Ugly Sweaters

Mathew invited me to a sleazy holiday sweater party with him Saturday night. Well, really it was too cold for "sleazy" sweaters so ugly holiday sweaters had to do. I am now convinced that turtlenecks might be the ugliest sweaters ever....not a flattering picture but my sweater is great! Mathew picked it out for me. You can't see Mathew's turtleneck but it has little pale blue and silver snowflakes on it- hilarious. I especially loved the women's jacket he had on.

Brooke's Bridal Luncheon

Today we had Brooke's bridesmaids luncheon at House of Tricks in Tempe. I can't believe the wedding is a week away!

Holiday Reading

I am currently reading Holidays On Ice by David Sedaris. It's been around for a decade or so but if you haven't read it you should. It's easy to read and highly entertaining. I also recommend just about anything else by Sedaris as well.

Cold Weather Weekend

Thursday night I arrived in Salt Lake for a weekend of skiing and visiting old friends. Snow was falling as the plane hit the tarmac, which made me slightly nervous declining that liability insurance on the rental car. But paying an extra $25.99 a day was slightly ridiculous. I regretted my decision only for a few moments on my drive to the Skousen's home. It had been a while since I'd driven in snowy/icy weather at night no less. Luckily I arrived safely to Autumn & Tim's house. I was greeted by Miles, who is one of the most adorable two-year-olds I know. I enjoyed playing with him the entire weekend.

Friday, I hit the mountain with seven inches of fresh powder. I wish I was there this weekend, the snow pack has doubled! If there is one thing that could compel me to move back to Utah it would be the skiing. Here are some pics from Alta:
The temperature dips to about 15 degrees at the base of the mountain. It was even colder at the top with wind chill. I have not been that cold in a very long time. So, this was the sign posted at the top of the mountain:This was really comforting to me since my feet were already cold! But I was determined to stay on the mountain for as long as possible since I rented some demo skis to test out. I loved them. I won't go on and on about them because last year I talked about my boots a little too much. But if anyone is in the market for some very fun carving skis I must recommend the K2 Burning Love. So much fun! Too bad Santa is bring me new bedding.

There was a ton of snow on the ground at Autumn & Tim's as well. Miles received a sled for his birthday, so naturally we had to take him sledding. Only he wasn't so thrilled with the idea of dressing up like the child from Christmas Story and flying a snow covered hill. Autumn and I weren't too bright and both stood in the path of the sled only to be plowed over. We thought we were hilarious. I'm sure the video is great.....Tim? Autumn has a ton of pictures from the sledding adventure (hint, hint). I think Tim, Autumn, and I had more fun on the sled than Miles did.

Really the weekend went to too quickly. It was so good to see the Skousen's, but I just miss them even more now. Autumn, I may be back in January and if not I will see you in Romania whenever that maybe! :) Thanks!

Winter + Snow = Happiness

Oh, happy day! Alta just received 14 inches of snow! After the two week delay in opening, I was getting worried. There is more snow in the forecast so next week I'm packing my skis and boots and heading to Utah! I can't wait for the "greatest snow on earth."

Jury Duty

I was lucky enough to receive a jury summons last month. So, Monday morning I reported for jury duty at 8:00 am. I walked into the already crowded room and filled out my information. I expected my experience to be like tha last time I summoned. I expected to show up, watch a few movies, do a little work, and at the end of the day go home. I was very surprised when my name was called shortly after 9:00 am for the very first jury pool. I was lucky number 18 and I sat right up front during voir dire (where the judge and attorneys ask questions). I was shocked by the number of people with DUI or other serious criminal violations. So from a panel of 21 persons, I was chosen to sit on the jury of 9. I couldn't believe it. I work for attorneys; I thought for sure I would have been stricken. I've been told, those who say the least often get picked. Alas, I have spent the last three days listening to testimony in a criminal trial.

We try cases all the time in my office, granted we do civil litigation. But the responsibility of being a juror on a criminal trial was quite heavy. The duty to determine someone's guilt or innocence was difficult for me. There are no smoking guns and there are no absolute certainties. My type-A personality does not like this! There is always a "what if". But I suppose this is why we have juries, to determine, based on the evidience, the guilt or innocence of the persons charged.

I convicted someone of a very serious crime today. Justice doesn't always feel good.

Stupid People

I can't believe my car was broken into! And it was in my own office parking lot no less. They didn't take anything from my car (there was absolutely nothing inside it) but they destroyed my window and scratched my paint. My poor little car.......I'm so sad.

Thanksgiving

The holidays have finally arrived. I can't believe it has been nearly a month since I was carving jack-o'-lanterns for Halloween. Now, I am eating leftover turkey and other delicious Thanksgiving foods. I spent Thanksgiving at my grandmother's house in Camp Verde. I love spending the holidays with my family. As we drove to my grandmother's I thought about the things in my life I am most grateful for. My family is one of the most important influences in my life. I am so grateful for all the support and love they give to me. My friends are a very close second! I have been fortunate enough to have most of my friends for over twenty years. I can't imagine my life without them. My family and my friends help me strive to be a better person. I learn a lot from you guys and I am so lucky to have you in my life! There is so much more I am grateful for but I have to leave something for next year! I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Shannon's New Pad

Lucky for us Shannon bought a condo...a housewarming party was the perfect excuse to get us all together! Since I don't have any pictures of the new of the place I'll just have to post the ones of us.Another bit of good news was Brooke's engagement! CONGRATULATIONS BROOKE! I am so excited for you. I can't wait until December! We did move the party across the street to Sandbar after a few hours. The fun just continued...well for those of us who remember it anyway!

Jack-O'-Lanterns

In celebration of Halloween, Andrew, Tyler, and I carved jack-o'-lanterns last night. We had a great time creating the little guys. We opted to forgo the new stencil patterns and carve classic jacks. Oh, the things that make me happy! Click here for the history of the Jack-O'-Lantern.