Kicking off the year with Ski Lessons at Bridger Bowl

The farthest parking lot from the hill - full!

Chase waiting for Cody

Ski lessons have begun for the Mogul Mice at Bridger Bowl. Cody started lessons today and loved them. The morning didn't go off without a few hitches though. We awoke to six fresh inches of snow on our long and winding driveway. Bill headed out early to plow some snow, leaving our driveway a treacherous slope for maneuvering. I knew Bridger would be a mad house 1) being a Saturday, 2) having 12 inches of new snow, and 3) being the start of first session lessons - so I vowed to leave at 8:30 giving us 1 and 1/2 hours to get there. We left at 8:50, and I immediately got stuck in the driveway. I couldn't open my driver's side door because I was so far into the drift. Neighbors came to help me dig out and Bill came by to tow me back on level pavement.

9:15. We're officially on our way. We arrive at the entrance at 10:05, and find a line of cars stacked clear down the highway.

10:25: Cody arrives for his lesson, so yeah, long morning.

He had a blast though. Here are some photos of our day.

Cody sees Chase and runs to him

Happy 2012!

We welcomed in the new year with a morning of family snuggles in the bed!

Bill's Birthday Celebration

On Bill's birthday, Wednesday June 23rd, we gathered in our backyard with some family and friends to celebrate over a lasagna dinner! Dinner was followed by a red velvet birthday cake. Fresh flowers were picked by Madison Strauss to adorn guests hair during the evening! :)

Cody's First Birthday

We gathered at the Conover Farm to celebrate Cody's first birthday. As you can tell, we all wore birthday hats in honor of the little man, and even Tom joined in the hat-wearing festivities! There was cake, presents and general merry-making all day!

Our first camping trip of the season!

The weekend before Cody's birthday, we went camping with Cathy and Rich. We took the dogs and drove a couple hours to this great location with two lakes. We had excellent weather and took advantage of an amazing hike, and of course the lake!

Flooding in Nashville

I've been talking to my parents this week about the flood in Nashville where they live and where I was born. The water level has reached over 50 feet in some areas and has greatly affected the Opryland Hotel and the Titan's football stadium among other major landmarks.

Luckily, my parents' home in Old Hickory was untouched by the waters, but my mom's office downtown was closed Monday. Here is a photo my parents took of the water as they tried to navigate around town on Sunday.

The Big Move

On April 14, 2010, we drove out of Austin with all our earthly possessions, our son, Cody and our trusty dog, Tom, and headed for Bozeman, MT.

We packed a 26 foot UHaul truck full of our stuff and trailered our new Suburban, named "Esteban" behind the moving truck. Bill's parents helped us drive to Montana over a three day road trip.

The first night, we stopped in Amarillo, TX, and stayed at the famous Big Tex Motel. We dined in the Big Tex Steak House - famous for their 72 oz steak, which we learned was devoured by the hot dog eating champion in less than 9 minutes...a record time! For anyone who can eat the steak in less than an hour, it's free. Needless to say, we didn't attempt to eat the steak, but we did enjoy the experience of the Big Tex, including the country trio that played in the restaurant (pictured here with Cathy and Cody - who we learned was mistrustful of men in black hats!)

The second night, we stayed with Bill's Uncle Bill in Denver. He cooked an entire turkey dinner for us and made sandwiches for our trip the next day. We also got to visit with Grandpa Don that evening. A great stop!

The third and final day, we made it to Bozeman with beautiful sunny skies- Cody even offered to drive the UHaul!

We made it! Now, we start our new adventure in Montana...