Confessions of a 1st time Detoxer

So, today I woke up and decided it would be a good idea to do a 7 day Detox. Hmmmm...not sure why I thought this, but now that I've started I'm in for the long (ya, 7 loooong days) haul! I'll be posting my experiences each day and would love your encouragement, advice, and personal experiences with these things. It's my first time and I'm a little freaked out already!

Day 1: 9am - I arrive at work and purchase the SeaSource Detox Spa aka 7 bottles of magic spa detox potion for $49 + tax from a colleague who sells Arbonne. Instructions: mix 1 bottle with 32 ounces of water and drink in 1-2 hours (morning recommended) and then follow that with another 32 ounces of water (minimum). Complement detox with healthy eating regimen (no white carbs, no sugar, lots of veggies and fruits, no pop, no alcohol and lots of water).

So...my friend tells me its not that bad and I believe her! Stupid me! It not only smelled like bad medicine, it produced a brown muddy looking water, sick! I painstakingly drank the solution the next two hours at work, almost gagging a few times until i started holding my nose...so ridiculous I know! Then i figured out that if i had gum in my mouth and took it out while drinking and replaced it right after the taste would go away faster. Brilliant.
12pm - Feeling hydrated and already hungry for lunch. How can this be? Well, I already packed a frozen burrito, carrots and hummus for lunch, so I just tried to eat as little of the tortilla as possible.
7pm - Dinner...even after working out, I'm not that hungry...prob because I'm full of liquid. So, I avoid wheat and indulge in spicy flax seed tortilla chips, salsa, hummus and a bowl of mixed veggies. Random. But feeling full.
9pm - I have a hankering for something sweet so I grab a Clif Kids Bar...it may have sugar, but it's organic!

One day down. Six to go!

Day 2: 6a.m. I decided to work out this morning before drinking the detox b/c last night i was only able to walk on the treadmill..my stomach felt so sloshy and weird. After a good work out, I was trying to be good and stick to the strict eating regime so I grabbed the box of Corn Flakes and poured a big bowl, added some organic whole wheat flax cereal to mix it up and vanilla almond milk. Corn Flakes should be ok right? They're bland, fat free, low cal, etc. WRONG...Turns out that these friendly flakes are well...quite flaky! Upon inspecting the ingredients, of which there were 5, 2 of them were SUGAR and HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP! You can imagine my horror! Well, not being a wasteful person, I just buckled down and ate the whole bowl regardless...oops.

9am - Pretty similar to yesterday...get in, make the potion and mentally prepare myself for the 2 worst hours of my day. Man...this stuff is really making me dread mornings. Oh well...I found a new method to make this process go faster. Each time i drink the potion, I now make sure to swallow four times. I found that I prefer to drink more volume less often and then follow with the gum, of course!

12:30pm - Had previously planned a lunch date with a friend, so I decided to brown bag a salad in order to try and adhere to my plan. It was good...but left something to be desired.

3:30pm - Still haven't curbed my hunger. This stinks...all handy snack options are processed and super carb/sugar laden, ugh. But wait, a client meeting just ended and there's free food for the taking. Excellent. Scavengering is quite common at ad agencies...we aren't shy. I don't even look at the fabulous cakes and desserts and head straight for the salad...it's tough, but I'm on a mission. This does the trick and I'm back on my game.

6:45pm - What to do about dinner? I realize i picked a good week to do this since I got groceries this past weekend (sometimes I've gone a whole month without visiting the grocery!). Well, since I'm obsessed with hummus, I have whole carrots (taste way different than the baby variety), hummus, supplemented with flax corn tortilla chips and a Trader Joe's chicken and cheese tamale, which is delicious. I know the tamale is a little off base, but I am finding dinner harder to accommodate (when there's not much time or motivation to cook). Any suggestions?


Day 3: 6am came early today. Yesterday I already felt I had more energy and it was easier to get up. Today it was easy to wake up, but tough to get my tush out of bed. Once up, I grabbed a Clif Kids bar and was on my way to the gym.

8:30am - After the working out and getting ready, I was starving and having trouble finding a fitting breakfast food for this detox (no eggs in the house...apparently I love carbs for breakfast!). Then I saw it. Staring at me in my cupboard was my coveted Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter (seriously, this is my favorite food ever). Rereading the label for the millionth time (just for safe measure) I was pleased that this simple, yet delicious food has only 2 ingredients: Peanuts & Salt. Both of which are allowed. Hallelujah! So, I slapped some on 2 pieces of sprouted grain bread and called it a meal. The sheer satisfaction of this meal gave me a brilliant idea; A peanut butter only detox diet. I would sooo rock that detox. If any of you know of one like that let me know! I'm all over it! haha!

9:00am - Back to the most "magical" two hours of my morning...brown juice. I'm still not loving this stuff, but have stopped gagging when it goes down my trachea. Tomorrow I'll take a pic to share!

1:45pm - Lunch with the boss. Brought a salad again today, with tuna, grapes, pineapple and goat cheese. I also used dressing (Newman's Own Light Sun Dried Tomato), which I realized (after the fact) had sugar, but at least it is all natural and has no HFCS!!! Geeze...this is hard!

4:00pm - It's Birthday Bash day at work and thus we always have free snacks and beer/wine/pop. I decided to brave the party and opt for carrots, cherry tomatos and sugar snap peas and chips and salsa and hummus - a great mini dinner/snack. I didn't even let myself look at the chocolate cake with tons of gooey yummy icing...i think i'll have to go to the local bakery and get an icing shot when this is done!

7:00pm - Leader meeting at church where they are serving dinner, PASTA, of course! So, I refrained from breaking bread with my peers and opted for half a bag of Starbucks Almonds and Peach Detox Tea.

9:30pm - Home sweet home. I'm not feeling super satiated from the almonds, so i have a bowl of organic flax granola and almond milk (there i go with the carbs again!). This does the trick.

All in all, I'm pretty proud of myself. Learning a lot about food, discipline and my undying love for Diet Coke! Weird that this is the thing i miss most...i only have 1 a day and I don't even get caffeine headaches now. But I just want my ritual back!!!

Day 4:
9am - So here I am. Chugging down the brown potion in my office. This picture masks my disgust. I didn't make it to the gym today - blaming it on knee pain (not fatigue). I started the day with a bowl of the same flax seed granola and almond milk that i had for dinner last night. Guess I'm a creature of habit?!? Leah gave me an excellent idea to help with things that are "hard to swallow"...Use a straw. It helps the untasty liquid bypass your sensitive taste buds and launches the liquid to the back of your throat! Why didn't I think of that? I use straws all the time to keep my pearly whites, well, white!

11:30am - Feeling a little hungry. So, I grab the half bag of Starbucks Almonds and it does the trick. I love those lil guys!

3:00pm - I haven't been hungry for hours and feeling pretty alert. I realize that i haven't had the mid-afternoon crashes that used to plague my work days. Hmmmm...could be linked to no pop and carbs that can spike your energy and then put you in a food coma! I decide to eat my salad (lettuce, goat cheese, grapes, pineapple, dressing). A repeat of yesterday minus the tuna, but still good.

5:00pm - Made plans to hit up a neighborhood bar (Sedgwick's) for dinner and March Madness...already wondering what I'll eat there ;-)

7:30pm - Arrive at the bar ready to scour the menu for something healthy. Immediately upon finding my friends I'm faced with a tough choice...popcorn. Not the pop in a bag kind either. The straight up salty/buttery goodness kind. And...i succumb. It was so yummy and i was starved. I hadn't had any caffeine all day, so i decided to order some iced tea. When it arrived, I instantly noticed it was INSTANT! Gross. I really despise instant tea and am usually a snob at restaurants and make them take it back and bring me a DC instead. But seeing as this wasn't an option for me, I begrudgingly drank the koolaid. Also, as if I haven't already had enough chips and salsa the past 3 days, I ordered an app of the famed duo. Amy contributed to the Mexican fiesta by ordering guac. I was a happy camper. For my entree I was actually good and ordered a bowl of the chicken chili with black beans, chicken and vegetables. It was good, but I'm guessing pretty fibrous b/c my stomach started not to feel too hot shortly after. Oh...for the love of Detox!

Day 5: The spin bike is my detox nemesis!!! Ok everyone, get ready for a good laugh. So, I wake up early (8:45 on a Saturday) and decide to get my butt back to the gym since I missed yesterday. I checked the gym schedule and there was a 10:15 spin class that I was excited for b/c I hadn't been since January, eek. I grab a Clif Bar and water bottle and head to the gym. The class starts and it's my favorite teacher, what luck! She's a really tough instructor so I was 30 minutes into it and working hard. Sweat rolling down my cheeks, shortness of breath, all the wonderful things of a hard workout and then...my stomach started grumbling and rumbling. Not a low murmur I could ignore. It then started hurting and I knew I needed a bathroom break asap. But I didn't want to stop the workout, ahh...tough decision - stay and take it easy or break for a pit stop and return in superb form? I chose the latter. Also, I must be honest and say there was some embarrassment involved...I even grabbed my water bottle so that people would think i was just filling up my bottle, haha...i can hope it worked! The break was a wise decision. I did make a comeback and was able to finish the race. Victory was mine!

12pm - Drink the magic potion through a straw as I get ready. The straw is by far the best method I've found.

1pm - About to head out and hang with a friend and decide to have a snack. Can you guess? Chips and salsa and hummus. Lunch of champions.

5pm - Still hangin with Linds and we are a little hungry so we head over to the corner convenience store and pick up some munchies - Aloha Trail Mix. A lovely combo of dried fruit, nuts, and raisins. I meticulously pick out the nuts and banana chips (realizing banana chips have sugar). Nothing to ward of the cold weather blues like this Hawaiian treat. I avoid the raisins like the plague. Why? Stems back to when I was a girl and thought they were bugs...just can't stomach them. About to head to a crock pot party. That should be interesting!

7pm - The crock pot cook off turned out to be a detox obstacle course. And to make matters worse, I was selected as a judge for the cooking contest. It was really fun, but I had to be quite selective of my tastings. Here's a list of the contest entrees: pot roast with new potatoes and carrots, ribs, seafood paella, wings, and Irish corned beef. Choosing to skip the potatoes and bread I thought this was a breeze. Until...I heard that the ribs were cooked in a liter of coke (the thing I've done the best at avoiding, ahhhh, I had already ate two)...oh well. At least the coke was poured out before the BBQ was added, but that's pretty much just brown liquid sugar. For dessert I avoided the homemade sugar cookies with icing (one of my faves) that had strawberries on top. Choosing to eat the plain strawberries that were left over. Not too bad.

Day 6: 11am - I'm finding that this Detox thing is actually getting easier by the day. I've stopped thinking about it 24/7 and am not minding the diet restrictions as much. However, it's admittedly harder to drink enough water on the weekends. I decide to make cereal, but realize, there's not even half a bowl left, so I just finish it off and am still hungry. What to eat? An egg sandwich sounds pretty eggceptional, so I fry 1 whole egg and 1 egg white, slap it between two pieces of sprouted grain toast and call it a meal.

12pm - Time to drink the brown potion. It's actually getting more tolerable and I'm shocked. But don't get me wrong, I'll be sooo excited when Tuesday rolls around and i can replace one brown liquid for another more palatable one!

3pm - Over at Nichole's and it's snowing so we decide to order in. I'm currently obsessed with the Chicken Salad Salad from Fresh Choice with the fat free tomato basil dressing, so I decided on that. After this Nic had a cookie she had made, which of course, made me want something sweet. Fortunately, I had a choc chip Clif bar in my bag and that did the trick.

8pm - Dinner at home. Not too exciting. Pretty much the usual flax chips, carrots and hummus plus a veggie burger sans bun. It was tasty and filling.

After 6 long days, I'm feeling pretty good. Having more energy throughout the day lately and feeling lighter - not sure that the scale agrees. However, I'll be glad to be rid of the grumbling stomach and frequent bathroom breaks! I think that after this is over, I'll try to continue to avoid white processed starches and sugar, and definitely drink more water!

ONE MORE DAY!

Day 7: I'm a wee bit sad as I write this final detox update. It's been quite a wild ride. For starters, I woke up at 5am this morning and haaaad to go to the bathroom something awful. I mean seriously...how rude of my body to wake me from my precious slumber. I am not a morning person, nor do i enjoy being woken up early....but I am glad i woke up, what a hot mess that would have been, haha!

8am - Getting ready for work and decide that my egg sandwich from yesterday was so darn good that I should make it again. And I do. Mmmmm. Mmmm. Good. Sometimes I just get on an egg kick. And then, I won't have them again for months. Weird.

9am - Back in the office and wanting a Diet Coke, of course. There's just something about the office that makes me crave it like oxygen. I hope tomorrow it tastes as good as I've built it up. Instead of the DC, I grab my last lonely bottle of brown juice and fill up my water bottle for one last go around. Surprisingly, it's not tasting so bad today. I think I'm getting used to the yuckyness and still using a straw helps. (I secretly wonder if I continued this stuff if i'd eventually like it?)

12pm - Drinking more water and am hungry for a snack. Craving almonds from Starbucks. So, I head down and realize that it is clearly my lucky day! This fabulous Stbx has my fave Fruit and Nut Medley with yogurt chips! Yessss! Why is this a huge deal? Well, let me tell you. About a month ago, I realized that Starbucks was phasing out this combo for another that just has fruit and nuts and no yogurt, ugh...the nerve. I was super sad that my fave snack was being taken right from underneath me. I don't like the new variety b/c there's too many dried cranberries. I only like the nuts, dried blueberries and yogurt. Thus, today is extra special b/c the lady sees my excitement and tells me they have a whole basket of this variety. I jump on the opportunity and buy a few packs to store safely at my desk for future snack times!

3pm - Late lunch again. Today I brought in an Indian meal from Trader Joes. They are super delicious, portable and filling. Please note, if you have high blood pressure, this is NOT the meal for you...lots of sodium. Today I have the Punjab Eggplant variety, which is comprised of eggplant, tomatoes, onions, sunflower oil, pumpkin garlic, salt coriander, chilies, cumin, ginger, turmeric, and cloves. You are supposed to eat it with rice or nan, but I sub in a slice of sprouted grain bread.

8pm - After a post work workout, I'm famished and feeling too lazy to cook. So, I return to my good pal Trader Joe to save the day. A chicken & cheese tamale, spicy flax chips, hummus and a bowl of steamed veggies does the trick. What would I do without you Joe?

9pm - I decide to go out with a bang and finish off the evening with a cup o' peppermint detox tea, compliments of my friend Emily who introduced me to the detox! I cheat and add a little sweetener (not sugar) to make it more palatable and enjoy doing something good for myself.

Overall, this detox was a success. It helped me regain some much needed self-discipline, taught me to read labels in a whole new way (ingredients) and that my dependence on sugar and white starch is only a reality if I let it be. So, tomorrow's a new day, but I'm gonna do my best to retain a lot of the principals of this detox (except the no diet coke). I'll have to let you know how it goes! Thanks for staying tuned!!!

7 Day Detox...Done & Done!

Tough Being a COWBOY!

Pitt Stop now has a whole new meaning...

And i'm not talking cars. The Pittsburgh Panthers put an unfortunate STOP to my OSU Cowboys advance in the 2009 NCAA tournament. Neck to neck the first half...tied at 49 at the half...The hopes and dreams of Cowboy fans all over were alive and stirring. This is our chance. We were matched with a No.1 seed and holding our own.

The 2nd half was equally riveting... As I watched play by play in the company of my fellow O-State alumni at Gamekeepers (a Chicago bar that hosts OSU games), I couldn't discern if I was happy, mad, or a weird combination of the two. You see, OSU has a history, ahem, a legacy, of being on the fence. We are always good, decent and a viable competitor, however, we aren't up there with the Dukes of the world racing down the hardwood with pride, assurance and winning legacy, nor are we the no name team that goes to the NIT every year. We are known, but unknown. Thus, you see the predicament of being an O-State fan. We get our hopes up and hearts broken year after year. Ugh...it's like that old boyfriend that keeps wanting to get back together, but always has issues or changes his mind. Ultimate winning (or a wedding ring, per my analogy) is always elusive. And Sunday was no different (final: Pitt 84, OSU 76).


But...we of course thought this time, this year, was somehow different. It would be a story of up from under....the season didn't start off to well for my beloved team. We have a new coach, Travis Ford, and he had big shoes to fill (Eddie Sutton). But where he lacked experience in Gallagher Iba, he had heart. Heart that drove us all the way to Dayton, OH - to the NCAA playoffs. And although, our dreams and goals were short-lived we will rally. We will continue to hope and believe, that next year, next year will be different. Haha...it's kind of funny, but true. Keeps life interesting and the love/hate relationship truly creates the most loyal of fans. And that folks, is something to be proud of.

Broadcast Yourself

Broadcast Yourself.

A simple phrase right? In some sense yes, but it is one that can be manifested in oh so many ways. For instance, you can broadcast your thoughts, experiences and memories via a blog like this, or you can broadcast the turkey sandwich you had for lunch and the wardrobe mishap you had this week (heel broke and had to run about the office barefoot while it got fixed) via the likes of Facebook or Twitter. The World Wide Web gives us more than our money's worth of avenues to share our voice...to finally be heard.

However, this list is not extensive or all encompassing. The biggest, most noteworthy opportunity to "Broadcast Yourself" is through the video sharing sight you are probably all too familiar with, YouTube. Heck...the title of this blog is their actual slogan! I was fortunate enough to sit in on a YouTube presentation at work today and wanted to share some of the funny, wacked, and most interesting ways people or companies have chosen to, you guessed it...Broadcast themselves!



Ok folks...it is quite likely you have already been exposed to this madness, but seriously...I count this as blasphemy! You just don't mess with the iphone! It's my baby...i love her...she's my teacher, concierge, personal assistant, and trusted friend that never leads me astray! I know the whole "ashes to ashes, dust to dust" thing - I can't take her with me when i'm gone, yadda yadda, but seriously...if my house were burning down...she'd be my top rescue!




This my friends, is marekting at its best! What a great gimmick! I love that the guy can't help but keep giggling. I seem to think I'd react the same way. What a trip! Way to go Verizon...even though I will never give my life over to you b/c I'm loyal to my "baby" iphone and it's ugly husband AT&T!



This one goes out to my girl Linds who introduced me to this fine work of art. Hey, if you don't want to Broadcast Yourself (and look like an idiot to the masses) what's the next best thing? Broadcast your kids! haha! Congratulations Charlie! You're a star! 87,000 views and counting! And Linds...it makes me plum giddy every time we reenact this (and it never ever gets old)!

Luck O' the Chi-rish!

St. Paddy's Day Celebration to Chicago is like Macy's Thanksgiving Day Celebration to New York. It's BIG. I mean, you can't help but notice it and well, want to participate. I have grown more and more fond of the all green stuff after observing this annual holiday year after year in Chicago.

You may be wondering, "what's the big deal?" or "my city celebrates too, she's probably overreacting". Well folks, I am not. You see, Chicago has an abnormally high ratio of Irish Catholics and an abnormally large population of young professionals (and those not so professionals) who love to drink. It's pretty much a double doozie (and i'm not talking Field's cookies)!

This year celebrations started March 14th, well before the BIG day. I alone was invited to 4 different events in honor of this day. This day started early for me.

8 a.m. - First Party: Green Pancakes, Lucky Charms, Guinness, Mimosas, Egg Casserole, Irish Soda Bread, Indoor Game of Cornhole (bags), and visiting with friends who are all decked out in green flare.

10 a.m. - Skip 1st St.Paddy's/Birthday Party

10:45 a.m. - The Chicago River is died NEON GREEN (quite the tourist event...been there done that...skipped it).

12:00 p.m. - The downtown St. Paddy's Day Parade (I've never quite made it to this, but it's something i think i can live without).

12:30 p.m. - Leave 1st party and head to neighborhood bar to watch the Ohio State vs. Mich State Big 10 Tournament Game with friends. It was impossible to distinguish if everyone packed in the bar was rooting for Mich. State or if the sea of green was St. Paddy's Flare. (I'm thinking flare).

3:45 p.m. - Head to Uberstein's (yes, it's German) for a surprise birthday/St. Paddy's celebration for my roomate, Britt. 30 of our nearest and dearest show up, there's a line, tons of intoxicated people, good music, green beer, brats, clover cookies, and more green flare!

9:00 p.m. - 12 hours strong and I am wiped. Hit a wall. So, in good ol' Irish spirit, I hit up the pizza joint across the street for some Italian fare. At this point i realize that practically everyone has been at it all day and most are faring worse than I. The fellow patrons at the pizza place were hilariously drunk and people were sleeping standing up, being rude and looking ridiculous in all that GREEN.

10:00 p.m. - In bed, lights out. It was a looooong day.

Sunday A.M. - South side gets their Green on and parade #2 takes place. People are crazy (that's where lots of the ''real Irish" live) - I don't go near there!

Fast Forward 3 Days: Here we are...celebrating again. Except it's actually Tuesday, March 17th, and actually St. Paddy's Day. However, being a weekday, it's remarkably more calm (even in the 70 degree weather). I of course, don my green again. I'm beginning to get attached to my flare - a green carnation pinned on my jacket, my shamrock headband, "kiss me I'm Chi-rish" button and green top. It's gonna be a good day.

9:00 a.m. - Arrive at work where a number of people are wearing green, but flare is few and far between.

12:00 p.m. - Head out for lunch at Elephant and Castle, an Irish Pub. Get several funny looks and stares along the way because of my shamrock headband (i really think they were jealous). Show up to the restaurant for a nice meal. Lots of other green folks here too.

1:00 p.m. - Finish up lunch and notice a crew of bagpipe players exiting a van and am bummed i'm not out there to stalk them. But wait...are they...no way...they proceed to walk right into the restaurant I'm in and begin to play and parade through the restaurant like they owned the place! I was shocked, delighted and flat out giddy! What a perfect way to celebrate SPD! Oh, the luck of the Chi-rish!!!

I must admit that this blessed Chicago holiday has almost come to an end. Not quite ready to put away my flare and release my excuse for dressing ridiculous and being giddy.

But at the end of the day, if I can't be Irish...I guess being Chi-rish is the next best thing!

Park City: Why Have Just One!

Why is it that the mountains always take my breath away? Could it be the snow capped peaks? The elevation? The scaling views? I'm sure all of this adds to my awe, but the thing I'm most floored by is God's glory revealed in creation. I'm always humbled by the magnificence and splendor of His footstool (the earth) and feel that the mountains grant me perspective that I often lose in everyday life.

This past weekend I ventured to the mountains of Park City, Utah with 28 Chicago friends for a long weekend of fellowship, good food (thanks Rosie), challenge, adventure and memories that I will attempt to capture here.

By the time I arrived Thursday night, the early crew had already gotten the accommodation and transportation logistics squared away. The 3 story cabin, although huge in it's own right, was carefully tucked away in the side of the mountain so as not to detract from the splendor of the mountain itself and the breathtaking views that it graced. This night, Thursday, was an early night for most. A long day of travel plus work for me, led me straight to my humble top bunk. Knowing that "early to rise" is a must on ski trips, most people wanted to be fresh for the first day of fighting the mountain (choose your weapon: board or ski).

Friday came bright and early. The sun rose and shone through our large windows and the sound of the group buzzing downstairs caused me to rise without a wince. I was eager and anxious for the first day of skiing. In case you aren't familiar, skiing is comparable to riding a bike. You never really forget, but the first time back on the saddle you are a little wobbly and have to regain your bearings. After a hearty breakfast we packed PG&J's and trail mix for lunch and were off to Sports Authority to rent our gear. It was at this point of the trip I seriously considered buying my own gear - even though I only go 1x per year! Renting ski gear is painful. The process is laborious and takes forever to get the whole group suited up. Not to mention, ski boots are not exactly idyllic and are half the battle in this sport. During the wait, I happened to strike up a convo with a guy and his fiance who were ironically from Chicago too! We instantly became friends before I had to wish them farewell as we were off to the mountain.
Day one skiing was The Canyons. It began snowing about the time we arrived and continued to snow the entire day. Visibility wavered between fair and white out, so I had to save most of my photo opps for the next day. The Canyons were decent, but I was less than impressed with the runs. Per tradition, the group met up for lunch at the lodge and it's always a fun part of the day to catch up with everyone and get some much needed energy from our pancake flat sandwiches. Then it's off to tear up the mountain for a few more hours before the 4pm cutoff. I spent the first half of the day skiing with Britt and Molly and then went off on my own to tackle some blues. After meeting two nice guys from Utah, I ran into my new Chicago friends from Sports Authority, Kelly and Randy! They were just arriving, so I did a few runs with them, exchanged info and hope to hang with them now that we're back in Chi!

After a long, cold and wet day on the mountain, we headed back to the house. This is where it gets interesting...Britt decides to have Molly stop on our way up the treacherous rode to the house so she can get a pick of the place Deaner slid off into the snow bank that morning. So, Molly stops mid 90 degree turn and it was all "downhill" from there. Yes, we were stuck. Couldn't go forward, then started going backwards down the hill with Molly saying, "Guys I can't break! We are just sliding backwards and I can't stop us!" -Not to worry, right?!? We finally halt and Rob gets out to be the man and save the day...meanwhile slipping and almost completely biting it on the thick ice underneath the truck. He walks to the bottom of the hill where another one of our trucks is and is working on a plan, when Molly puts it in gear and floors it and miraculously we go! Sianora Rob! We headed up to the house and hit the hot tub! Not a bad day at all. Disclaimer: the hot tub wasn't nearly as gross as the one last year...it was a pale green/gray vs. light brown, haha!A cold shower and a few hours later, we were feasting on Rosie's fabulous fajitas and some good convos and chill time ensued. Then it was early (kind of) to bed for the next early to rise morning was coming soon.

Saturday was AWESOME! I awoke early to the smell of breakfast casserole and the humming voices below (funny i could hear them even through my earplugs). We got our gear on, ate, packed lunches and were on the mountain by 8:30! I think the earliest I've ever been. Park City was an awesome place to ski. Tons of runs, esp the blues, which i prefer. I spent the day skiing with Kim and Justin, which was most fun! We made a short pit stop for lunch and were back on the slope for a full day of runs (probably did at least 15)! Some of the crew chose to watch the Intelligent Design boarding competition featuring the esteemed Shawn White who took home the gold. It was a fun and fulfilling day that did me in. I was sore in places I didn't know you could be.
So, you guessed it, back to the hot tub. Only after an hour or so of relaxing at the Pig Pen Saloon at the base of the mountain where I enjoyed some of the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever tasted (unfortunately, it was so good I burned my tongue, boo). Back at the house it was a repeat of hot tub and cold shower (great combo, right). The girls made chili for dinner and cornbread (with jalepenos), mmmmm. I think i ate 3 pieces. Gotta love southern cooking! This night a few in the group hit up the town of Park City in celebration of Heidi's birthday. I opted to stay in and play games in my PJ's! Justin and Kim broke out the Times Up game, which (sorry guys), was a huge flop. There's something about humiliating yourself in front of a group that doesn't get people jazzed ;-) After that failed attempt, we broke out the Bible Trivia, which was surprisingly super fun! Side Note: Don't play in the same vicinity as Justin Solomon, he is a compulsive answerer and pretty much has the Bible memorized (thanks Lon).

Story of the trip: The guys decide to go on a BEV RUN and end up losing the keys to the truck that they moved (so that they could get Dave's truck out of the driveway). This wasn't realized until they returned and Benson, Dave, Dean, Deck and others scoured the driveway, house and trucks for hours to no avail. Finally, around 1am, they decide to go check the liquor store. Wallah! They were there safe and sound in lost and found. Whew...Back to the house victorious! Well, not quite...they ran out of gas halfway home and had to call AAA for the 2nd time that night (first was to tow the truck with missing keys) to bring them gas! The funny part is they called the house and everyone was asleep and then they tried Heidi's birthday crew who gave them no love b/c they thought it was one huge joke!...well, it kinda is now! haha!

Sunday rolled around and most of the group headed to Snowbird for another day of torture, haha, jk...great skiing/boarding and new terrain. I chose to sleep in and hang with the girls in Park City that day. We cleaned house, and ventured in town to return our ski gear. Then we paraded around the cute main strip of PC. Some shopped, but Katie, Blair and I chose to get some ice cream (Almond Joy flavor!) and lunch and cop a squat at a Cyber Cafe to read, journal, chat and relax. It was really fun, but ended too soon.



















We had to get back and start dinner - lasagna! This day was Heidi's actual birthday, so I offered to make the cakes (one vanilla, one chocolate). Everything was going well until we put the cakes in the laundry room to cool so that Heidi wouldn't discover them. When i went to retrieve them, i noticed the vanilla one was gone. I thought someone had removed it...nope! Upon further inspection, I realized that it had fallen face first on the floor and the glass pan had shattered on the tile floor and glass was everywhere. Apparently the dryer was running when we set the cake on it and when it stopped things got messy. There was no salvaging this one and i felt horrible for ruining one of the cakes. My solution...have Kim help me do a fantastic decorating job on the other so people would forget! It turned out great (half choc/vanilla icing a la Michael Jackson).This night everyone stayed in and played games, sooo fun! I learned how to play Euker (apparently a Wisconsin/Michigan card game). It was addicting. There was also lots of pool, fooseball and Hearts playing as well. We all stayed up a bit later this night to relish the last night of vacation.

Monday came too quickly! After sleeping in a bit, the smell of several lbs of bacon woke us. That's right...today we had to eat the remaining food in the house...bacon, bacon, Dan's rotten eggs, dry cereal, veggie burgers and more bacon! We cleaned, packed lunches/dinners for the airport and played music catch phrase until it was time to depart. Leaving the cabin around noon, the snow started falling hard and fast. We headed in town to the PC Wasatch Brew Pub for Polygamy Porter Beer and food. Our group got a kick out of this Utah beer, esp it's slogan: Polygamy Porter. Why Have Just One! Clever, I must say. We rolled out of PC just as 14" of snow rolled in. Of course we couldn't avoid it's reaches...our luggage got rather coated and wet in the back of the 4x4 trucks and our flights were a tad delayed. I must admit, though, that it was one of the most beautiful snow falls I've ever witnessed.
















Getting home at 2am on Tuesday wasn't ideal, but totally worth it. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. Being home a few days now, I'm finally not sore anymore, but still feeling like I need a vacation after that vacation....hmmmm...Good thing April isn't too far away! To my PC crew...I miss you all already!