Sleeping Giant

Today was all about the slopes...and staying warm!

Little sister and I are ready to head out and carve some turns.

My whole family stays safe and warm with each one of us wearing helmets!

I'll admit...I had said before we got out of the truck to NOT buy me a lift ticket yet, because I wasn't sure I was wanting to ski. As we left town the truck thermometer started out at 0 and ended at -14 when we pulled into the parking lot. I wasn't exactly thrilled about being there. But my family talked me into it and I'm glad I decided to take some runs. I stayed pretty warm and as soon as I got cold we would head to the lodge to warm the fingers and toes.

It helped to have some hot cocoa!

It was a gorgeous day on the hill. I have never skied Sleeping Giant. It's not a big resort, but if it wasn't for these little resorts, kids would never learn to ski. It was a clear and sunny day. We got to see some pretty country.

If this country wasn't filled with a grizzly encounter at every mile...I would think seriously about wanting to do some backpacking in the summer months to get a closer look. BUT...I'm not really that brave when it comes to grizzly bears!

We stayed on the hill til just about 1...and the parking lot was still not full. I think the cold temperatures had something to do with that.

Hubby unfortunately had to stay home because of his multiple knee surgeries from this past year. But, he had the house nice and toasty and the chili was not burned. So he did his job for the day.

I can now say that I have skied Sleeping Giant!

awwwwwwesome!

I feel very blessed to have the adventure from today!

We (Mom, Dad, Hubby, and myself) drove up the North Fork towards the East Entrance to Yellowstone National Park. This time of year there are big horn sheep all over because the snow pushes them down to lower elevations during the winter months. When we visit my family we always take a drive and check out the animals. Every trip is special....today was just a little extra special. ;)

This is a pretty brand new little one. He was coughing and sneezing the whole time we sat and watched this group. Don't worry we determined that he wasn't sick or dying...he just had something stuck in his throat.

We continued up the road a little bit and came to the next group and found two males sizing each other up. They must have planned it this way, because there was a pull out right across from them on the highway. We sat there for about an hour watching them "knock heads" (totally awesome) and do their ritual. The ritual is quite interesting and may vary on the rams. They stand apart from each other and stare each other down. Then one ram will walk across and sniff the other and kick it a little (doesn't happen all the time) and then the one being sniffed will walk away and turn around. This is where the action begins! They raise up on their hind legs and lunge towards each other knocking skulls with an incredible amount of force. This might be a once in a lifetime experience. The sound that comes off of the "knocking heads" is just incredible. Dad and Mom spent a lot of time trying to time the perfect picture of the heads fully knocking, but where unsuccessful with the first 2 rams. There was a lot of faking out on the rams' part. But then Mom figured out how to change her fancy camera into "quick picture taking" mode.

We drove up the river to where the road was closed and then came back to these rams and they had actually moved up the hill a little and had another ram join them.

This time there wasn't so much "ritual." Basically they struck at any moment and you had to be ready! I credit Dad with these next shots!

the beginning

the middle

the end!

We watched these 3 go at it for about another 30-45 minutes.

Once they were down "arguing" about dominance....they headed up the hill where their audience sat this entire time. Including another ram (you can see him laying down).

We came home and had to take little Remi Roo to the vet. 75 bucks later we determined she has kitty acne, and we were given some antibiotics to help clean it up.

My family is heading the Sleeping Giant tomorrow, which is the little ski area up the North Fork. Luckily Hubby brought along my ski bag, but guess I will have to rent skis...BUT...I opened my ski bag and had new mittens! I couldn't remember if I bought them and put them in there or what. It was finally revealed that Hubby bought them for me LAST YEAR and was going to give them to be, but he forgot where he put them...right up until I pulled them out of my bag. Ooops. Surprise to me!

I can't wait until tomorrow. Sad news is Hubby can't join because of his knee surgery he had in October. The physical therapist doesn't want him on the slopes until next year. :( Guess he'll get to stay home and watch the puppies and football without me.

the great snowshoe

Our FIRST great adventure together included a little trip into the Bighorns to test out some new snowshoes we both received for Christmas!

Yes, this is the hubby. He always looks like he's having that much fun.

It was our first time on snowshoes. My family all got them a while back, but when I was asked if I wanted some I declined. I wasn't into the nature and hiking back then. For some reason...my job has drastically changed that feeling!

As you can see from the dusts of powder...Hubby definitely had a learning curve on them. Just kidding...he goofs off like this all the time. He was a giant white marshmallow when he was done pretending he didn't know what he was doing.

This is our famous "foot shot." Maybe more proof that we were actually snowshoeing.

We went roughly a mile back on the trail until it dead ended. These trails are groomed every so often during the winter and primarily used as cross-country ski trails. BUT...these trails allow puppies!

We all stopped for lunch/snack after we had reached the end of the trail. My parents brought a jetboil (greatest camping invention EVER!) and we had enough gas to make one cup of hot cocoa to share amongst all of us. We even managed to take some time to take a group shot! It only took 3 tries!

I guess Twogwotee thought she was top dog and HAD to be in the "practice shot."

Here's the real deal!

We had a very gorgeous day...minus the hum of snowmobiles in the back ground. Thankfully this area is closed off to the machines and we didn't have to worry about them zipping past us at 60 mph and spinning us around like you see in the cartoons. We were blessed with a little sunshine after our lunch stop.

This is only day 1 of my secret adventure. I'm not allowed to ask questions. I'm only along for the ride. My birthday is coming up on the 4th and this is all Hubby's plan. Except...I knew we were going snowshoeing! Can't wait to see what the next 9 days have coming!



new tires?

The hubby and I took the trek over the hill today to my parent's house to spend Christmas surrounded by family. It was seeming to go very smooth and harmless. I had asked him to pull over at a turn off on the mountain so we could let the puppy out to run a little while. Let me remind you...the road was snow packed in spots, but mostly dry. There is snow in EVERY turn out, and some of them are pretty deep as they aren't used very frequently in the winter months. We see a perfect pull out, nice and big. Plenty of room for a little 8-month old to romp to her little hearts content. He pulls off and just continues into the open area. I begin to think...this looks more like a spot for snowmobiles and NOT a Subaru Outback. You guessed it. Next I knew...we were stuck! I had to laugh, but then when I realized it might take us a while to get out...I got a little mad. Luckily my husband knows what he's doing and we were only stuck for maybe 30 minutes at most. I was praying someone would stop by and pull us out, but I was also praying NO one would drive by and see we where stuck. Conclusion that we came to...looks like I'm getting a new set of shoes on my car for my birthday.

We made it to Cody with plenty of time to spare. Had great roads along the way. Pretty boring trip...except for when we had our minor set back. But the hubby and I managed to not even yell at each other...he did his thing and I just watched.

All the family (parents, sister, grandparents and uncle) made it safely and are getting ready to settle in for a nice peaceful night. Tomorrow is Jesus' birthday!

day 1

Today began my marathon/triathlon/bahama bikini body training. Over the weekend I watched the running of the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii and thought "that would be fun." I just need to learn to swim, bike 112 miles, and run a marathon all in the same time frame. Perfect bucket list item! Then began the thought of..."Who could I get to train and actually do this with me?" Everyone I asked just seemed to laugh at me. But my sister came back with..."I'll do the Boston Marathon." Ok...sounds like a good start. I just have to learn to run a marathon. Maybe I should start small first. When I went to the gym this afternoon (yes, day 1 of being unemployed and I am as lazy as can be!), I jumped on the bike first. I can't do the DREADMILL. I absolutely hate it, so I better be getting use to running in the Wyoming winters. Ohh fun! I won't have the wind to compete with in Sheridan. Anyways...back to the bike. I rode 4.25 miles in 20 minutes...which adds up to just shy of 13 miles an hour...which means it would take dang near 9 hours to finish a 112 mile bike ride at that pace...this "goal" of the Ironman is kind of slowly moving its way to the bottom of the "possibility" list. REMEMBER ASHLEY-YOU'RE ONLY ON DAY 1. I don't know that I have a goal right now...maybe run a 10K here in the spring, and bump up to a half marathon next year. My family is always going to Moab, UT for runs. Half marathons and 10K, 5 milers...maybe I should join in participating instead of being a cheerleader! That's it....I'll slowly work on running, biking, and er...swimming (my weak point) this spring and hopefully be able to continue motivation into the summer. Bahama bikini body training is more...inverted sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups. My abs are already sore...tomorrow should be fun! :) and after the first of the year my "insanity" workouts will pick back up. If you want a home workout, that's actually a workout...I fully endorse Insanity! Great cardio and strength training!

grrrrreat!

Just figured out something pretty great...I can keep you updated from the comfort of my house and the familiarity of my blackberry. So when it becomes a complete blizzard outside next month I don't have to bundle up to go to the library. Only downfall is...no uploading of pictures possible from the crackberry.

On the eve of my pending unemployment I find myself surprisingly very calm and relaxed. Give me a week or two and that will most definitely not be the case. Not only am I sure to be getting a case of cabin fever, but also I'll be pretty broke.

Earlier today, a co-worker asked me what exactly is a blog. I tried to find the correct way to explain it. Yes, its a journal...but also can be a great place to share training ideas, recipes, motivational messages. Mine will probably more consist of a continuous Christmas letter. You know how this time of year you have a special list of people and you write 1 letter to send out and summarize all your updates in the past year into 1 page...mine sometimes go a little long into 2 pages. So...that's kind of my "theme" if I have to pick one...my year-long Christmas letter!

i really did it?

holy canoly! I can't believe I actually started a blog. Weird. I think I've got a lot to learn and play with to get it all down. We'll see where this blog takes me....I know exactly where I'll be next week as I enter unemployment...the library to be able to have internet access. I'm not fully sure that my blog really has a theme. Probably more just going to be trials and tribulations of adventures. CRAP! I've already ran out of stuff to say...this can't be a good thing for my first official blog post.