I've mentioned this many times, I am sure- but I really like our Wallace house. Like- even more than I thought I would. The feel of the place and the time we spend up there is irreplaceable. 

This week we began a project which is likely to take us into the summer months, but at the end of it we should have a nice bonus room with enough space and bedding for at least four more people. I think it will be nice, hopefully cozy, and a good place to get away from the craziness that sometimes dominates the rest of the house. It definitely enjoys a great view over the valley that we will take advantage of. There will be a lot of work between now and then, but it's work that we are looking forward to. With no timeline, we can just do a little bit at a time whenever we happen to be up there. Right now, with ski season in full force, that is almost every weekend. Rach and I will also carve out some time in our schedules to spend some alone time up there, working on the room and enjoying the quaint restaurants where we have become regulars.

When the only choices you packed are either ski clothes or a swimming suit. It's okay- the whole evening was sort of silly so it fit the mood.

Getting this wood up to the attic was stupid. And we only have to do it about a hundred more times. We may have "edited" the ceiling to make this job easier for ourselves. 

Success! Now let's do it again. And again. And again...

As for skiing this weekend, it was wet and foggy. I secretly like skiing in the fog, because it is possible to surprise yourself- the very definition of reacting in the moment and a true test of how sharp your reflexes can be. I am not the only person in the family who shares this sentiment, and we all had a great time.

Low-light goggles ready to go

Love it!

Sometimes you find yourself in the air without understanding why. Lindsey learned this the hard way.

Besides weekend activities, we also had a fairly eventful week. Kids all finished finals, so our house feels more relaxed now by several degrees. We all went and saw a play together (SIX), which was mentioned in last week's post. On Sunday we hosted a meetup at our house for my work team/fantasy football league that Rachel had organized. Rach and I went to the climbing gym together. None of these things stands out in a huge way, but they all work together to make a pretty good week.

Have a good week!

What a weird winter we are having. First, no snow. Then, arctic temperatures. Then some snow, but followed up quickly by a week of warm rain. Last night our family was walking the streets of Spokane in light jackets and it seriously felt like a mid-September evening. Weird.

Of course, the weather usually has very little impact on our plans as a family. I would have missed out on a lot of formative experiences and great times in my life if I had worried about "conditions." Sometimes, the crummiest situations make for the most memorable experiences. And that is how we found ourselves driving up to Wallace in the rain, crossing our fingers that there would still be snow on the mountain when we arrived.

There was, and things turned out great. Ev had invited a friend to stay with us for the weekend, and spent the majority of the day teaching her how to ski. Just as memorable though, will be the time we spent hanging out at the Tin Snug, eating ice cream and browsing their collection of vinyl. Or the evening at the Wallace house, playing games and watching movies. Or meeting up at lunch time, drenched and laughing at the sloppy mess we found ourselves in. I mean, sure, we weren't linking powder turns all day, but we all had a great time. I love these days.

Besides our time on the mountain, we had a few other noteworthy events take place this week. For me, I was occupied with study club for the better part of two days. I really look forward to these weeks, and meeting with other doctors who share a passion for what they do is refreshing in the best way.

We also went, as a family, to see the Broadway tour of SIX. We have been looking forward to this ever since we first saw that it was coming to Spokane. The general consensus was that even though we had gone in with high hopes, our expectations were all either met or exceeded by the performance. Also, like with other things, there is an added component of satisfaction when we do things together with friends, and the whole evening was just a ton of fun. 

Anyway- here are some photos of the week. Our kids have finals in school over the next few days and that has caused no small amount of anxiety in the home. I'm sure they'll do great though.

Enjoy the pictures and have a good week!

Oh, yeah. I forgot about this. Rach gave me control of our under-the-stairs closet and I made this little home office just in time for finals! Yes, we are using all the space we can find in this house.

Ev and Kloe

Sometimes this is the easier way down

A view out the window at the resort gave us a clue as to what we were in for. Pretty sloppy.

These next few photos are from the set that Resrospect played a couple weeks ago. Apparently they had a professional photographer taking pictures.

And here is from last night, when we saw the play

We had a four-day weekend last week. Up until the very last minute we had plans up in the air and nobody was really sure what we were going to do. Let me start by saying a huge "thank-you" to Shannon and Adrian, who tolerated our fickleness and ended up, at the last minute, hosting us in their home for three days.

Here is the story: Originally, we had booked a slope-side condo at Panorama- a resort in Canada that we really like. We were super excited about this. Usually on these ski trips we all crowd into the most affordable dingy hotel room that we can find, so this was a special treat. As the dates drew nearer, however, the temperatures started to plummet. Two days before we were to leave, the forecast called for a high of -25 Fahrenheit. Did we really want to ski in that? But we are the Hazards. No such thing as bad conditions, right? Only bad skiers and bad gear. That was the gospel truth. We don't back down for something as menial as the weather. 

And so we braced ourselves for the cold and held the course. One day before departure, temperatures continued to drop. And then the resort announced that it would not open due to the cold. Darn! Our family breathed a collective sigh of relief. I guess plans would have to change after all, but we could do it now with our heads held high. Rachel made a few phone calls, Shannon offered up her home, and we were soon on the road to the comparatively tropical climate of Utah for our winter getaway.

On the way down we made a quick stop in Rexburg where we hung out with my parents. This was nice because they were originally scheduled to come up to our house last weekend to see Evelyn's performance. Due to a quick change in plans, however, they ended up cancelling that trip. I guess it worked out though, because we got to see them after all. 

Once in Utah, we skied two days at Snowbasin. They had received nearly five feet of snow in as many days, and the turns were nice and soft. It was pretty busy due to both the holiday weekend, the great snow,  and the fact that many of the other resorts in the area were unreachable due to road conditions. An insider tip from a friendly parking attendant got us parked right next to the lift on both days though, and in spite of the crowds, we were able to find open fields of powder high up on the mountain.

One nice thing about skiing in Utah is that we also have a lot of family in the area, providing us with a social calendar that we might not have elsewhere. We couldn't see everyone in the area, but had a fabulous time eating meals and catching up with those who we were able to be with. We are also planning a trip down next month to ski LCC, so hopefully we can catch some of the other people at that time.

Here are some photos. Have a good week!

Bowling

This was the line in the lower parking lot for the bus shuttle that took you to the lift. It was a 2 hour wait (after sitting in traffic for an additional 2 hours). After seeing our family, for whatever reason, the parking attendant gave us instructions and permission to go to a different spot that was literally right next to the lift. "Just tell them that Gabe sent you." It was perfect. Thank you, Gabe.

We went to a nice pizza place with Shannon's family. Here's Jack eating three different kinds of pizza at the same time. I guess he couldn't choose. To be clear, he is not holding it like this just because I was taking pictures- He is actually going back and forth between different slices as he eats. Weird kid.

For a while now, kids have been independent enough to allow us to have "lodge dates." We don't do this every time, but it is always nice when we do get to have these times.

The dreaded "family zone." We call them "moving trees," and negotiating this ant hill is some of the scariest skiing we do. Thankfully, most people stayed pretty low on the hill, allowing us a lot more room to play on the steeps at the top.

Cousin time

And, of course, the ferrets. If you read Maren's update last week then this picture will make a lot of sense.

Quick family update: We all seem to be doing pretty okay. Our family has fully embraced the "weekend warrior" mentality and we are out doing something active as much as we can. Right now that happens to be a lot of skiing, but the activities are seasonal. Usually we do stuff as a whole family, but that changes from time to time as well depending on what other people have going on. We also find ourselves visiting our Wallace house at least on a monthly basis, but sometimes more, and it continues to feel like a refreshing getaway every time. It's nice that it is so close, and yet, nestled in a quaint little ski town, still feels so far away from "normal life." 

As our family gets older, kids are each becoming more involved in their own things. It's fun to watch them all as they develop their interests and grow into their individual personalities. More and more I feel like we are a group of young adults who live together, and I think that is really cool. 

Logan: Climbing, skiing, regular dates with Rachel, lots of family vacations. Day-to-day I work at a great place where I feel valued by both patients and co-workers, as well as dental colleagues in the greater community.  This next year I am really looking forward to professional development that will come from advanced courses in the summer. I find myself doing specialty work on an ever increasing basis, and it is an engaging challenge to keep myself up to date with the latest technologies and techniques. I also do the audio/visual stuff and run the website for a local dental study club that I am a part of, and that has been kind of a fun learning experience. Besides work, I spend a lot of time in my home gym and on my climbing wall. I very intentionally took the year off from really difficult sport climbing to focus on some other goals that I had been wanting to reach- some silly skatepark stunts on rollerblades and finally becoming proficient..ish on a skateboard. I've always done these activities on a pretty low level, but putting significant time into both of them this last year has been both fun and rewarding. Honestly, I feel like I am living a version of life that is better than anything I ever could have imagined, and I'm just sort of riding this wave.

Rachel: This year I really came into my own when it comes to skiing. I am confident in most conditions, and I feel like I have created a style for myself.  The most surprising thing about this year was my foray into wheeled sports. I have found great enjoyment in roller blading on generally flat trails, and I am now the proud owner of a skateboard. I never would have seen that coming! I have really enjoyed work this year. I interpreted two plays (A Christmas Story, and Sound of Music), I have worked more than ever in a variety of jobs around Spokane, and I never get tired of working in my  fabulous home office building! I have had a fairly consistent traveling job for a local agency, and the extra time in the car has been wonderful! It has allowed me to take multiple online psychology courses, enjoy my philosophy and football podcasts, and listen to many audio books. This year, Logan and I both chose to become members of First Presbyterian Church of CDA. We have been attending for 8 years, and for many reasons, we decided to make it official. We feel loved and accepted there for who we are. Logan and I have had an active dating year, and it has been wonderful!  Including: football games, Arbor crest, live music, and a few overnights in Wallace with just us!  Also, I finally convinced him to try Fantasy Football by creating a league with the team at Syringa Dental! It has also been a year full of girls weekends and nights out with my own friends. I love those relationships, and it is wonderful to have a good friend balance in my life.

Evelyn: Turning 16 next month. GPA is over 4.0 due to honors classes. School activities are band, drumline (different things), and ski club. Also plays drums in a band called "Retrospect." Has her learner's permit right now and will be a full-fledged driver in a couple of months. Really hit her stride last year with skiing and she likes going really fast now. Also she spent more days climbing last year than I did. She spends her free time either playing drums, making her own clothes, or else hanging out with friends in CDA. One of their favorite activities is busking in downtown areas. She was the mastermind behind our Seattle family vacation last year and it went great. This next year she is looking forward to the freedom that comes with driving, and is already planning road trips, concerts, and backpacking trips. She's pretty independent.

Adalie: 14 years old. Also has over 4.0 GPA at school. Her school activities are band (saxophone) and working in the after-school tutoring center. She has also started a YouTube channel and hopes to one day become an online influencer and take over the world. Falling short of that goal, she is willing to settle for just making funny videos for her friends to watch. In the winter she skis more days than any other kid, and it shows. She's really good. She has a great group of friends who are all "high achievers," whatever that means. They are all pretty busy with different things but they get together whenever they can and have a good time. This year she has been working hard to earn enough money to go on a NYC/DC trip with some of them after school gets out. As a self-professed "theater nerd," she is especially excited to see a play on Broadway.

Jackson: 14 years old. He spends most of his time playing Minecraft or similar games. He has a pet lizard named Howard. He also likes to make little stop-motion movies on his phone. I asked him if he could think of anything else he wanted to include in this, and he couldn't think of anything.

Maren: Turning 12 next month. Maren's project this year is figuring out the ins and outs of middle school. She seems to have an active social life, and is a part of the school choir. She'll be in private voice lessons soon and hopes to join the audition ensemble in upcoming years. Her and I (Logan) also have regular evenings on the couch where we go over homework and class organization together. These times are surprisingly enjoyable, and I look forward to them. The other thing that has always been consistent about Maren, to the point that it is a part of her personality, is her love of "cuteness." I mean, sure, everyone likes fuzzy kittens, but Maren seems to take this to a whole new level. Kittens. Rabbits. Mice and rats. Stuffed animals who each have their own backstory. Totoro. I think that this same trait gives her a deeper sense of empathy toward people, which she also seems to have. Like, a lot. At least the two (empathy and cute things) seem to be somehow related, but even as I write this I can't justify why I think that. Maybe it's just a "tender heart." Maren is tender. Yeah- that seems to fit.

Lindsey: 9 years old- thinks she is 17. She is the only one we have left in elementary school. Crazy. Lindsey has the confidence of a kid who has never failed. Academically, she is far ahead in her grade. Athletically, she is consistently winning her school cross country races and she can keep up with any of her peers during activities like skiing or climbing. Due to a weird series of events she ended up in an Irish dance class, where she caught on very quickly and continues to shine. She also seems to be the most popular kid on the block, and is almost constantly hanging out with friends. It will be interesting to see where this all goes as she gets older and comes into her own. Part of me is excited to watch, and a different part of me is a little scared. One thing is sure- whatever it is, it will be something fantastic.

And that's us. Have a good week!

I drove Evelyn to school this morning. It's been a while. Kids say the vacation didn't feel long enough. Most parents I speak with can't believe how long it lasted. It's about time.

The highlight this week was Evelyn and her band, Retrospect. They played a small set in a multi-band lineup and they did a great job. Evelyn said that the on-stage monitors had gone down, so they had to rely a lot on visual cues. If it tripped them up at all, I don't think the audience noticed. Personally, I thought it was nice to see them playing together again. Since the beginning of the school year, and then all the holidays, they have kind of let the band thing slide a little bit. I think this weekend gave them all a renewed commitment and they supposedly have regularly scheduled practices now. We'll see.

We did ski a couple of short days over the weekend, and we also watched a lot of football on Sunday. It was the last week of the regular season and we had multiple TVs set up in our family room with a lot of snacks and the main game on the big screen with surround sound and it was kind of a neat end-of-season party with the family. We'll have to do that again sometime.

Anyway- we have big vacation plans next weekend so stay tuned for that. For now, we will just enjoy the fact that school is back in session.

Also, I'll post the promised family update sometime later this week.

When we have a free evening as a family we almost always default to pizza movie night. We like pizza. We like movies. So it works. But someone had a different idea this time. What about a family game charcuterie night? It was great and will, I think, become a more regular thing. 

Since we didn't do the pizza night we had to get our weekly fix in elsewhere. Silver Mountain never fails to satisfy.

Here are some photos from the band thing. They did great!

Warm hands but cold toes? Addy found a creative solution.

We've received a lot of nice fluffy snow lately, with more in the forecast. It's about time!

Have a good week!

2023 is dead. It was a great year. As we sat around during its final moments we talked about our favorite memories. The bike packing trip. Lots of skiing. Welcoming grandma and grandpa back home from their LDS mission. Good times in Wallace. Reaching academic and social milestones. Everyone seems to be thriving and ready for whatever the future throws our way. Stay tuned for next week and I'll do a long post with individual updates.

For the week itself, we spent time down in Rexburg with my parents. A part of the trip was devoted to skiing at Grand Targhee, and the rest of the weekend was spent hanging out, playing games, doing puzzles, talking, and eating really good food.

My mom organized a great New Year's Eve party where, I think for the first time ever, our entire family stayed up until midnight. It started with an amazing candlelit dinner, followed by lots of fun games. It was a highlight for sure and has set the bar for all the years to follow. 

Here are some photos. Enjoy your week!

We recreated this picture from almost two years ago when Grandma and Grandpa were leaving on their mission. Kids have grown a little bit. (The original picture can be seen HERE)

New Years Games

Bingo for cash is always a favorite

This puzzle look up a lot of time. They worked on it throughout the weekend and had a dramatic finish (the last piece had been lost under the couch) just minutes before we had to leave on Monday.

This dinner was significantly better than the Hot Pockets we usually come home to after a day on the hill.

You can't beat views like this as you drive to the mountains for a day of skiing

It was really fun having grandpa with us on Saturday.

Nice views. Right after this picture was taken, Evelyn took a side trail into the unknown, got cliffed out, lost a ski, and took about an hour (seriously) getting back to the base. Over the radio she said she was fine, and that we could go ahead without her. I had gotten five runs in by the time she was done with her first!

Here's Ev on the last run of the day. She's a confident skier and it shows.