Friday, March 30, 2012

Maiden BBQ


We are totally in love with our back yard, and one of our favorite parts is that is has this cool 1970s covered patio with an outdoor fireplace.  We've really been wanting to inaugurate the patio with a maiden BBQ, and we envisioned a giant bash with lots of people and food and drinks and party lights.  But then last Saturday evening it just kind of happened without any planning or great fanfare.




And it was so much fun that we want to do it again and again and again!  No planning necessary, so drop on by our casa fiesta and let's roast some dogs!

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Hurray!


Spring is poking through!




Monday, March 26, 2012

Four More Miles - The Hiking Club



One of our best friends in DC (who shall remain unnamed) has always wanted to get and stay in shape, and so for several years now he has signed up for 5-6 triathlons per year to motivate himself to train for and then compete in those races.  To my knowledge, he's never actually done any training, but he has participated in and completed each of the 15-20 events for which he pre-registered.  It's probably not the best fitness strategy, but by paying for and putting the triathlons on his calendar he has knocked out a ton of triathlons.  And he's inspired us a bit.

No, we have no interest in competing in triathlons.  But we've been thinking a lot about the coming summer and all the things we want and need to get done.  We have a lot of home improvements, for example, that we would like (and need) to tackle.  That and a million other things could really end up sabotaging our summer so that we never have time for the things we really want to do.  Two things we really want to do this summer are:  (1) hike new trails and explore the beautiful scenery around our new home; and (2) spend more time with family and friends.  So, using our quasi-triathlete friend's example, we've decided to schedule one hike per month.  And the only thing that beats a good hike is doing that good hike with family and/or friends.  Which is why we've decided to try to initiate a hiking club.

Think of it as a book club, except instead of trying to read a book at the last minute and then pretending that you read the whole thing by deconstructing the last chapter, you just show up at the designated trailhead at the scheduled time and then enjoy an adventure in the great outdoors.  

So, for the coming summer, starting in April and ending whenever it's too cold, we're going to pick a hike (probably somewhere between Ogden and Provo), we're going to get it on the calendar several weeks in advance, and we're going to hit the trail at the designated time (even if we haven't fixed the leaky faucet yet).  And we would love to have you, our family and friends, join us whenever you want/can.  We're happy to do the scheduling and arranging, but we would love to have anyone participate in any way they would like, including taking charge of the arrangements for a month so that you can plan that hike you've always wanted to do.  And there are no expectations or pressures whatsoever (i.e., come when you want to/can, don't come when you don't want to/can't).

Many of you already know the origin of the name we've chosen for the club, "Four More Miles," but for those of you who don't, here's the story:  Half-way between Yellowstone and the Tetons, there is a magical Boy Scout camp named Camp Loll.  Each week on "hike day," the Camp Loll staffers take the  scouts on hikes through Yellowstone and the Tetons, and two things are absolutely certain to occur on every one of those hikes:  (1) the scouts will incessantly ask "how many more miles?;" and (2) the Camp Loll staffers will consistently answer "four more miles."  (Scouts don't really like that, but Scout Masters really don't like it.)  The next day, the staffers continue the joke by performing a chant:

Yesterday was hike day!  Wasn't it great?
Think of all the dust you ate!
And as you ponder upon your trials, 
just remember there are four more miles!

Here's hoping there will always be four more miles, and that those miles can be enjoyed with family and friends.

So, if you're interested in joining us and would like to be added to the email distribution list to receive information on the hikes, dates, times, etc., please send us an email to:  fourmoremiles at yahoo dot com (or let us know some other way).

See you at the trailhead!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Look who is two months already!


Baby Julie

After a couple of months, she's 23 3/4 long and 11 lb. 12 oz.  And there's just no way to measure her extreme cuteness and sweetness.

Being the baby and the only girl, she gets a lot of attention.  On top of that, the adorable neighbor girls dote on her constantly.


We love, love, love her!

Saturday, March 24, 2012

This week, Tennyson taught himself how to...


...ride his bike without training wheels.


We tried to teach him in the middle of Linden Place last fall, but he never quite got it.  This time, Tenny climbed on the bike by himself, started peddling himself, and never looked back.  Boy, the last two years have flown by.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Utah Rocks, Reason 4,001:


The best skiing on earth.



OK, the snow was a bit slushy on that particular day at snowbasin, and my handheld shooting skills don't exactly do the experience justice.  But really, you just can't beat Utah's "Greatest Snow on Earth," the Wasatch Front, and having almost a dozen world-class resorts within an hour of your home.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tenny gets his fifth haircut


Tenny didn't quite make it to the summer to get his annual summer sheer.  It was a good looking head of hair, but it was hard to maintain and always in his eyes so he asked us to pull out "Mr. Tickler" (his nickname for the clippers) a bit earlier this year.

Pre-cut

Mid-cut mullet (business in front, party in the back)

Post-cut

He looks so much older now.  And a bit more dapper, too.  Watch out ladies!

Something you should know about Taiters


The boy LOVES "backeball."


Even though the ball is bigger than his torso.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Julie - 8 Weeks


Our happy, smiley girl

Julie Day with Grandma Julie

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Moby Dick


There are lots of things Tenny misses from DC, including his school and his friends.  But there's just one thing so far that he missed so much he cried about it:  Francine, his fish.  It's just really hard to move your fish, since movers won't take liquids and the TSA only allows 3 ounces.  So Tennyson decided to give Francine to his friend, Arabug.  And even though we know Francine is in good hands, Tenny missed him (yes, Francine was a boy) terribly.  So, we bought a replacement:  Moby Dick, the Beta fish.


So far it seems to have done the trick.  Except now T is asking for a dog, and that just isn't going to happen.

Kicken' it old school


In Harper's Ferry

Monday, March 12, 2012

Friday, March 9, 2012

Arlington Cemetery



I always liked visiting Arlington Cemetery, but not everybody does.  For example, this is an actual conversation I had with Tennyson recently:

Tennyson:  "Daddy, do you know why I'm glad we don't live in DC any more?"
Me:  "No, why?"
Tennyson:  "Because now we don't have to go to Arlington Cemetery all the time."


Sunday, March 4, 2012

Julie - 6 Weeks and Blessing Day



Sporting the pretty dress in which her mommy was blessed.


La nostra famiglia.


Four generations - with Great-grandma Prince and Grandma Stewart


Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate this special day.  We were shooting for 50 guests for lunch to help us break in our new casa fiesta, but we fell short by a couple.  We'll have to try again soon!

Shadow Mountains



As seen from the Garnet Canyon trail

Thursday, March 1, 2012

25 observations from our first month living in Utah



  1. Gorgeous - the state doesn't have a bad angle.
  2. Snow - it doubles the gorgeous and the fun.
  3. Utah nice - nice is the norm, and it's contagious.
  4. Customer service - still exists here.
  5. Running - everybody does it but us.
  6. Desserts - you've heard of the Turducken?  Utahns do that with desserts.
  7. Huge portions - buy lunch, get dinner too.
  8. Family dining - restaurants that offer dinner for the whole family for $20.
  9. "Crick" - a small stream of water.
  10. Parking and driving - we drive more but look for parking less.
  11. Make-up - enormous amounts of it, especially mascara.
  12. Symphony - it's as good as the big city at half the price.
  13. Religion - discussed openly and casually.
  14. Georgetown - impressive (whereas in DC it's normal).
  15. Dangling monikers - "Hey, guy."  "How ya doin', dude?"  "Thanks, pal."
  16. Government debt - frequently inserted into completely unrelated discussions.
  17. Physical privacy - keep neighbors at a distance, and put up fences and curtains just in case.
  18. Personal disclosure - like the car dealer who thought we should know about his love child in Connecticut.
  19. Self-aware - unlike other quirky places (i.e., everywhere), everyone is hyper-aware of Utah's quirks.
  20. Sports - matter.
  21. Family aware - like the child care service at the grocery store.
  22. Middle class - by far the majority.
  23. Prices - almost everything is noticeably less expensive.
  24. Work - equivalent quality, less quantity.
  25. Education - less aggression because the options are plentiful.
One month in, we miss our DC friends like crazy but we're loving our proximity to family, our new home, our beautiful surroundings and our new adventures.