Mountains

I love mountains. They are good for so many things.

Pretty to look at.

Fun to camp in.

Perfect for mountain biking, hiking, rock climbing in the summer.

And of course skiing/snowboarding in the winter.

It's maybe funny how attached I've become to mountains, considering that I grew up in one of the flattest places on earth. Throughout my childhood we did vacation in Switzerland a lot, which was my favorite place to go. I didn't live by mountains until I went to BYU, but ever since, it just seems wrong not to live by them. Missing the outdoors (and of course scorching heat) was the biggest downside to living in Texas.

The mountains are a huge part of the reason Joe and I chose Midway Utah to settle down in. We love living less than 15 minutes from all those activities we love. We also love living by a large city that provides all our other needs. Heber is just 10 minutes away, and has most stores I regularly use.

Although this winter has been very dry, the ski resorts can make their own snow. I've been so excited for my kids to be able to learn to snowboard! As a child we went on a ski vacation every other year, and it's just one of those things.... I loved. The local ski resorts have special programs for locals, so when I found out that Park City Mountain Resort has a 5 session deal for beginners, I didn't hesitate to sign up my kids. They are all old enough to start, and young enough to really make this part of their lives.

Getting onto the mountain, with all the gear, was a challenge. Getting 3 kids fitted for boots and snowboards and helmets can be a bit overwhelming.

By the time we walked onto the snow, both Joe and I had had our patience tested to the max. This is where it was nice to hand them over to ski instructors.

Winter and Sterling were in a class together. Ginger was in her own class, and had a few of her stubborn moments. She is very opinionated, and will make up her mind in a flash. I guess she had decided it was too hard to snowboard, and was ready to quit. Joe jumped in, and for the next 3 hours, she went from crying and dead set against it, to bragging how good she was and wanting to do a few more runs. I bet after just a few more lessons she'll lean more towards the bragging side :)Joe couldn't help but mess around on Ginger's snowboard a bit