finding my groove

Well, it happened, folks. I went snowboarding for the first time of the '13-'14 season.

Back in, like, August, I bought a Big Sky card, which allows me to ski for free once each during opening an closing weeks, plus once for half price somewhere in the middle. So I took my freebie on Saturday with a few friends.

To be honest with you, I was equal parts nervous and excited. (I was nervous because: -I hadn't been snowboarding in nearly 10 months -I had only just begun to kind of figure out carving the last time I went -Frigid temperatures expected at Big Sky. I was excited because: -I hadn't been snowboarding in nearly 10 months -I have all of my own gear this year! -Big Sky provided me with my happiest memory of the 2012-2013 ski season -The Bowl -I just really love Big Sky.)

We stayed at the Stagecoach Inn in West Yellowstone Friday night. It's kind of a quaint and rustic hotel...

The Grand Staircase

O Christmas Tree...

Next morning, we got up and had breakfast, then bundled up, packed up the cars, and made our way to Big Sky, Montana!!!! 

Cameron was ecstatic to be on the mountain. He lives to ski.

It felt even colder than it looks...

Such a pretty morning...

Big Sky's claim to fame, I guess.
And really: who doesn't love Charles Norris?

Me and Brooke, bundled up at the hotel.

Who's who? It's hard to tell boys from girls when everyone's in ski gear, which makes me laugh.
Cameron, me and Brooke

Brooke and Cameron are much more experienced skiers than I am, so they went their own way, and I stuck to the lower lifts with Jordan and Chanelle. 

I don't think I mentioned exactly how nervous I was about my first time back on the mountain after nearly 10 months without any practice. Last year was my very first season of snowboarding, and I wasn't sure I'd remember anything, and I had no idea if I'd even be able to stand up on my board, let alone ride it down, never mind figuring out how to carve.

Turns out, I needn't have worried too much, because a lot of it came back pretty easily. (I only practiced carving on the really shallow portions of each run.) And, good news! I didn't fall even one time getting off the lifts! (That was always the hardest part for me last year.)

I've forgotten nearly everything Jon taught me re: carving, but I feel like I might make some pretty good progress this season...

I took this during a break after riding The Bowl.

Isn't it so lovely?

Christmas trees...

This was on my last run of the day. I was exhausted and chilled to the bone.

Chanelle, somewhere in The Bowl.

After riding the bowl, I headed back to the lodge to warm up and chill with Jordan and Sean while Cam, Brooke and Chanelle finished up on the hill. I looked at my weather channel app and was totally shocked to read the temperature with windchill factored in...

-9, but feels like -21. Eesh!

My entire body hurts quite a bit today, but I'm happy with how well my first ride of the season went! So excited the '13-'14 season is here! Huzzah!

Turn Up the Christmas Music!

I woke up to freshly fallen snow this morning and I wasn't even upset about it. Not only that, but it kind of made me smile!

It's quite pretty...

Does this mean I'm growing up, or "maturing"?
Or is this a side effect of having "learned" to snowboard last winter?

Probably the latter.

Either way, I'm smiling that I'm smiling over the snow. Woohoo!

Now excuse me while I find my Christmas playlist on iTunes, and make myself a mug of hot cocoa...

frozen toes and fingers, too

It's happening, folks. Fall is giving way to winter. I'm not ready to say goodbye to autumn just yet, but what can a girl do, who, by choice, lives in south-east Idaho? We have four seasons here, but some of them are short-lived, and the length of each season varies (sometimes tremendously) from year to year.

I saw my first snowflakes Monday evening as I was driving to my friend Jeanna's house. And although I won't fully feel ready for snow until after Thanksgiving, I have to appreciate that the snow held off until November. So. Thank you, Idaho.

My folks woke up to a few inches in Brigham City Monday morning. Although the snow hasn't stuck yet here in Idaho Falls, it still feels very wint'ry, and the reasons are twofold:

1) Daylight Savings ended early Sunday morning. I love me that extra hour of sleep, I really do, but it hurts my soul that darkness comes so early these days. I get out of work at around 5:45 most nights, and there is no sunlight left by that point. It makes most people me want to go home and stay there for the remainder of the night, snuggled up in my jammies with a cup of hot cocoa and a good book. But stuff still happens in the evening; just because it looks and feels like midnight does not make it so. Therefore, I must be strong and not switch into pajamas, and I must try to be social when things are going on. Daylight Spending, you wicked thing!

hello darkness my old "friend"

2) It's cold. I wake up to below-freezing temperatures (anywhere between 20-30 F), and with windchill, my Weather Channel app tells me, "Hey, Gina, it's 22* outside right now, but it actually feels like 15*." And it's only November 6th...

Regardless of the cold, though, my favorite holidays are right around the corner! I've been looking forward to Thanksgiving Week since August, I do believe. I'll be spending the entire week of Thanksgiving down in Utah with my family, as has become tradition. An entire week of family. And cooking. And watching a chick-flick or two with my momma. And seeing all of my nieces and nephews. And playing games. And eating delicious homemade goodness. And listening to Christmas music. (I may or may not have listened to Mannheim Steamroller Christmas on Pandora a couple of times since Sunday. Judge not.)

they make my heart so, so happy

Then it's back to Idaho Falls and work, blink, then suddenly back to Utah to spend another awesome week with the fam. (I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping; I've never been so far ahead on this front before.)

Ah, early wintertime holidays, I love you

calendaring

I've been looking at my calendar for November and December a lot the last couple of days. Planning a thing or two, you see...

HOW DID IT GET TO BE OCTOBER 21st ALREADY? I mean! REALLY!

Once Thanksgiving hits, the year just flies on by with ferocious velocity; it's almost indecent, except that it's the most wonderful time of the year. AND IT'S ALREADY NEARING THE END OF OCTOBER, AND I'M JUST LIKE... ? ! ?

Anyway, I've got a fun thing or two coming up, and that's not even counting the holidays. Moab will be happening near the beginning of November. The Gina/Moab history is short, and it isn't kind, for the most part. (Evidence found here, here and here; my latest trip was the most brutal, but whatev.)

You'd think I wouldn't want to return, right? I mean, you'd really think.

Alas, I am determined to give it another go. I really want to love Moab, and I do have a smattering of fun/funny recollections in the montage of memories created the first two times I went. Plus: 1) I was invited to go again. 2) It will be a fairly inexpensive vacation (all things considered). And 3) It will give me something to look forward to before Thanksgiving happens. Also, 4) I feel like Moab deserves a third shot; if it fails me this time, I can say "Moab hates me" and really know it to be true...

Besides Moab, I've got a couple of snowboarding trips on the agenda before the new year begins. I got a Big Sky card, which allows me to board for free once each, opening and closing weeks (YES!). Also, my BOGO at Snowbird has to be used by December 25th, and I've gotta take advantage of that.

Look at that, I'm truly not dreading the coming winter. I've never been able to say that before...

Here are a few pictures to look at. They have nothing to do with this post, but I feel okay about that.

Let's start with a beautiful Idaho sunset...

...or two.

I recently discovered, while looking in my medicine/toiletry drawers
that I've got three tubes of Neosporin.
Three ought to be enough to last me quite some time, yes?

I. LOVED. General Conference at the beginning of the month.

Off and on, it's beginning to feel like scarf season.

I went to the dentist  earlier this month, and I am cavity-free, baby!

I've been having fun with an iPhone app called XnScetch.

I really like it.

Also, I got my craft on last Saturday at a RS activity.
I can't tell you how much I love my cute little turkey...

Happy Monday to you all!

big skyin' it

Last weekend, I headed up to Big Sky, Montana with a group of friends. We stayed in a cabin. We played games. We wandered the little resort town. We went ice skating. We sat in the hot tub. We headed up to Big Sky ski resort and skied/snowboarded. 

It. Was. Bliss.

I think this was the second year that this group has done the Big Sky/cabin thing, but it was my first trip up there, and it must be said: Montana is gorgeous country!

And? Getting the heck out of dodge was kind of exactly what I needed. (Being in a cabin in the mountains with friends is refreshing unto my soul in any season.)

Wandering around town with Michelle and Dain

Dain found this...trident (?)...of icicles and posed for a picture.
He mostly asked me to hurry; something about his hand being cold?

Dain's pancake. I think he said pancakes taste better if they're shaped like Mickey 

Keri and Michelle

Refueling (lunchtime!)

The Three Amigas: Gina, Keri, Michelle

Some of the lifts were very cold...

...but for the most part, it was an all-around gorgeous day...

...with a funny experience or two along the way.
(Yep. Mark ripped his bibs. May they rest in peace.)

This is one of the...ah..."funny" experiences I was talking about.
We went exploring and got caught in a bunch of cat tracks (back to back to back).
As it turns out, Michelle LOATHES cat tracks. Like, to the point of, "either laugh or cry."
She kinda did both at once. I did too, technically, but mine was more "laugh until you cry."
This is probably my favorite memory of the entire weekend:
Talking Michelle through the ridiculous cat tracks.

A little pick-me-up for Michelle.
PS frozen skittles are not a bad little sugar boost on the hill!

Up top (ish): me and Mark

Mark had the idea to go up as far as we could (without getting on the tram at the top:
none of us were too keen to experience black diamonds, thank you very much).

...and it ended up being a very good idea.
(A stunning picture of the lovely Keri)

And here we have Michelle.
She made a stupendous crash right as I hit the shutter.
Gosh, I love this girl. (She's actually pretty good, I was just in the right place at the right time!)

Cutest Keri...

The snowboarding happened on Saturday; we had a blast on the hill, then went back to the cabin for dinner, the hot tub, and some excellent conversation. Then we were up at dawn to drive home for churchy obligations Sunday morning...

On the drive home (taken from the back of Jason and Lisa's truck), I give you,
a gorgeous view of the Tetons...

I'll be darned if that wasn't one spectacular road trip with friends...

stuff i've been up to

Clearly, I'm not terrific at even kind of keeping up on blogging...

Ugh. I want to be better, but it takes time that I guess I'd rather spend elsewhere?

I feel sad to have actually typed those words, but they ring true...

Anyway...I've taken pictures of stuff I've been up to:

Tasha had a birthday!

Tasha made gnocchi and sauce, and shared with me, and it was delicious!

I've been enjoying hot cocoa in my cute new teacups...

I've tried snowboarding a couple more times.
I want to say I'm getting the hang of it...

I've been hanging out with Michelle!

I've been nursing a cold...

I went to Brigham City for a couple of days...

I retook the love language test and learned that I'm more of a touchy person than I thought!
Quality time (11); Physical Touch (10); Words of Affirmation (6);
Acts of Service (3); Receiving Gifts (0)
WHO KNEW?

I've also been watching the Vicar...funny stuff!

Tomorrow after work, I'm heading to Big Sky, Montana to play with a handful of friends (and also to board at a mondo resort!). I think I"m excited!!