Neighbors, Finally

As excited as William was about his Ninja Costume, I was equally excited about a visit from our next-door neighbors, the Ross Family. We don't have much interaction with our neighbors in Pinebrook. The lots are heavily wooded and the houses are set at least an acre apart. Sometimes you do not see anyone for days. So, when the Ross family comes to Park City, it is a big deal. During their visit, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at their home, and then took them on a Saturday hike at PCMR. The day was sunny & warm. We are already looking forward to their next visit.

Kindergarten Soccer Park City

William began playing Kindergarten Division (5-6 years old) soccer with PC Basin recreation this month. He plays on the "Dragon" team - every team gets to choose their own name. The Kindergarten field is much smaller than a standard soccer field. The balls and goalie nets are also smaller. He seems to enjoy the game and his teammates, although he does tell me that he gets tired a lot. Chasing the ball is hard work!

My Costume Came in the Mail!

Excited to see Dad and his new costume.

Fire Ninja

William rode the bus to school on Friday. As soon as the bus came, he jumped on before Shawn could take a picture. After two weeks, his "Ninja Fire" Halloween costume finally arrived in the mail. He raced off the bus to Daddy and went home to try it on.

First Day of Kindergarten

All ready for the first day!

Mom, stop taking my picture!

Outside Miss Cresta Allen's Classroom.

William's New Locker

William started Kindergarten today at Jeremy Ranch Elementary School. He is an afternoon student, which means he goes from 12-3pm. The whole class wore red in honor of their first day. His teacher is Miss Cresta Allen -- a sweet and lovely young woman with a soft voice. William was very excited to show me his classroom and his new locker. He was quite relieved to see his good friend, Quintin Zielinski, get off the bus. They immediately sat together on the colored rug in front of Miss Allen. I am impressed with the school and William's classroom. The teachers and staff were all so kind and helpful. I guess they have seen nervous first-day parents before. Next week, William will begin his other school - Educational Advantage.

I was so happy that I started to cry. Five years have flown by.

A Picture is Worth One Thousand Words

My good friend Scott Abbott took these amazing photos a few years ago. Each year in San Francisco, they haul-in snow and dump it on Fillmore Street. Fillmore Street is an "extremely steep" thoroughfare in Pacific Heights (San Francisco). The street is so steep, that concrete steps were installed to facilitate pedestrian access. Fillmore Street is host to an annual Ice-Air competition where participants, including Park City resident Johnny Moseley, fly down Fillmore Street doing aerials and other acrobatics. The beauty of the Bay and the City is mixed, for a brief moment in time, with a ski town atmosphere.

This canvas sits in the foyer of my home. Every visitor to our home stops in his/her tracks to consider the photography, especially in the Winter Time.

The bottom photo is Scott and his wife Chi taken at Levende Lounge They are expecting a baby in January. I am very excited for them. They will make great parents.

The Legacy Launcher

On Sunday, after cleaning the house, we wanted to go hiking. We decided on PCMR since the chairlifts are open for trail access. The first stop for the boys, however (William & Kellen), was the "Legacy Launcher." The Legacy Launcher consists of 4 trampolines with motorized pulleys. You can flip, sumersault, or just jump high to-the-sky. Here are some pictures of the boys' acrobatics.

Hiking PCMR

Good Friends: Blake & Kim Denkers

Kellen Denkers & William beside old mining cars

William's walking stick

These photos show our hike on the Park City Town Trail, which for us started at the top of the PayDay lift, and ended on Main Street. The boys loved finding sticks and running down the trail. There are many artifacts from the old Silver Mines along the trail, including old miner shacks and large mining equipment. William took a couple of spills along the way, but was very brave and kept walking despite the cuts on his leg. The weather was beautiful - warm, but with the feeling of Fall in the air.

Duffy's Tavern -- "I'm Two People Short of a Threesome"

#1 Sometimes it is good to forget your camera.
#2 When a group needs good representation, send in your best & most qualified delegate. This usually means a lawyer.

On Saturday night, we left William with his favorite babysitter, and traveled to Salt Lake for a party-night double-header. We first attended a dignified and well-attended baby shower in Olympus Cove for our 40-something friends, John Birkenshaw and Rashelle Perry. We then went to the not-so-dignified Duffy's Tavern to help John Nicolaysen celebrate his 40th Birthday.
Although each party was fabulous, the transition between these parties was akin to attending Harvard in the morning, and then Animal House in the afternoon. We went from a group of M.D.'s and J.D.'s. to a group of I.P.'s (Inebriated Peoples).

Duffy's is a classic dive bar, complete with a jukebox, pool table, and an eclectic crowd. The place completely rocks. As the evening at Duffy's wore on, someone mentioned going to Trails Did this mean we were going for drinks at a place like Ocean Trails Golf Club? Or, would it be like Trail's End in Deer Valley?

The answer was neither - Trails is a strip club in Salt Lake, and since I believe in trying everything once, I put on my "citizen journalist" hat, and decided to make a go of it. I would sit in the back and take notes while enjoying a tasty late-night sandwich and a club soda.

If we had followed the advice from #2, I could have provided a detailed description of Trails. Unfortunately, the leader of our delegation, who took charge of getting us into the club, was an IP. We never made it past the front door. Long story short, always let the wise-beyond-her-years lawyer be your delegate. Not only are you guaranteed admission, but a few good laughs as well.

Library Lion (Video) (8-10-2007: Age 5)

After loading the correct software, inserting a power cord, and learning "Google Video," I was finally able to post William's "Library Lion" Video to this Blog. Right-click on the blue link to open + watch the video in a new window. Adjust the sound as needed.

The video captures William at his sweetest.

I have to give those YouTube people credit. It takes time and patience to process and post video to the Web!

Library Lion

On Friday night, William proclaimed that his very favorite book in the whole entire universe is "Library Lion." I bought the book at the New York Public Library's gift shop during a March trip to New York City with my good friend Shirley. Shirley had her picture taken by "Patience" and "Fortitude" -- the pair of lion statutes who sit guarding the library's entrance. Anyways, the book is about a very helpful lion who lives and works in the NYPL. Unfortunately, the library rules are very strict, with Miss Merriweather and Mr. McBee working together to find a permanent home for the Lion in the Library. William did not like the book at first, but now we read it every night.

Zermatt Resort Part II

Applesauce tastes So much better without a spoon!

"Look, its Johnny Depp!"

If you can believe it, the Zermatt Resort even has a full-size carousel for its guests to enjoy!

Happy William (soon to be sad William after he dropped his prized cotton-candy sucker purchased from Backerei & Eis.)

Hotel Zermatt & Spa - Midway, Utah

Have you ever gone on vacation for the day? Was that vacation within 20 miles of home? Last weekend, Claire & Mason Osborne invited us to Hotel Zermatt in Midway, Utah. The Hotel is new and has every possible amenity. We loved the indoor-outdoor pool! Claire and Mason's 17-month year old girl Lexy loved the water. In fact, she jumped right in as the opportunity arose (much to the fright of her parents and us!).

Mountain Biking in Park City

It's official! William went Mountain Biking for the first time last Sunday with the Bolinger-Concannon Family on Park City's beautiful and very popular Round Valley Trail. I do not know what the "chest" photos had to do with biking, but William did really well and had a great time.

If Sand-Dollars were Money, Mermaids Would be Rich!

Life can be a series of motions and routines, that is, until your five-year old utters something so out-of-the-blue, that you can't help but to stop and stare. While getting ready to take his bath last night, William said that mermaids were sure lucky to have Sand-Dollars.... "they must be rich," he said. Earlier in the week, after a long day at camp, William sat weary-eyed at the dinner table, hardly able to eat. I asked him what was wrong. He said, "Mama, I am just feeling so lackluster tonight."

Out of the mouths of babes.............