And Then There Was One

On a scale of pain from one to ten, I would say getting my braces tightened falls in as a six. 

You know that point in time when you go to the bottom of the pool thinking you can hold your breath forever but then you realize you obviously can’t… Well seven is what your feeling on the journey to the surface. 

Then I would say mountain biking in general is an eight. 

That terrible moment when you bite into a lemon and your face feels like it is getting compressed into a raison, that’s the gruesome nine.

Then there are the things that you are thinking about like breaking a bone or biting your tongue. Those make up the decimals between nine and ten. 

So what is ten? Well, I can answer that for you.

This week I have experienced a terrible thing. The life of an only child. 

SEEESTERS in 2002

A year and a half ago my oldest sister, Katy, graduated high school and is now in college at Middlebury in Vermont. It felt so weird for the first few months. Four is so different than five. Grabbing four forks for dinner instead of five. Having only two sides of the couch occupied at once. And the weirdest of all, four people actually fit on the chairlift all together. 

Obviously it was only two weeks that I had to live in misery, because Nicole was just out of town. However, in less than one year the nightmare will actually become reality. And I will be forced to live that way for two whole years with my sisters all the way on the other side of the country. 

SEEESTERS in 2013

Soon, I’ll only be grabbing three forks. And there will be awkward spaces on the couch. AND there will only be three people on the chairlift forcing us to sit with a random stranger picked up from the singl es line. It doesn’t get much worse than that. 

I am often told that I should consider myself lucky to be the youngest in the family. And I do. I have the two most incredible older sisters in the entire world and I am fortunate to follow in their footsteps. However, as Katy and Nicole travel to college I am the one that is going to be left behind to bear the life of an only child. No sisters to drive me everywhere. No sisters to coach me on how to get through high school. And the worst of all, no sisters to yell at me for stealing their clothes. It’s weird, but I will definitely miss Nicole’s face when she sees me strolling around town wearing HER shirt. 

Through it all, I do know that Katy, Nicole, and I will remain best friends. #BFFL’s! (That stands for “Best Friends For Life” just incase you modern day uneducated moms were wondering). 

I finally understand why Janus Friis and Niklas Zennström created Skype… It’s for all the kids like me in the world to stay connected with their totally awesome and stylish sisters. I love you guys. 

The day Nicole walks out the door to head to college I will have officially met the dreaded ten. 

Where's Winter?

I ain’t no meteorologist but I know winter was not supposed to end on the first week of February. I think most Park City locals can agree that it is way to early for grass to be revealing and flowers to be budding. Yesterday I went about a routine that would fit more into a June weather pattern. Late June. I wore a t-shirt to school, I ran in shorts and a tank top, and I almost got stung by a bee. Maybe you didn’t hear that clearly… A BEE. You know, Winter is one of my favorite seasons. And one of the many reasons for that is because there are no mosquitos, ants, or bees. 

Somethin’ is up. And I do not like it. 

We are exactly half way through our ski season but it is starting to look like it may rap up before the anticipated date. It is like Spring skiing up on the hill. Sixty degrees, sweatshirts, and slush. 

*Please take a second glance at that last sentence. It contains alliteration,  in which a number of words begin with the same consonant sound. Shoutout to my sixth grade Language Arts teacher, Mrs. DeKoff. YOU DA BOMB<3*

ANYWAYS, Back on the topic of Spring… OH WAIT, it’s Winter not Spring. Sorry must have gotten the two missed up because at this moment they are lookin’ a whole lot alike and are very hard to distinguish. Oh man, I am heated. Heated, meaning angry but also a feeling of warmth, because I am not at all chilly like I am supposed to be during this season of Winter.

February 1st, 2015

February 11th, 2015

If you do not understand the pain I am in right now, you are probably live on the coast California and do not ever feel the desire for snow. OR you are from the East Coast where the snow is already abundant yet keeps on falling. I think mother nature has something against Utah… And I am bound to get to the bottom of whatever that is. 

I mean one week the high temperature is five degrees and snow won’t stop coming down. And then the low for the next week is fifty degrees and the sun beats down the entire day. OR it is fifty degrees and pouring down rain. RAIN. EW. 

If you have plans to visit Park City “the dream ski town” for winter vacation, I encourage you to change flights and visit Vermont, where those ski town dreams will actually come true. However, if you are THAT desperate to visit our town just make sure you throw a bikini in your suitcase. Your going to want it. 

Sadly, Mother Nature has left me with no choice but to anticipate more mood swings on the horizon. 

#sundance2k15

Hello to my loyal readers! And bon voyage to everyone else. YES, I am talking about you people who just came to look at my pictures... TOODLE-OO. 

Anyways, we all know that it is that time of year again. Park City becomes the definition of a "big" town. Which is a good thing because us locals get to meet famous people for the first time ever. But then it is not so grand when the roads are filled with insane lunatics and it takes me twenty minutes just to pull out of my driveway. 

Sundance in full swing up on Main Street.
(Photo Courtesy of Hoola)

And so begins the annual Sundance Film Festival... and an unhealthy stress level for me! YAY. 

In reality that is not entirely a true statement. I mean I am not stressed the entire time... Only when I have to deal the impolite tourists that think they are driving on the LA highways during rush hour. Although when they are rude I take that as the indication that I can be rude right back. So that means I get to use the car horn, YESSS. I really do love that thing!

Your thoughts perhaps?  " But you can see documentaries!" "And dress up!" "And meet famous people!"

Yeah, all those things about Sundance do make me feel lucky to live in Park City, but they are definitely not my favorite parts. My all-time favorite activity to do during Sundance is people watch. The act of watching random strangers walk by… and judging them. 

Point Made.
(Photo Courtesy to the big sis)

Now you probably think that I am some arrogant, judgmental, person but it isn’t like I am posting pictures of these people on the internet. Well… I have only done that once. Just kidding, I have come close to doing it, but never will. Anyways, if you saw what some of these tourists were wearing, you would definitely struggle to stifle a chuckle.

This year at Sundance I am not seeing that many films. In actuality, I only saw one. The film was called Dark Horse. It was really well made, entertaining, and a wonderful story. 

SPOILER ALERT: Just kidding! I ain’t gunna spoil nothing.

SPOILER ALERT: Did you actually think I would do it this time? #Gullible 

Anywho, today I leave for a ski race in Sun Valley so I’ll be skipping the tail end of Sundance this year. 

Last night I was thinking about this as I fell asleep. Obviously my first feeling was hallelujah, no more sundancers! And then, something weird happened. I felt… bummed.

Writing this blog made me realize something… they always do! Sundance does make me flustered and some people just get on my nerves. However, I think I would feel pretty upset if the festival went to any other town. Sundance is the one time that I get to live in a true ‘big’ town, and I have learned to embrace every aspect of it.