I decided it was time to marry my best friend of 10 years...during a global pandemic. I thought it would be a small event with just us and family. I looked into getting a nice Airbnb house and using the yard. Their rules changed due to Covid-19. My next thought as more people were being invited was a small venue. Those were mostly closed due to Covid. We finally settled on the best and most beautiful venue -- Jordan Pines campground in Big Cottonwood Canyon. The spot was perfect and beautiful. It allowed for more guests to come and be socially distanced out in the open air.
With the help of my mother, we sent out invitations, made some decorations, got some nice outfits prepared, and then we did the thing! It started out raining all morning, tapered off in the afternoon, and became a spectacularly beautiful evening for the ceremony and small reception. Here are a few photos to recap the day.
There are plenty of days where I want to just relax and be in nature and sometimes I don't have trees to set up a swing hammock. What do I do? I pack my camping chair. Snowbird Resort has Friday Family Flicks where they show family friendly movies outside on the Plaza Deck for free. Taking your own camping chair is encouraged.
My camping chair light so it is easy to carry and store.
Set-up is simple.
It has built in cup holders, an extra padded headrest, and a mesh pocket to hold small valuables.
Dimensions: L34" X W22" X H15"/Weight limit is 200 lbs (90 kgs).
My favorite thing about the chair is that it can easily recline.
Enjoy your time outdoor more comfortably with a good, portable camping chair from Roraima outdoor.
I am obsessed with being outside lately to enjoy this wonderful weather we have been having in Utah. My favorite way to enjoy it is relaxing in my camping hammock. They are easy to set up and take down. They come with storage bags attached to them and all the necessary items to hang them. It is made of parachute-grade nylon fabric that will allow you to enjoy it with another person if you want (snuggle time).
I talk them up so much, that I have friends asking to borrow them. Why wouldn't I share? Get outside and enjoy this beautiful world.
If you aren't close enough to me to borrow mine, you buy your own HAMMOCK here.
I was given the opportunity to purchase this item at a discounted price in return for my honest opinion.
I haven't really grown up having crushes on movie stars or famous singers. I feel like they don't see us and say, "Hey, that's the person who stood in line for hours to get tickets to my show, " or "That person flew to London to buy our import album before it was available in the states," or whatever we may do to support them; so why should I know about where they went to college or which color is their favorite.
However, James Franco (and don't forget about Jimmy Fallon) might make me blush a little bit when I see them. The movie 127 HOURS starring James Franco is based on a true story. I saw the film in theaters and thought it was so good. (If you haven't seen it, go watch it now. Wait, watch it after you finish reading this post.)
Turns out 127 HOURS isn't just a movie with an adorable leading actor. It is the true story of Aron Ralston's remarkable adventure to save himself after a boulder crashes on his hand and traps him in an isolated canyon in Utah. Today, I was able to meet Aron today as he spoke about this experience and how he spent 5 days examining his life and trying to survive.
He started out saying he doesn't have his right hand any longer, but he didn't lose anything from this experience. He feels like instead he gained things from the event. He said that our boulders, whatever they may be, can either be pushed away by us or we can embrace them and be thankful for them. WOW, right?! He is an incredible person who suggested that we think of "hell" as a hot, crowded, noisy place yet he felt a personal hell that was just the opposite in that canyon. He found himself in a cold, dark, lonely, quiet hole where he was trapped. To help him get out, he had a premonition of sorts that woke him up to a realization that finding love could help him survive. I understand this - I had this same feeling when my brother Tim passed away. I too found myself in a lonely spot that made me realize I had a love that I needed to pursue and embrace whether it worked out or not. I guess we had a similar boulder.
After this experience, and having cut off his own hand, Aron returned to the outdoors and has trekked and climbed several different mountains. He reminded me that as we all have experiences in life (hopefully not as dramatic) we enrich our lives. The thing we need to remember tis hat we are here to enrich the lives of others along the way as well. He definitely enriched my life as he spoke today and I am thankful for the opportunity to meet and learn from him.
*I might have secretly wished James Franco would've come out on the stage to surprise Aron.*
I probably haven't been on ski slopes for at least 10 years, but when your little "Czech brother" needs to test out his new skis because his school is taking a week long trip, you one-piece suit up!
Ivanka and I were warming up the mountain temps with our matching outfits.
The guys didn't look too bad either.
First run on the bunny hill to boost my confidence.
Check out the Czech ski lifts in this video. It was like riding a frisbee on a stick.
I appreciate the bum tap at the end from the attendant.
I still don't know what to do with the poles when I go down the mountain so I ditched them.
Tomorrow we are going to try snowboarding in Germany.
I have a feeling that might be more my style.
All I now is we sure made that mountain look good.
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