I am currently sitting in my office looking out the window. It is a beautiful spring day. Seriously- I can already feel the trails and bike paths beckoning. I am excited for kayaking, and rollerblading, and walking down Sherman on warm summer evenings in search of live music. It all sounds so lovely. Seriously.

But...

...But also, I just now looked at my photo reel for pictures this week, and came across one that I took of me and Maren and Lindsey. We had been skiing together and our faces were a little red from the sting of a cold wind the joy of physical exertion. Those are really good days. 

Spring is a time of newness. But in the everlasting words of the band Semisonic- Every new beginning is some other new beginning's end. And, while I am excited for what is to come, I'm not quite emotionally ready to let go of what has been. It's a bittersweet time.

*****

I'm doing this quick mid-week post because we have some bigger news coming up. Rachel is interpreting Hamilton tomorrow, and she has been working super hard on it, and a bunch of her family flew in to hang out with us and watch her, and it is a good time. That will be next week. For now though, things have been pretty chill. We did ski last weekend, but just a little bit. Rachel and I got the bonus room all cleaned up in Wallace and are ready for carpet. Evelyn seems to be at a different concert every other night. Jackson went to a sweet-sixteen party for a friend. Lindsey had a big night where she presented a project about robot programing. It's been a good one.

Have a good week!

On the way to the party Rachel stopped at a random farm to take photos of this guy. Looking good!

Lindsey at the STEM night. She made an obstacle course for the robot, which was actually really cool. She was a little bit disappointed that only one person successfully completed it (that was me), especially since she gave up the chance to sing the national anthem at a minor league baseball game for this night and she was really excited about it. I'm including that little bit in here realizing that it kind of puts a damper on the night, but also because it highlights this amazing kid and how much she is involved in. She will be singing (solo) in the upcoming school talent show, but she has to give up the next choir performance because she will be dancing instead with a select group from the studio where she does Irish as a sort of opening number for Riverdance in Spokane. This girl is non-stop!

Hi! This is Lindsey. I am writing the blog this week. (This is Logan. I'm going to add a little bit here and there).

On Friday we left. We drove all night until we got to a hotel in Driggs. The hotel was huge and everyone had good thoughts about it. The next morning we woke up and had breakfast at the hotel. After that we got ready and left the hotel to go skiing at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. 

At Jackson Hole we have a family tradition. We eat waffles at the mountain house at the top of the tram. We rode the tram to the top and we got lucky because when we got to the mountain house there were people leaving a table that actually fit all of us (This really is a rarity- we hardly ever all get seats if we eat at these busy resorts, let alone the small space that is Corbet's Cabin). Mom got all of us our own waffles and they were smiley faces and that was great. After we finished our waffles we left and we tried to get to Corbet's (A noteworthy ski run), but we got lost and didn't make it. For the next run we rode the tram up again and found Corbet's. It was closed so we just looked at it and the main thought going through my head was Oh crap, if I did this I would DIE!  I'm pretty sure that was what every one else thought too. (Well- a couple of us were disappointed because we had our sites set on running it and for the first time ever it actually looked pretty reasonable). 

After looking at Corbet's we went to a run called Alta Chutes. We dropped in and while I was near the top I heard a blood curdling scream coming from my mom. She just kept on screaming. At that instant I thought that my mom had broken something. (This was actually very scary- it was a steep run and during her approx. 500 foot slide she nearly went off the cliffs to skier's left. I don't think I am exaggerating to say it is lucky that nothing was broken during this fall.) Apparently on that run my sister, Evelyn, had also taken a smaller fall into my other sister and tumbled. Luckily no one got hurt and we were all safe. (Another part about Jackson that really stands out to me was the vibe. It was a nice day and there was live music all over the mountain. After the lifts closed, we stayed for almost an hour just for the music and party atmosphere that is so much a part of ski culture. To be honest, it is kind-of a celebration of extreme excess and recklessness- almost like a youthful athletic version of The Wolf of Wallstreet- and while it isn't the healthiest in any sense of the word, it can be a really fun indulgence from time to time.)

After we skied all day we got in the car and drove to a hotel about three hours away from another resort called Snowbasin Mountain Resort. (It was a place on the river in Idaho Falls directly across from the LDS temple, and a favorite part was when the girls climbed out the window in their room to go exploring.) The next morning we woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel, then left. When we got to Snowbasin it was such a nice day and we had a great time. For the majority of the day Mom, Jack and I skied together and Maren, Dad, Adalie, and Evelyn skied together. I think that at one point Maren got separated, or she just wanted to ski alone. (This was during the last run of the day, which was one of the few runs of the entire year that will probably stick with me. Ev, Addy, and I skied a steep bump line directly under the lift, just playing in the soft snow. All of us were literally jumping from feature to feature in close proximity to each other, group flow was dialed to eleven, and it seemed like every person on the lift was cheering us on as the mountain became our playground. We got to the bottom a little out of breath, but with huge smiles as we tried to comprehend what had actually just happened. It was cool.) Nothing very exiting happened today. After skiing we drove to our aunt Shannon's house. At her house we played games, we had a great dinner, and I got to hang out with my cousin, Nathan.    

The next day we all went up to another resort called Snowbird mountain resort. Right when we got to the resort we ate lunch then got ready. It was very windy and while we ate we were so cold. When we finished all of us went into the car except for my dad. He was trying to prove that we were all wimps. (Okay- I wasn't trying to prove anything. Snowbird, as far as I am concerned, is the greatest ski resort in America, and here's my family sitting in the car just looking at it. You better believe I was outside, itching to go!) After that we went to the base of the mountain and Jackson happened to forget his pass at home, so we had to get him a pass and we had to wait. (Getting a day pass for Jack was actually a part of every resort- it seems like you can remind kids about a hundred times to get things, and then they just roll their eyes and ignore you anyway, and then you have to spend all of your time helping them out of their own self-inflicted dilemma. It's stupid.) Then we did a family run called Bassackwards and it was so icy! We thought that it would soften up during the day, but it did not and I fell on the ice. Dad, Maren and I went through the magic portal. (This is a tunnel that goes through the mountain- kind of a neat feature). After we went through the portal the visibility was so low and it was also pretty dang icy too. 

After that we got unready and left the resort and drove to our grandma and grandpa greats` house. We stayed there for about 2 hours until we left and got back to Shannon's house. (It was so good to spend time with my grandparents. They are seriously some of my favorite people in the whole world and I wish we could see them more often.)

The day after that, some people went to Alta, while the others stayed home and went to the planetarium near Shannon's house. I went to the planetarium, so I'll talk about that. We woke up and ate breakfast at Shannon's house then we played some games together. After that we got ready, and went to lunch at a restaurant. After lunch with them we went to a planetarium about thirty minutes away. At the planetarium we watched a show called "The Blue Angels." It was about people who pilot jets and fly together as one. We watched it in 3d and it was really cool. After that we went to a table that was kind of like "make your own solar system." I learned how to make a black hole and I combined it with Jackson's and another guy's. My black hole got so big that it sucked everyone's solar system up! Then we had to restart after messing with that. After playing with that for a while I went into a spinning thing with my cousin, Nathan. I spun so fast that I had a stomachache. Jackson bought us bouncy balls and we had a fun time at the planetarium.

(So, Ev, Addy, and I were the only ones who skied that day. We went to Alta, and I am not joking when I say it was one of the best powder days of the entire season. It's crazy how we can have sunshine and corn, followed by boilerplate ice, followed by fluffy powder, all in just a few days. It's like an entire season condensed into a single week! Anyway- it was difficult to ski these conditions without emitting laughs and woots of joy all the way down the mountain. We did mostly steeps all day and just skied like we were in a video game with the soft snow upping our confidence and giving us endless lives. We stayed until the lifts stopped turning, and could have skied more had they allowed us to. Wow. I'm sure the planetarium was great and all- but those people missed out on one of the best days of the year!)

Today is another ski day at snowbird, and we have a good blog post. I skied with Jackson, Maren skied with dad, and I think that Adalie and Evelyn skied together. I don't really know what everyone else did, so I will tell you what I did. I started out with eating and getting ready, then I went with Jack to grab a pass for him. After getting his pass we went to do a run and I thought that it was going to be icy, so I told Jack that I didn't want to do any doubles. At the start of the day we did mostly groomers then we went up the lift and tried to get to the magic portal, but I didn't really know how to find it. After getting back to the lift we went to a double and I backed out. Keep in mind that my brother was on a snowboard. He did the run and I was scared for him the whole way down. When I got down I saw him and he told me that I could do it. I joined him and it was so fun! It started as a gully then opened up into a field of moguls. We did this run 4 times and for the last run we took dad on it and it was so fun. (That was a really fun run, and added to a fun day. I actually skied with Rach all day, and Maren hung out with E and A. I think everyone had a good time- not really pushing too hard and just enjoying the movement. We have precious few of these days left, and this whole week was a blast!)

After we skied we left the resort and drove to the airport to drop my dad off. (I had a super delayed flight and got home ten hours later. Ugh. To say I was dragging a little at work the next day would be an understatement. Hooray for coffee, and an early bed time the next night.) After dropping him off we drove about half an hour to my grandma and grandpas' house. When we got there we ate and played some games. Then we went to bed. The next day we woke up and we ate breakfast. After breakfast we took a little time to get ready then we went on a hike. After the hike we went to an open house and looked around. The house was very cool and we had a good time. After the house we walked back home and got into the car to drive to Costco and have lunch. After lunch grandpa started a game of hide and seek. I found a great spot and got found at the last second. 

After Costco we went to a trampoline park called Jump Zone and it was very crowded so we decided to go to Deseret Industries instead (a thrift store). I played hide and seek there to until my mom found me and told me that I could find shoes and that she would buy them. I got 2 pairs and then we left. On the way home we stopped by a place called Whips and got pretzel bites to enjoy at home along with a game of Skyjo. That night we had a dinner of cheeseburgers and chips. Then we left and drove to Idaho Falls where we stayed at the same hotel by the river. We woke up the next day and ate at the hotel. After eating we got packed up to go and left to drive the rest of the way home. We got home at around 3:00 pm and we had some time to chill.

Have a good week!

Corbet's Cabin on top of Jackson Hole

Watching music after the lifts closed

The four of us skied a lot together.

The "Magic Portal" at Snowbird

This is also at Snowbird. See that binder in front of Rachel? It has become her constant companion. It is the script for the play she is working on, and she's been sneaking practice time in whenever she can. She's up on stage for the next two weekends and she's going to do great! 

Playing in powder at Alta

Planetarium people

    

    

I was riding up the lift when I looked down and saw four ski patrollers standing around a sled. There was a pair of white, child-sized skis laying in the snow next to the sled, and a smallish bundle wrapped up inside. I thought I recognized the skis, and my heart sank.

The lift kept moving me up the mountain and I was helpless to investigate further. I knew that Jack, Maren, and Lindsey had been skiing together. I knew that at some point they got separated. And I knew that Lindsey was prone to going off on her own to explore. Just then, my phone buzzed with an alert. It was Maren.

"Hey dad- this should be in the Hazard Chronicles. I will send you way more."

I looked at the picture. Lindsey is so fiery and weird and funny and charismatics all at the same time, and this picture seemed to bring that all out in her. I love it. And then I thought again about that little bundle in the sled. Those skis. My Lindsey. The ski patrollers weren't moving- they were consulting. Was that a good thing or a bad thing? There were four of them. That's unusual. 

I started to fret. The lift couldn't go fast enough. I kept the conversation light and didn't really feel panicked (I honestly don't know if my body is capable of panic), but I was thinking ahead- planning on straight-lining the entire mountain down to the scene once we were dropped at the top. The thought went through my mind- at least we're still in Idaho so we won't have to worry about insurance issues (I've wondered about what would happen if we were in Canada, for example). 

We got off. I tightened my boots, checked my goggles, and just as I was about to do the fastest run of my life, the phone rang. The screen said it was from Lindsey's number, and I braced myself.

Hello?

Hello?...

...Hey Dad! (It was Lindsey!) We're all ready for lunch. Have you seen Jack?

I was flooded with such a sense of relief that I don't even remember the rest of the conversation. I have no idea who was in that sled, but my heart goes out to them and their family. It didn't look great. But this brief little scare also made me profoundly grateful for our family. For Lindsey, and each of our kids. For our little adventures, and our health and ability to live life in the way we do. It's something I don't take for granted.

*****

As for our weekend, we were down in Boise this time, skiing at Bogus Basin. This is a great little resort with quite a bit of good terrain if you know where to look. We stayed two days, and did a little exploring around town when we could. We're at a time in life where kids are starting to look into options for undergrad studies (crazy, right?!) and the trip was also a little exploratory for this purpose as well. We all had a great time and got home safely.

Here are some more photos.

Before we get on to weekend pictures, we should recognize Evelyn and Addy. They both participated in a music festival thing a couple of weeks ago. It took most of a Saturday for them, so that was a sacrifice, but both of them came out with excellent marks and said they had fun. This picture is of Addy at a recent concert we went to (different than the festival mentioned above) when she was specifically recognized for her talent. 

This was a neat little outing. It turns out that there is a place in the middle of nowhere in Idaho, where you can walk through some fields and end up at a hole.

This is the hole. It isn't real big, and there is a ladder going down into it.

Once you climb down into the hole (about fifty feet), you are in a lava tube cave, which runs for about a quarter of a mile. It's pretty neat.

I don't really know what they are doing in this photo. I think they're trying to look tough? I just thought this picture should be saved in the historical record.

And now for some ski photos. I spent quite a bit of time with Lindsey on this trip.

Maren

This is Evelyn just casually climbing a tree with her skis on. I wasn't there and I have just as many questions as you do.

Have a good week!

This has been a week of projects for us, and it's been fun to check things off the list. For starters, we have noticed an increased need for study areas in our home. We have one small home office, but as kids have gotten older, the need for computers and workspaces has multiplied. To address this, we built spaces in Rachel's office and in my gym, both with large desks and computers with multiple monitors, and both of which are detached from the home and allow for some peace and quiet. The one in the gym also includes a projector with a theater-sized screen and sound system for online classes or movie nights if we want, so that's cool.

A second project was the addition of some new weight-lifting equipment to the gym, which required a little rearranging of things. I like the space- sometimes just moving things around is enough to make something seem brand new and I get a little shot of dopamine just walking into the building now.

Finally, we got done with a major milestone with the attic in Wallace. Carpet pad is done! So far we have done new windows, ceiling, walls, and subfloor. With the pad, the space definitely has more of a finished feel and we're starting to see a light at the end of this tunnel of a project. In fact, I think that we may be buying furniture by the end of next month!

We like doing projects. They bring us together. Usually. This is part of the fun of owning houses. And of having kids. Because the kids keep adding projects to the houses by breaking things that we have to fix. It's a great little cycle. This week, the house nearly burned down in a grease fire. Nobody was hurt, and the damage was mostly superficial. But now we get another project to add to the list! Yayeeee (in the most sarcastic voice ever). I love scrubbing and painting! Actually- this is one where I think I'll just pay someone else to do it. Ugh.

Here's a few more photos:

Ski club this week: Ev went on the trip too, but she skis with a different, more advanced group of friends. For Addy and Jack I think it's way more of a social thing and they just goof around the mountain all day.

Date night: Rachel and I went to see the play "Ride the Cyclone." I've been wanting to see this one for a while and it was super quirky and fun.

Have a good week!

On Friday, as part of her school's "math team," Lindsey went to a district wide math Olympics. Fourteen teams were there, and the event lasted all day. At the award ceremony at the end, Lindsey emerged with a first-place award for her school, and a 9th place overall. That's pretty neat.

The weekend before last, Maren got together with her two best friends and went to a tea party. It was a birthday thing, and I feel like all her wildest dreams came true. After that, she came home and had a sleepover party, complete with a fabulous cake shaped like a teapot that Rachel made. Due to technical difficulties, we don't have photos of the home part.

Last weekend, we all spent the night in Wenatchee and then skied at Mission Ridge the next day. Though it is a small resort, this is one of my favorite places to go. I really like doing these trips.

The three of us find ourselves skiing together a lot. It's a good little team.

Pizza in bed for the win. The travel/hotel/meals/together time are more important than the skiing on these trips. 

The day before Mission Ridge, Addy and I went up to our local resort for a half day. The sun was out and they were doing a park event and the whole mountain felt like a big party.

Have a good week!