Easter this year was typical of holidays for us-busy, busy, busy! We had a lot of fun visiting with our families but squeezing in time for both of them made for one tiring day. We enjoyed ourselves, yet we’re glad not every Sunday is Easter.
I forgot to take my camera to my in-laws but here are some picts from my family’s get together.
We had quite the Easter egg hunt for my nieces and nephews. Between all the toys and filled eggs Jason and I brought, and the ones that my brother brought, and the ones that my sister contributed, the kids really racked in the goods.
Benson was very focused on the task of filling up his basket.The awesome females of the Nelson gang. It's important to note that I am almost the tallest. Miles paused very briefly in his quest for a golden egg to show me his loot.Drew, Simone, and JadonThis little guy, Wesley, was too intent on figuring out how to walk on the grass wearing shoes to be interested in Easter eggs.
Jason and I attended a Utah Grizzlies hockey game on Saturday. Although I have been to an Olympic hockey match, this was my first time at a professional hockey game and honestly, it was a bit of a shock to me.
Everyone knows that hockey is a pretty violent sport. Players get slammed into the plexiglass, high-sticked occasionally, and shoved on the ground; that I expected to see. However, I wasn’t counting on all the team brawling and fist fights. Yeah, really, fist fights.
So yes, the game was much more viscous than I anticipated. I was amazed at just how many times play was stopped abruptly due to players randomly deciding to pound each other. These sudden violent exchanges seemed to quickly escalate into team affairs. If two guys started quarreling the other players usually swarmed around them ready to jump in, and often did. On several occasions the ice was littered with dozens of gloves and various forms of padding, which players had removed in order to better get in on the action. I frequently had to remind myself that I was actually at a hockey game and not the WWE on ice.
But the players weren’t the only ones ready to battle; anytime there was even an incline of a confrontation the crowd was immediately on its feet chanting “Fight, fight, fight!” It felt like junior high all over again.
I completely forgot to take my camera to the game so this will have to be the only visual for this post. One of the Grizzlies threw this puck to me. He looked directly at me and tossed it lightly over the divider right into my hands. I was too excited to notice which player he was and I can't decipher his initials. So, if any of you have a clue who I should thank for my awesome puck, I would be thrilled to know.
Jason and I were seated on the second row directly adjacent to the penalty box, so we were in a prime location to catch all the cross-team banter. (The comments we heard will not be repeated here because they were deemed inappropriate for small children, left-handed monkeys, and your mom.) We were also in a perfect spot to hear all the crowd heckling directed at the opposing teammates unfortunate enough to end up in the penalty box (also not repeatable). All this rampaging seemed a bit over the top to me and I contemplated the possibility that I had somehow entered a parallel hick universe. What was with all these people? I seemed to be the only one in the arena that felt anything akin to sympathy for the players that got thrashed. (If you find my sensitivity laughable, you are not alone. Jason got a kick out of it too.) But while the fighting was a bit too brutal and testosterone fueled for my taste, I did enjoy the actual playing. The Grizzlies played a great fast-paced game and pulled off a landslide victory, with a final score of 5 to 2. This was the last game of their regular season but they clinched a spot in the playoffs, which will begin on the 10th. Jason and I plan on catching one of their playoff games. If you enjoy bloodthirsty crowds, mean slap-shots, padded men hitting each other at unpredictable intervals, or perhaps just padded men in general, then you might want to check out one of their playoff games as well.
Have you ever had an absolutely perfect day? You know, one of those days when the entire universe seems to have miraculously aligned just right for you and life is uncharacteristically blissful?
I had one of those days on Friday. Despite the current officialness of spring, we got hit by a snow storm on Thursday that dumped heaps of snow in our mountains. It was the lure of that fresh snow that convinced me and Jason to skip work on Friday and hit the slopes at Brighton Resort.
The weather forecast for Friday predicted temperature highs in the twenties and gusty winds, so we were expecting a cold blustery day. We were therefore very pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be sunny and calm. With highs twenty degrees warmer than predicted and oodles of soft powder covering the mountain, we were in boarding paradise.
Jason on the lift-I have no idea what the silly face is for.
But not only did the stars line up perfectly to create the ideal combination of sunny weather and fresh snow, they also seemed to favor me with unprecedented boarding progress.
For years I struggled to develop my toe-carving skills but only had limited success until the end of last season when I finally had a breakthrough and figured out the basic toe-carving motion. I was unbelievably excited about that breakthrough and this season I have been attempting to refine my still sub-par carving abilities. Although my skills have improved with every boarding outing, my carving was still pretty shaky…until Friday. Amazingly, on Friday everything came together.
That's me under all that snow attire. You can't tell but I've got a supremely satisfied look on my face.
All of a sudden my carving became nearly effortless. I didn’t have to concentrate and steep hills didn’t intimidate me. I was completely floored by this unanticipated achievement and having a fabulous time! You just can’t beat the feeling of gliding gracefully over fresh powder while soaking in sweet sunshine-especially when you are genuinely surprised that somehow, suddenly, you are able to do this.
What an incredible day and what an incredible sensation! Thanks to my new skills I feel like I can now claim that I am a “boarder” rather than just someone that goes boarding. Hallelujah!
Unexpected carving success + unexpected lovely weather + luscious new snow + no crowds = the best day of boarding ever! We will definitely be boarding again soon, though it will be hard to beat such an utterly perfect day!
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