stopped by my favorite place, Panera, on our way out to the Hoover Dam to inspect the new bridge that was built for $240 million in order to divert traffic from the dam. I liked being able to straddle Nevada and Arizona. We didn't get home til about 1 am and celebrated our fun weekend with another glass of my favorite wine. We made it home in record time and saw deer but thankfully didn't hit any.

I love traveling with Skippy and it was really fun to reminisce and rehash some of our adventures over the years. We still laugh about my currency conversion debacle in Switzerland, and how stifling the pyramids were in Egypt and I thought I was going to die. Or how she thought she was going to die in Moab when I was driving a 4 wheeler. Or the time I couldn't light the campfire in Malibu. I think about bouncing along in the Myron mobile all the way from Minnesota to Vegas and she remembers when I drove her into Tijuana. I liked when she snow shoed up Sun Valley only to see a woman twice her age skiing and realizing that she was young and fit enough to ski. I enjoyed watching her run in the waves in Laguna and she liked when I wrote her name in the sand at Lincoln City. Through bloody noses, snow storms, sand storms, near death, sunburns, camels, melting $45 icecream, stinky Arab breath, strawberry juice, snowblades, grappa, missed trains and busses, stolen airline blankets, tight dresses and matron dresses, glitz, lamb guts in a bucket, closed gas stations, near death on the Provo river, licorice and Donna's wheel chair---- I couldn't ask for a better travel buddy, friend or mother.

Always Fun with the Seymours!

Last weekend I went home for the annual pilgrimage to attend a Boise State game. Since we were playing TCU, the fans were instructed to all wear orange for an orange out. Luckily, I had Myron's buffalo coat and orange snow pants to complete the look! Squirrel bought me a delicious dog, the warm up music was fun, it was a cold but really beautiful day cheering down by the river. But, the unthinkable and unfortunate happened. I actually don't think I can even utter the words. I'll just let you deduce that after a poorly played game by the Broncos, the stadium of 35, 000 people was silent. I compare it to a funeral. But......after the crazy losses in the top ten this past weekend, the Bronco Nation still has a team and we are ranked #7!

As a treat for Squirrel, I brought home my Glock 9mm and my Bushmaster AR15. So, coincidentally, on Veterans Day, Squirrel and I (Accompanied by a really scared Skippy) went blasting! Since it was cold and dark by the time I arrived in the B.I., I surrendered my desert outing for one in the range. It had been a long time since Squirrel had shot a gun and combined with his awkwardly long Squirrel claws, his first trigger pull with the Glock ended bloody. The slide caught his hand and sliced a pretty big gouge. It was bleeding profusely, but he tried to tough it out. The range master came over and took him back into the store and got him all taped and bandaged up. After that, he was a pretty good shot!

In Utah at the indoor range that I shoot at, I had been eyeing up these squirrel targets. Finally, I was able to bring them up to Idaho for Squirrel and I to shoot. I can't even explain how absolutely, uncontrollably hilarious it was to attach those tiny little squirrel targets to the clips and then watch the little squirrel move down the range!!!!! I laugh just sitting here thinking about it!! Squirrel and I blasted these little guys with the AR through iron sites at about 40 yards. Soooooo funny!!!! I am so glad we could document the hilarity that was this outing!!!

Fire...

I made a bold statement last week...I dyed my hair red! Actually, it is a blend of Intense Auburn Red with Chocolate on top. While I have been enjoying it, and people didn't even recognize me, I am kind of missing the blonde! I think the next step is to bleed blonde onto the bottom and fade it into the red. I think that would look awesome!

Drowning in Oil and Arabic

I have been missing in action since school started because I am on the brink of being done with it! Currently I am taking a Seminar on the Middle East, Approaches to Studying Political Theory, Arabic 3010 and a Thesis course. I am preparing to write my first chapter of my thesis, am applying for a study abroad language scholarship and am actually keeping up on all the readings for my other classes! Oh yeah, plus still working, enjoying life in Park City and playing with the babies!

My thesis research is on what modes of investment Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia will use in order to maintain their rentierism when their rents from oil are not longer sufficient. My thesis is that they will invest in alternative energy such as hydrogen, natural gas, biomass etc. Currently Qatar and Kuwait are deeply invested in Western economies but I don't think that those investments will be enough to make up for their massive oil rents.

My favorite part of the research will be the scientific part of it. I already visited the "science" section of the library, stacks that were unfamiliar to me since high school. I am quite fascinated with the evolution of algae and other biomass as an alternative to oil.

I am also on the hunt for a paper topic regarding Islam. Maybe somehow I can tie oil into that!

A NEW SEASON!!!

As the official BSU cat, Biff will be cheering on his Broncos by celebrating with a beer and a hotdog. He might share the beer with mom and the hotdog with sister. But, he will be meowing loud and proud on behalf of the Park City chapter of the BRONCO NATION!!!

My Favorite Moment

One of my favorite recent moments happened when I went home to celebrate mine and Skippys birthdays. Skip and I were all packed up and headed out of the house for a day on the river. She was putting a bag of Cheetos in the cooler when Biff happened to walk past. Skip pulled out a Cheeto and asked if Biff liked them. (He loves Doritos, butter, cream cheese and Cheetos). I told her that he would love a Cheeto. She pulled one out, crouched on the stripped kitchen floor and said to him, "We have time for you to lick this Cheeto" and held it for him while he licked all the cheese off of it.

This was a simple little act but it was so representative of what a wonderful, patient and loving mother I have. I only hope that if someday I am a mother that I will follow in her footsteps and enjoy every moment, smell every flower and savor the little things in life.

My Favorite Season!

My favorite season is finally here! It is ELECTION SEASON!!! I am sitting here watching the first Republican Presidential Debate and I am on the edge of my seat! The next 14 months are going to be filled with some of my favorite things: debate, issues, accusations, honesty, gaffs, Brett Baier, Carl Camron, confetti and the "theme song". One of my traditions is to take the night off of work during the main presidential debates and drink a nice bottle of wine with a great cheese, delicious crackers and fresh fruit. I make a big deal out of each one. This is going to be a very exciting election season. I like when there is no incumbent because then there is a flurry of activity on both sides, but I'll enjoy watching the Right try to trounce "He who I will not even name".

I am impressed with the candidate pool. I'm surprised that there are two Mormons. I'm surprised that there is a competent woman. I'm surprised there's a black man. I've even personally met one of them. My ideal ticket of available candidates would be Romney/ Huntsman or Romney/ Bachman. This is a surprising revelation considering how much I growl and moan about Mormons and their stance on liquor laws. But, after living under a Mormon government, I am happy with the community and economy that I live in. We need a real businessman in our White House, NOT a career politician. So.....let the graveling begin! WHOOOOO!!!!

Being 30!

Who in the world would have guessed that I would ever be........30!! I remember my 19th birthday like it was yesterday. I got an iron. A useful, adult present, which I had asked for. Where did all those years go!!?? I can't say that I haven't had a good ride, because I have! I have been in school for the majority of those years, but in fun places like Italy, Las Vegas and Salt Lake! I have travelled to more countries than I have states and I have learned a few languages. I have expanded my palate to include wild foods like tomatoes, steaks, wine, scotch, eggplant, thresher shark and even beets! I have met amazing people from all over the world, owned two little businesses, created my own family with Biff, Axel and Mischa. I have learned new sports and have fallen head over heals in love with the mountains, snow and snowboarding. I have figured out that having a few wonderful people in your life is much better than having many who don't love and respect you. I have learned the scary ways of the boat dock! I learned how to catch really delicious brown trout with a marshmallow and a worm. I have learned that sunscreen and a bandana are my two best friends for keeping my face looking young! I have learned that I hate flying but looooove a good road trip. I discovered that I love camping and that I become a gourmet cook when faced with a roadtrip grill and propane! I have learned that I love motorcycles and fast cars. I have found a passion for bullets, guns and anything relating to personal and national defense. I learned from my wonderful mom that "All paths are not the same, some have flip flops! Enjoy the Journey!" My journey has included; flip flops (or what us children of the 80's called "thongs"), golf shoes, stilettos, rollerblades, cleats, tap shoes, athletic tape on bare feet, snowshoes, hiking boots, puma racing shoes, ski boots, jazz shoes, rollerblades, safe steps and my favorite- snowboots. I can say that although I am not exactly in the place that I thought I would be, or want to be, I have nothing to complain about. I am incredibly blessed with an abundance of love and consider myself to be one of the luckiest and happiest girls in the world. It's the beginning of a new decade and I'm on the brink of a new chapter in life. I'm excited to see what my 30's holds. If it's half as exciting as my 20's, I'm in for a wild and wonderful ride!

Canyons!

I had another day off today so this time, we went to the Canyons to check out their hiking terrain. In previous posts I have ranted and raved about how much I love it as a winter resort, and I was not surprised at how much I liked it in the summer too! They do not allow little baby girls or big ugly dogs on their gondola, so we had to hoof it. We hiked up the switchback trail that went under the gondola and wrapped around and we stopped at the Sun Peak lift. We were the only ones coming up.....many many mountain bikers and a few European hikers were coming down our trail. Mischa and I are very good at throwing ourselves off the trail into a bush to avoid the mountain bikers!!

The trail was so beautiful! We hiked through the really dense forest which lies between the Orange Bubble lift and Sun Peak. I was surprised by how lush it was through there. The best part about it was that we didn't find any poisonous oak, like we did at Park City.

The whole way up I was tracking the trail across the ravine, which I came to realize was one of my favorite snow runs on that mountain. It starts at the top of Super Condor and switchbacks all the way down and then into the forest we were in. It is so peaceful and serene through there. One of my most memorable days of the season was the day I played Clair de Lune and the Twilight soundtrack the whole day while riding through the thick forests while it was snowing.

We stopped at Sun Peak and Mischa sat on her first chairlift for a little break in the shade! She is a natural and is ready to train as a mountain avalanche dog :)- we just need to find 100 extra pound to put on her!

We followed the stream which runs through the ravine back to the base. I laughed because there I was, hiking up the rope tow hill again. I am determined to learn how to ride that stupid thing this season!!!

I had never really taken note of all of the great private residences that are located right at the base of the gondola. Deer Valley and Canyons seem to be the best places for ski in- ski out living. The Bird stopped their private residence building, Brighton doesn't have any, Park City has some but they're not great. Once Mischa found the shady grass at the bottom, she pancaked and laid in the cool grass for a while to cool off. It was 85 and we were in the sun most of the hike. But, she was a good girl again, and didn't ask to be picked up once! Both of us are in good hiking shape! My mission for the next few months is to build up my leg muscles for back country hiking and more pop on my ollies. Thigh Steam! (Simon)

The Hills Are Alive....

...With the Sound of Music.

I had such a wonderful day yesterday! Mischa and I went up to Sundance, one of our favorite hiking places in Utah. Instead of hiking above Sundance along the ridge to the waterfall, we followed the bike trail that switchbacked all the way up the mountain under the chair lift. It was a beautiful hike with snowy mountains in the background, wild flowers at our feet, aspens and pine trees to walk under and no poisonous plants to infect the baby. It was the hottest day of the summer, yet Mischa was a trooper and didn't asked to be picked up once. I just love it up there and I am making the commitment to ride there at least once this season!

After that, I grabbed my favorite bottle of wine (Fetzer- Gewurztraminer), bought a childs size lawn chair, cheese, crackers, fruit and a twinkie and headed over to Deer Valley for their annual summer music festival to watch the von Trapp Children Singers! The three granddaughters and one grandson of Curt, the youngest von Trapp who in the movie says, "I'm Curt and I'm incorrigible," came to Deer Valley to sing the music from the movie, The Sound of Music accompanied by the Utah Symphony.

I have always loved the movie and when I was in Austria, I went to Salzburg and went on the Sound of Music tour and saw the real house, the gazebo and the famous trees. The kids (ages 16-23) said that their dresses were actually ones worn by Maria, and no, they were not made out of curtains!

The whole show was kind of a hodge podge of different music, not all from the movie. My favorite song that they sang outside of the soundtrack was a traditional Austrian song that the original von Trapp family sang during their 20 years of touring and singing once they escaped Austria. The whole family ended up in Vermont and Curt moved his family to Montana later on.

I still love the song Edelweiss from the movie, which pictured above, is the national flower of Austria. The importance of the flower is that it only grows at or above 9,500 feet in elevation and only in limestone. The Austrian tradition is that when a man loves a woman, he will profess his love to her by braving the elements and elevation to retrieve an edelweiss flower for her. Many do not live through the journey and those that return are guaranteed their lovers hand. The von Trapps sang; Edelweiss, The Hills Are Alive, My Favorite Things, Do- Re-Mi and upon their exit, So Long, Farewell. I absolutely loved sitting out there, watching the sun set on the mountains, listening to the beautiful symphony and ending under a clear sky with millions of stars. I hated to leave! But....

I was able to catch the last showing of the night of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Part 2. It is actually over. There are no more Harry movies or books!!! (Unless J.K. Rowling listens to her devoted readers and writes about Albus Severus Potter and the other children of Ron and Hermione and Harry and Jenny! We can only hope! It has been quite a journey for me and Harry. I got on the Harry bandwagon very late, but still loved it nonetheless. I will never forget making a promise to myself that when I graduated with my Bachelor's that I would reward myself that summer with the first book in the Harry Potter series! For the past five years I had been unable to read for fun because double majoring takes up too much of my reading time! So, being able to read for fun was a BIG deal! I am thrilled that I chose Harry, upon Spjute's recommendation and prodding! It's been 6 years and I could read that series over and over again and I am sure that in my lifetime I will read the whole series again.

Park Silly Market

It's the middle of July and summer is finally here for Mischa and I. Today we finally made it to the Park Silly Market, held on "Historic Main Street". I had been riding every Sunday so far and it rained last week, so her and I headed down to see what all the fuss was about.

It turned out to be a sweltering day in Park City, a whopping 85 degrees. It was really fun to walk around all of the tents filled with jewelry, hippie clothes, random artwork and a few booths with food. There were a few bands, but I was really hoping for more of a farmer's market, since I am literally out of food at the house, but the only farmers market type tent only sold jalapeno jelly. So, Mischa and I shared a hot dog and sat in the grass and watched a band.

Mischa was definitely the hit of the event, everyone absolutely LOVED her!!! Unfortunately, she is not very friendly and wouldn't let too many people pet her. We chatted with many people about her heritage and floppy ears :) One man was so funny because his little boy dog was sniffing Mischa and the guy says to his dog, "Get a good sniff in, this is your day too!" It was so, so cute. Everyone was very friendly and we had such a fun time!

We went into a store on Main Street called Mary Janes (We were looking for a dress) and Mischa was greeted with treats and a request for a picture of her that they could put on their website and facebook.

I am thinking that we should go to this and similar events more often because it is A) FUN!!! and B) Will hopefully help the baby girl to become more friendly.

We were both hot and tired and took a 10 minute nap before work after all the walking around we did. It was a fun day for us girls!

Hole in ONE!!!

As if winning the Seymour Family Golf Tournament this past May and carting home the trophy wasn't enough, SKIPPY HIT A HOLE IN ONE!!!! Yesterday, July 6, 2011 at Mountain Dell Golf Course on the 3rd hole on the Lakes side she hit a perfect 120 yard hole in one. She debated whether to use her 6 but then opted for her 5 "iron" hybrid. The ball bounced once and jumped right into the hole. Squirrel and I were both watching and Skippy saw it go in too. An absolutely amazing sporting feat! So, congratulations Skippy, you are the golfing master of the Seymour family! I'm so glad I was able to witness that!!!!

"BEFORE I TURNED 60 !!!!!"

Kissing Winter Good Bye!

783" of record breaking fresh at Snowbird, 650" at Brighton and 386" of snow at the Canyons made for an AWESOME winter for me!!!! I am sad to see my season finally end, after 8 glorious months, but the next few months will recharge my riding battery! Here is a statistical recap of this memorable season!

Season: November 9, 2010- July 4, 2011

Best Day: April 8, Canyons

Best Run: March 22, Dutchmans, Canyons

Best Pow Day: February 8, Snowbird

Best Park Day: April 17, Park City Mountain Resort

Best Hike: January 6, Canyons

Best Friends Day: April 1, Canyons & May 15, Snowbird

Total Days: 93

Total Miles Driven in Search of the Pow: 7,840

Tanks of Gas: 26

Cost of Gas: $2,080

Cost for Lift Tickets: $2,531

Number of Season Passes: 5

New Resorts for the Life List: 1

Number of Stitches: 0 (Yay!)

I was pretty conservative with buying new gear this season. I DID buy a new helmet that is cute and I will wear it next season. Other than two new hoodies, 2 pairs of boots and a set of ear buds, I didn't have to load up on the gear. This year, however, I will need a new Travis, gloves and bindings. But, since I live so close to 2 of my main mountains, I will be saving a TON of $$$ in gas, which can go towards new gear! Yay!!

I had high hopes for this season, but due to a few different factors, I did not accomplish as many of my riding goals as I would have wanted. But, I lay in bed every night and visualize what I want to be doing as soon as the season starts. I am not going to mess around until March before I start playing in the park. Day Numero Uno I am going to ride switch and try going off some kickers and maybe a rail at Brighton. It will be a few short months until I'm back on the snow!

Actually, I am hoping to ride August 31 and September 1 at Mnt. Hood and then hike in October in order to ride in every month of the 2011 year!

My 4th of July

Today was the 4th of July, or better known to me as...."The last day of my snowboarding season..." I have been the ultimate weekend warrior since the Bird started operating only on the weekends. A title that I hope to only hold during spring skiing and not during the regular season due to the dreaded 9-5 jobby job. Anyway.....on Friday when I went up there were 12 people on the tram. There are about 20 of us die hards that go every day that the Bird is open. There's Asian guy in his yellow shirt, there's pink spandex guy, there's the Bird drunk, there's flaming red hair Aussie guy... (the list goes on). Anyway.... so it has pretty much just been me and this core of guys with a few random bangers and beaters. Well today....THERE WAS AN ENTIRE MOUNTAIN FULL OF BEATERS WEARING COSTUMES!!!! I still cannot figure out why the last day at a ski resort warrants the wearing of bikinis, capes, strange hats, thongs and random costumes that are completely unrelated to snowboarding or skiing. The same thing happened at Brighton 2 1/2 months ago when they closed.

So, when I arrived at the Bird around noon, there was still an enormous line to get on the tram. Due to the lessening snowpack, they were only letting people ride the tram up once, so it wasn't like people were lapping this thing. I was shocked. Then, to get up there, take my first run and WAIT IN LINE FOR 45 minutes behind people who haven't been skiing in months just infuriated me!!! I realize that if this would have just been some random last day of skiing in June, this wouldn't have happened, but it was the 4th of July, so everyone and their costume were on the mountain. I haven't seen a crowd like that since the epic pow day on January 1, 2009!

This has been a really beautiful spring with bluebird days at least once per weekend. Today, it was cooold up there. I was in my full face gear with a flannel shirt and was shivering! The girls in bikinis and the "hot piece of ass" in the above picture were all freezing and had purple legs. It was about 42 degrees and was even raining up there. The tram operator said that there was a possibility that we might get stuck on the mountain if lighting and rain started and to "find shelter, but not on the metal tram deck."

Surprisingly, the snow was absolutely amazing due to the cooler temperatures. I could have ridden up there all day, but only got 5 runs in. This was more than I should've but since I was "a single" I was able to sneak to the front of the line the last few runs and link up with another single who had waited through the whole line like I had.

So, my last run of the season was down Book Ends. I was very sad to see my season end, but what an awesome season it was! I will post stats and all the high points in a post tomorrow...

Proud to be an American

Here are just a few things that make me love being an American

• The way we love and pamper our pets
• Floating rivers and lounging in lakes
• Wildlife preservation and activism
• The White House
• Meathead sports- BSU Football!
• Rednecks and Country Music
• Hollywood- Music and Movies
• The Greatest Snow on Earth
• Capitalism
• Competitive medicine
• A powerful military
• We are a young country but became the most powerful in a short time
• Diversity of culture, language and religion
• God fearing and church going
• Conservative values and a low tolerance for sex and nudity
• Competitive education
• Baseball
• Pride in our country
• Diverse and beautiful landscape
• **** "The American Dream" Really is Attainable!!!! ****

4th of July!

School's Out! Time for Summer Fun!

Last year, I was given Travis in late April and was only able to ride him a few times before I had to retire him for the summer and break out the "rock board". Today is June 24 and Travis is still going strong because there is SO MUCH SNOW there aren't even any rocks showing yet!!! I'm going to Swix Wax (my single favorite product of all time) my rock board for next week (4th of July!) just in case some rocks are showing. I am contemplating how I am going to achieve my goal of riding in every single month of this year. I have decided that my only obstacle is August and possibly September...So, I think that a return trip to Mnt. Hood might be in order. I would strategically plan the trip for August 31- September 1! In October I will be able to start hiking and by November the mountains will be open again! 2011 is my year for riding, apparently!

After riding all day, I swooped up the baby girl and took her on a really long, yet really beautiful hike up Park City Mountain Resort. Unlike the Bird, PCMR is absolutely beautiful in the summer! It's so green and grassy and there are so many trees!!! I was in love with our walk and am anxiously awaiting Fall and for Skippy to come down and hike back in the Aspens with me and the Mischa!

We hiked up through the Three Kings terrain park past all of the melting kickers, and then took the switchback cat that goes all the way from the bottom of the Ridge terrain park to the base. It was a great hike because we just followed the cat and were in the shade most of the way. Once to the top, we sat on the Eagle chair which was positioned perfectly for Mischa and I to sit on and overlook all of Park City and beyond. We then hiked to the top of the Ridge and saw that McConkey's and Jupiter are still completely covered with snow on the North/ East facing sides. We walked under McConkey's lift then found a little trail that took us back to the front. We caught up with the Eagle lift again and walked below that but all we found were cigarette butts and beer cans. We walked through the pipe which still had at least a 12 foot wall on one side. It was so wet and muddy through there. Mischa and I were both covered head to toe in mud. She pulled too hard chasing a rodent and I slipped and fell in the mud and her whole body was covered from being a low rider. Once to the car I wrestled her into a plastic grocery bag and carried her into the house and dropped her into the shower. We filled the whole shower with mud. It was really gross. But, we had such a great hike! I love hiking with my little baby girl! She is always such a trooper! It's SUMMER! I love it!

Good Luck Jim Town

I, like many Utahan's, were hoping that the Jazz would draft Jimmer Fredette in the NBA draft last night. We had hopes that since Jimmer is 1. Mormon 2. A BYU alum 3. A fast, high scoring guard and 4. Has been practicing with the Jazz.....that we WOULD HAVE DRAFTED HIM!!! Ticket sales and moral is low for the Jazz after losing 3 key players and our coach. We could definitely use a spark to get this team back "in the game". Surprisingly, we had the 3rd draft pick and chose Enis Kanter... another large white foreigner. We could have all really gotten behind the Jim Town, but now we're stuck with another foreigner that can't rally the crowd quite like a hometown boy, especially a really close hometown boy. Oh well...good luck in Sac Town, Jim Town.

First Day Of Summer! Getting My Float On!

These pictures were taken this past weekend....like 2 days ago. Today is the first day of summer and the day before yesterday I was knee deep in 6-8" of fresh up at the Bird. It is June 21!!!! The first picture was taken on Saturday on Mineral Express and the second picture was taken exactly 24 hours later on the same lift. Crazy! As much as I have been absolutely loving the amazing spring skiing at the Bird, it was really cool to feel "the float" again.....floating through fresh, untracked "powder" in the bowl below Book Ends in Mineral Basin. No one else traversed through the gates, set up to control the avies, so even at the very end of the day, I had an entire bowl to myself where I was able to get the perfect turns in and slay fresh, deep, thick snow.

Ahhhhhhh ohhhhhhhh...... I could not have asked for a better situation. I mean, having ZERO visibility during some parts of the day is never fun, and often sketchy, but hitting up those two Mineral runs was worth being soaking wet, cold, wind burned, sore and alone. I have learned the lesson that living in Park City and riding the Bird practically until my birthday necessitates Gore Tex to be in my closet ready and waiting all year long.

So with that said, I wore a skirt and tank top to commemorate the first day of summer and not surprisingly burned my shins in the process. I was sitting out on my favorite grassy knoll at the U which overlooks the entire SLC valley as well as the entire Wasatch (the view is so beautiful it's amazing that I get any homework done). I really, really enjoyed being out there again. This is the first time since September that I was able to sit outside because it's been so rainy and cold. First day in a tank top and skirt too.....except for when I wore one at the Bird a few weeks ago and burned my arms and back so bad from sun/snow reflection that I fainted from the pain and spent a few days in bed because it hurt so bad and I was so nauseous. (Lesson learned...cover up at the Dirty B!).

I'm excited for my first summer here in Park City! It is soooooo beautiful up here and the kids and I are so lucky to be able to enjoy it. I am ready with my trail maps and am just waiting for school to be out so that the baby girl and I can check it all out! The boys went out in their stroller last week, on the Farm Trail, but I think it will be too hot for them to be cruising around on trails for a while.

Now that it's summer......BRING ON THE HEAT!!!

Remnants of Winter

After having a great day up at the Bird with a year to date snow total of 776 inches and a 150" remaining base, with the entire resort still open and a nip in the air, I traveled up to the base of PCMR to check out what was going on there. I found the remnants of the Super Pipe and the kickers in Kings Crown and Three Kings terrain parks. I honestly feel like it is the middle of January up at the Bird, there is so much snow! How lucky for a Bird Nerd like me to still be riding on such amazing conditions so late in the year!!! I even bought more hot temperature wax with the thought that I still have at least 10 more real days on the mountain and possibly an additional 6 after that!! When school gets out, hiking will also be an option and I may take advantage of that in order to secure my goal of 100 days on the mountain. I love Utah!

Park City- Our New Home!

Since I moved to Salt Lake four years ago, I had been looking at places to live in Park City. The stars were finally all aligned this spring and I was able to find a place that allowed pets and would sign a year term. (Most places don't allow pets and will only sign summer terms). So, I called upon my trusty moving helper (Skippy) and she gratefully flew down for the BIG move. As shown above, my body is about the size of a desk top printer, thus allowing me to fit nicely into its box. I could be shipped across the country! Anyway......

It took an entire 14 foot U-Haul truck, four trips in the Tahoe and one Sweet Unit boat load to get all of my crap up here. If I didn't have so many interests... (beads, Christmas decorations, snowboards, photography, dance shoes and clothes, 300 credits worth of college books....) then this would have been a simple move. But, oh no! No, nothing is simple for this girl! We worked our little butts off for three days straight. And that was just getting it all up here! We battled snow, sleet, hail, rain, a truck that I apparently reserved for a month earlier, the purchase and installation of new storage shelving and cleaning my mold covered Rose Park apartment. All went off pretty well. The only things that broke were one of my rocks glasses and a cereal bowl, which is really impressive!! I am indebted to Skippy for helping me with that huge load and for allowing me to have a change in scenery!

Since being here for a week we have had a wonderful experience so far!!! Since we are on the second floor, I can keep the windows open for the boys to sit at. They have been out of the deck and love it! No one has jumped yet, I am hoping that their depth perception is accurate in warning them of the long drop.

Mischa has had the most fun running around the Wasatch Mountain Range, which is now her backyard! There is nothing behind us except for hundreds of miles of open mountain. It is incredibly beautiful and seeing the snow still on the mountains with wild flowers blooming is just such an incredible welcome present for us. Mischa has been enjoying chasing small rodents, a variety of birds, hopping and running through the tall grass and sage brush and trying to burrow in to the animal holes. We take a different path every time we go for a walk, so there is always something new to see and smell!

I took a break from school and unpacking this past weekend to ride up at the Dirty Bird. It was HOT up there yet the snow was not slushy and was still riding fast. I am so excited that I will be getting in at least 11 more days, which will put me over 100 days for the season!!

So, overall, life is looking pretty good right now! Living and loving it up here in the mountains, spending every weekend for the next 6 weeks up at the Bird, finishing off my second year of Arabic, starting my thesis. Life is good!

Looking Good, Champion!

This is The Seymour Family Golf Tournament official trophy. I instructed the guy at the trophy store to put "The Seymour Family Golf Tournament" on the front and then Skippy's name on the side, to begin the tradition. Instead, he put her name on the front, and left a spot blank on the front. So.......this means that next years Seymour Family Golf Tournament will be the most competitive one of all, because we will ALL be wanting to be the second name on the front of the trophy. With that in mind, I am going to spend the entire summer putting, chipping and driving and I may even join a ladies league in Park City. This is so serious, we may even need to bring along an official score keeper, just to make sure someone...hhm hmmm (you know who you are) counts all of their balls that go into the poison ivy. With that said.... IT IS ON SEYMOUR FAMILY!!! IT'S TIME TO GRIP IT AND RIP IT!!! See you next summer....

Congratulations to the Graduate!

Congratulations to Allen, Our Masters Graduate!!!

Allen was "hooded" at the San Jose State University Hooding Ceremony this past weekend to commemorate his completion of his Masters in Urban and Regional Planning with a focus on Community Design and Development. The family converged on San Jose for this BIG EVENT!!! The ceremony was fabulous. It was held in an auditorium that looks like the Egyptian Theatre in downtown Boise, complete with fireplaces, candles and palm trees. His professor was incredibly complimentary of him and we were the proud family waving and beaming in the audience! The whole thing reminded us of THE SKULLS movie, where they are part of a secret society. The only thing missing was the branding of his wrist with a hot iron and a red Porsche parked out front. But, we enjoyed the ceremony, the delicious reception food and we especially enjoyed seeing Allen in all of his glory. Congratulations Jimmy! I am SO PROUD OF YOU!!!

Since we were all together and may not be for a while, we decided to hold the Seymour Family Golf Tournament. We drove to Cupertino and played 9 holes in a very competitive game of best hole golf. Allen received new golf clubs as his present and I have to say, the boy did well. Not better than me, however, because Squirrel, Jimmy and I all had the same stroke score, but it was Skippy who beat us all in the number of hole wins. We went to a trophy store the next day and picked out a big gold cup on a stand and are having it engraved with the winner of each Seymour Family Golf Tournament from here on out. It is hilarious and I can't wait until I win it! So, congrats Skip on your first win. After I join my ladies league in Park City this summer,.. it's on buddy!

One of our favorite things to do in San Francisco is to attend a Giants baseball game. We got SOOO lucky with great weather and were able to see my favorite little emo pitcher, Lincecum pitch! He won the the game with 5 K's. What an arm that kid has! Always such a great time at At&T Park!

After that Allen had the bright idea to drive over to the golden gate bridge to watch the sunset! We did and then walked half way across and it was beautiful. San Francisco is such a pretty city, especially at a distance. I always have fun adventures there and even if Allen gets a job in St. Louis, I am sure that I will have to go back to visit, at least to tour wine country some time!

So thank you family for the wonderful vacation! Thank you Allen and Conan for letting me stay in the poop stick! I Love you!!

P.S. My favorite horse, Shakleford, won the Preakness this past weekend. Animal Kingdom was second, just as I predicted. Now, the real handicapping starts for the Belmont. I'm not going to gamble online since that would get me in trouble with the federalies, but I may jaunt over to Wendover if the mood strikes. I'm feeling pretty lucky!