Park City

Our last Saturday in Utah (the 21st) was a blast! We left our hotel early in the morning and headed to Park City. Our first stop was the 2002 Winter Olympic Park. (Let me warn you, there are lots of photos!)

Testing out a luge:

Jason showing how it's done:

The Exum bobsled team:

If I was not pregnant, I would have paid to ride down the bobsled track!

Our little torch bearer:

This little guy could not wait to get outside and see the snow:

Jason and Jeff saying goodbye before they get on the lift to ride the zip line:

The Bombardier snow groomer:

This captivated Jackson's attention while we waited for Jace and Jeff:

Here they come:

After the Olympic Park, we ate lunch at Whole Foods Market. Thank You, Lord! (Whole Foods is to me what Nordstom and Neimans is to most women.) Then, we took Jackson tubing at Gorgoza Park. This was a blast!! We paid for one ride for Jason and Jackson just to make sure Jackson was going to like it and so that Jason could see how rough it would be for me and baby girl. Well, Jackson loved it and it was smooth sailing for me. We bought two hours of nonstop fun. The sun was shining and it was actually pretty warm. We didn't need our jackets most of the time.

One his way to his first ride:

Jason and Jackson are on the third slope, which we found out was the worst one. It was slow and you would stop about halfway.

A confirmed success. Now off to buy our two-hour passes:

Already showing responsibility:

Poor guy...he must have been thirsty:

Our threesome:

Jason was the man! Walking in that slushy snow was like walking on a super sandy beach...a workout. I kept having Braxton Hicks. Does this mean I'm out of shape!

Still thirsty?! Or just cooling off?

Going up to the slope:

Just before we headed down, one of the attendants offered to take our photo. Jackson loved it when he gave us a running start.

On our way down:

Up again:

Down again:

Every time we got to the bottom, Jackson would say, "I want to do that again." He was surprisingly quiet while we were there. I guess he was just taking it all in and enjoying himself.

After Gorgoza, we headed up to Main Street in Park City to enjoy the shops. Jason's dad and mom went to Park City the summer that he passed away. I kept trying to imagine them there having a great time together.

This last photo is proof of the many mistakes I make as a mom. I forgot to put sunblock on my baby (and my husband) when we were 10,000 feet above sea level!!! I usually don't burn, so I don't always remember; although, I know I need it too. The photo doesn't show how red they really were. We stopped at Whole Foods Market on the way home and I bought aloe vera gel. I bathed him in it that night and the next day. It faded very quickly and neither of them peeled. Yay!! It took me about 24 hours to get over the fact that I let UV rays burn his 2-year-old skin.

Sunday, we rested! Monday, we played in the hotel room with Jackson. Tuesday, I took Jackson to the Children's Museum while Jason worked. Wednesday, I did laundry and packed because we made a spur of the moment decision to start our drive to Colorado Springs and get ahead of the winter storm. We didn't get to Colorado until 3:30 in the morning but we are so glad that we left when we did. Thursday-Saturday we had a fantastic time with some of the greatest friends of all time, and Sunday we made the long journey back to Oklahoma City. I'll post more about all of that later, but right now I'm trying to nail down painters and wood floor installers for our new home. We close at the end of this month!

Salt Lake and the Gateway

Last Friday, Jason had the afternoon off, so we decided on a taking a tour of Salt Lake.

Saltair Resort - intended to be the Coney Island of the west - was destroyed by fire twice and flooded once:

This is the former site of a railway line that serviced the lake and the Saltair Resort:

A view of Antelope Island:

On the road across from the lake:

Photos taken at the Great Salt Lake Marina:

Jackson loved walking over all of the rocks. He tripped once and came millimeters from busting his head on a large rock.

After our tour of the lake, we decided to walk through the Gateway and then grab dinner. The Gateway is basically an outdoor mall. There are tons of shops and restaurants, a children's museum, IMAX, planetarium, movie theater, and a place for live music and entertainment.

While Jason and his friend Jeff looked for some pen refills, I walked over to Olympic Legacy Plaza with Jackson so he could run around in the Olympic Snowflake Fountain. I wasn't sure if he'd like it because he usually doesn't like to get his clothes wet, but I'm trying to teach him that it is okay and he should have fun.

A little unsure of the water spraying on him:

He did enjoy himself, but was "all done" after about 5-10 minutes.

I really like this area...well, the geography. I love the mountains, and they are everywhere! My absolute favorite thing to do is to go skiing. I would be in heaven if I could ski right now. There are tons of resorts within an hour's drive and we just got snow on Monday. The moutains are covered. I can only imagine how great the skiing must be right now.