Snow Birdthday

Well I am thirty something now. It’s happened. I used to be twelve, but whatever.
To celebrate we took a trip to SNOWBIRD! But first we hit one of my favorite downtown restaurants, The Garden.

I love The Garden because they have the MOST delicious Crème Brule and the tastiest Oriental Chicken salad. It’s seriously so scrumptious. I told the server that it was my birthday and I wanted extra berries on my desert. She informed me that since it was my birthday I was entitled to a balloon launch. I didn’t know what that was, but it sounded fun so I agreed to it. They brought me a little piece of paper with a line for my name and a space for me to write my birthday wish.

Next thing I knew I was standing in the middle of the restaurant with the hostess calling everyone’s attention to me. She announced that it was my birthday and they I would be launching this red balloon with a birthday wish attached. Next, she motioned to my server to push the button and open the roof. It was really something. Everyone in the restaurant gasped when the roof slid off. I have been there before when the roof was off so I was aware that this was possible, but most people I guess did not know.

The Hostess counted down and the whole restaurant with all its patrons simultaneously “Launch the Balloon!” It was very exciting/embarrassing/fun/memorable.

I really hope my wish will come true. I am going to make an effort to at least put some progress toward making my wish a reality.

So after the meal we picked the girls up at Grandma Karen’s who entertained them with her jewelry box and an endless amount of children’s books. Needless to say they had a great time.

Despite the fun they were having they were super excited to be heading to Snowbird. We booked a Snowbird Stay and Play package which came with a comfy room in the Snowbird Lodge, four all day passes to all the rides and a fancy breakfast. The kids were super excited to ride the alpine slide and watch me on the zip line. Alyssa even made a list of things she wanted to do. She drew four pictures and labeled them 1 through 4. 1) Slide you control (alpine slide) 2) bungee trampoline 3) watch mom go on zipline while working in the mine. 4) hike to the river. It was very cute. She came up with it all on her own.

For my birthday this year I really wanted to do something fun. I have never been on the alpine slide or a zip line, so this seemed like a good fit.

It started raining as soon as we pulled in the parking lot of the lodge. There was also some infrequent rumbling thunder. So naturally they closed all the rides. We were confined to our room until the rain stopped. Although we were disappointed not to get riding immediately, the room was pretty awesome. The best part was the balcony and the mountain view.

I could get used to this. I see why people want to have a cabin. It was very refreshing.

I sat out on the balcony and read my latest book Catching Fire (yes I sometimes read). Steve sat out with me while the girls watched a movie. We were all very content. Well…Steve was a little beside himself trying to keep Sunny safe. We were on the third floor and the balcony left a little to be desired when it came to kid safety. He was worried for nothing, she was fine and not committing any risky business, but what can I say…Steve is a worrier.

After the rain stopped and we saw the Tram run up the mountain a few times we ran back over expecting to get our rides on. Instead we found ourselves alone on the plaza.
We were seriously…the only people…In all of Snowbird resort. It was kind of like we were in the movie The Shining.

These were the only rides available to ride.
The kids were just as happy on these.

We took a long walk all over the property seeing everything there was to see.
We saw no one but squirrels and potguts that the kids tried to make friends with. After our walk, we decided to go swim in our hotel pool.

It turned out to be one of the most pleasant family evenings we have ever had. The water wasn’t quite as warm as bath water, but close. The sky, clearing after the storms, was illuminated with a kaleidoscope of different colors always changing. We swam for like three hours. Alyssa and Sunny showed off their newly acquired swimming lesson skills. Alyssa got so much better and more confident over the several hours we were in the pool. It was really fun to see her grow as a swimmer. We thought we were the only people in the whole resort until a whole bunch of little kids arrived at 8:30. Apparently, we weren’t the only ones who saw the stay and play bus board advertising “kids stay free.”

We wore them right out. After a quick shower they both zonked out in a big way.
They were both snoozing about 10 seconds after their little heads hit the pillow. Immediately after they slept, I started in writing this blog.
So…this is a picture of me while I was writing this sentence. Cool huh?

Day 2:
So, we woke up and spent a little more time on the balcony enjoying the view. It really couldn’t be any nicer up here. Our stay included breakfast at one of two restaurants. One was listed as “family friendly” so we knew we wanted the other one (the Atrium at the Cliff Lodge) Who wants to be stuck in syrup city with a bunch of loud and demanding children?

As we walked over for our fancy breakfast we were overwhelmed by the beauty of the morning. The kids noticed all the leaves on the plants were wet.
I explained to them what morning dew drops were. They were familiar with morning dew, because of the Tinkerbell Movies. Dew is a big deal in Neverland or Fairyland or where ever they are.
Anyway...it was a magical moment for these two little girls discovering dew drops.

The night before we walked up to The Atrium and showed the kids the white tablecloths and spectacular view and explained to them that we could come here if they would be on their very best behavior.
So, we went there for breakfast. It was almost empty and most of the other guests had small children. But our kids took the experience seriously and really acted their very best. Sunny ate oatmeal with an elegant bib. Alyssa enjoyed lots of different foods. She liked the croissants the best. None of the three girls appreciated the smoked salmon, but Steve sure did.
Why isn’t our life more like this all the time?

After our lovely breakfast we piggy backed to the hotel.
We had to pack up and get ready for a day of fun on the main attraction...RIDES!

Before we left we took advantage of the balcony just one more time.
Isn't it so beautiful here.


Then, we packed out of our hotel and met my parents at the Snowbird Center.
Grandma had already held a place for us to do the bungee trampoline. Kristin, Alyssa and Sunny enjoyed the new freedoms and agility the bungee cords gave them. It was so cute to see little Sunny Bunny all grown up letting someone she didn't know hook her into this strange contraption.

Totally worth it!



We all flipped, flopped and laughed while we enjoyed the tramps.

After bungee trampoline, Steve and I rode the zip line (actually not that exciting) but it was still a fun and new experience. I was honestly expecting at least a small amount of terror, but it was a very mild ride.
Here's Steve enjoying himself.

And here's the corner of my face while riding.
Oops...left the zoom on.

We all rode the alpine slide (actually we rode it three times throughout the day).

Even the ride up on the chair lift was pretty fun.
The kids loved it as did the rest of us. Here's my cute parents.

Here's my dad in his little sled getting ready to go down.
Funny.

I went down with Sunny twice and Alyssa once. Sunny loved it and laughed the whole way down. She has a need for speed.

Steve and Alyssa had a chipmunk jump in the track in front of them and they had to come to a screeching halt to avoid hitting it. Nothing says “fun vacation” like being spattered with chipmunk guts. The chipmunk ran in front of their somewhat slowed sled most of the way down before it could get out. Pretty exciting!

The rides were great—this is what we had come for. But we actually had just as much fun the night before walking around and swimming. The lines seemed a little longer than they should have been—especially for the trampoline-based activities. But then again everyone did get a good long turn on each apparatus so maybe the long lines were worth it.

I even got my Mom and DAD to do the zip line. Here they come!
Closer...
Closer
(I love how my dad is reaching his hand our toward my mom as if he could protect her or slow her down or something cute....
and impact! My mom gracefully jumped of her high seat like a little ballerina! Yes they did…unbelieveable!

Alyssa’s favorite activity was the ropes course.
At first, it made her very nervous but we stayed up there a long time and she got more and more comfortable.


She really, really wanted to just hang by the rope and swing around—and she did do this on the way down. It scared the workers but didn’t result in any serious injury.

The tram is the most impressive thing there.
The last time I rode it was on KSL Blue Chip Day sometime during the early 80's. I think I was 4 years old.
I was impressed by it then, and I was impressed by it now.
It goes to the top of Hidden Peak, which is 11,000 feet.
It sort of feels like cheating to be up so high without any effort—but it is fascinating to be up there. We saw this lovely lady at the top of the peak.
I didn't know butterflies could fly up so high...but why not.

On the way down, we stopped at the first tower so some guys who were riding on top of the tram could get off and grease the pulleys. Really. There were guys just hanging around on top of the tram and they jumped off at one of the towers to grease up the lines. We saw them as we rode off down the mountain. They looked very precarious perched at the top of the tower.

After the tram ride which was really out of this world, we returned to the fun and games on the rides. The high school kids who worked there were pretty permissive. They let Alyssa do everything except the zip line and the mechanical bull even though she only met a few of the weight requirements.

Steve rode everything except the inflatable slide and bounce house (they said he was too big). I also declined on the mechanical bull because, you know…animal cruelty.

Here is Steve on the climbing wall.
Notice that the other participants are tween girls. It was pretty much hysterical to see him in line with all these little girls. It just looked...weird. Like he was the only dude in line to see Hanna Montana or something. He did get to the top though...well almost he was about two inches away from hitting the bell at the top when he lost his position and came down.

Here's me and darling girl climbing together.
She's on one side, I'm on the other. She did rather well for a girl her age and with zero expereince. I am proud to say that after two tries, I rang the bell at the top. It took a lot of strength though. I can't believe how hard it was to hang on. I've been attending a weight lifting class for the last couple months and have built more upper body strength than I have ever had. Without that, I wouldn't have had a prayer to get to the top. It was hard.

There was another bungee jumper ride thing that Alyssa really wanted to do. She wasn't big enough, but they let her anyway. It's sort of like being on the moon I think.
Alyssa LOVED it.


She loved it so much we tried it too.


Here we are bouncing around like crazy.
It was one of the funnest things I have ever done in my life. A bit painful, and I was dizzy after, but totally worth it. Alyssa was elated that I had asked her to be the camera girl for this one.
I wanted pictures of us doing this. Sunny, however was not as happy.
Alyssa was kind enough to document her sister's discontent with the situation. Sunny was also feeling rejected after the man wouldn't let her ride.

We bounced for several minutes and while we bounced, the photo evidence suggests that Sunny's mood improved.
Yes, this is one of the ties off her blankie. I'm surprised this thing still has any ties left. She pulls them out all the time.

We bounced one more time after this on the bungie trampoline so Sunny could feel vindicated that she'd had a turn to bounce too.
It made all the difference. She was so happy. Happy and tired. We all were.

I am proud to announce that we didn't spend one cent of our money while at Snowbird. We bought zero meals and zero snacks. We ate before we came, brought sandwich stuff from home for our dinner. Our package which was a STEAL included breakfast and ride passes. My parents brought us some lunch and we left hungry and ate when we got home. This trip was such a value, but easily could have cost us a fortune.

We left about 4:30. I don’t think we have ever worked so hard at having fun. Perhaps it was the elevation that made our fun having seem so difficult and tedious. We just couldn’t move very fast for very long. My dad who only has 1.5 lungs had an especially hard time getting enough O2 at these mountain elevations.

We had a great time at Snowbird, but we were ready and willing to get out of there and head home so we could crash hard in our own beds and call it a day.
WE took this picture the last thing before we left. Alyssa was holding back her tears, not because she was sad, just because she was totally exhausted. Luckily we had a few nutrigrain bars left in our stash. They were our last morsels of food. We let each of the kids have two since we didn't know if they'd be awake for dinner.

On the way down the canyon, a police SUV made a U-turn in front of us and stopped traffic. A few minutes later, a LifeFlight helicopter came in with a person dangling from a line holding another person on a stretcher.
It was very surprising to see this with our own eyes. It was like watching COPS or something.

Everyone waiting on the highway exited their cars and watched the show.
The police officer told us someone had fallen and broken some bones. I guess the helicopter couldn’t land there, so they picked him up on the line and brought him down here to the road. The road stayed closed for about 15 minutes while the paramedics worked on the guy. Everyone got out of their cars and was walking around—it was a real strange experience.
Then, they put the injured hiker back in the helicopter and it took off.

(A week later we saw a story on KSL that a scout leader had lost his footing and accidently slid 300 feet down an almost vertical snow field slamming into the boulder field adjacent to the snow field. The scout troop filmed his fall and his rescue. We saw part two of the rescue live on the highway that night and saw part one including the guy's fall and the life flight helicopter a week later on the news. Very weird. They interviewed the guy and it was nice to see that he was okay except for a broken collar bone, some ribs and the craziest bruises I have ever seen.)

The kids fell asleep in the car on the way home (it wasn’t even 6 PM). We carried our sleeping children to their beds and laid them down in their clothes where they stayed asleep all night and slept until 8:30 the next morning.

This really was one of the best little trips we’ve ever taken. It was only one night, but it felt like several days. We will definitely be doing this again in the future.

So let’s hear it for the Snowbird Stay and Play deal. Happy Birthday to me. I think 33 is going to be a great year!