i'm just trying to survive here...

Todd and I have unfortunately had some mishaps when it comes to air travel. In the end, we get to the destination and have a wonderful time, but I could sure stand to have the getting there portion be a tad more tolerable. The last time we were de-boarded from a 6am flight and told we weren't going anywhere that day was our honeymoon. Deja vu - nearly 3 years later and headed for snow instead of sun... settled in our seats with Directv already working and waiting for take off - oh wait, this plane isn't going anywhere - get out. We were one of the first to be rebooked since we ran through the airport to the only booking counter, but it didn't do us much good. Our 4am alarm was for not and we didn't leave for nearly 8 more hours - we didn't have Directv on the flight and had to connect through O'Hare instead of Denver. I love hanging out in a tiny airport while having to drag skis and snowboarding equipment with us...

Park City had the least amount of snow at this time of year than it has had in over a decade. I just love breaking those records -seriously. No worries, we did finally get to Park City and all of the stress melted away just as it always does. We picked up our rental car which ended up being a Suburban with 6 miles on it (ha!) and were treated like royalty once we finally arrived at The Dakota Mountain Lodge. I felt a bit like Julia in Pretty Woman but I managed to sound relatively educated. This is the first ski resort for the Waldorf Astoria collection and they did a very nice job - I was happy to take advantage of the inaugural rates for 2009! Even the mishaps like the fire alarm going off twice the first night because the people at the 5-star restaurant were idiots became charming... Todd will probably never forget me calling the front desk the second time and saying, "Do I really need to put on my hat and boots again?!? I'm finally here and just trying to sleep!".

Since we missed out on our "day of arrival free lift ticket" because of the stupid plane that had to have a part flown in (did I mention it wasn't weather related?!?) and snow was in the forecast... we opted to explore downtown Park City and save our slope side time for the next day. Todd is just so popular - he made a friend right away.



Me too - I promise I'm not responsible for the lipstick on that moose!



I didn't want to stick out like a tourist (yeah right) so I was too impatient to wait for the lady in the hideous 80's teal leather jacket to exit stage right. Oh well... I'm just glad I got to have lunch with that gorgeous guy on the left.



My quality of company was soon matched by quality of food when we shared a delectable tortellini and alfredo dish at Mainstreet Pizza and Noodle. With just a few remaining tortellini on the plate, I looked up to see this face as I was talking about our future exploration of Park City... he looked at me and said, "I'm just trying to survive here!". Excellent.




Anyone who knows me will attest to my high water intake requirements, but my methods to stay quenched while in high altitude were pretty entertaining for Todd. While I was getting ready the first morning, he found my water stash from the night before and took a photo. I didn't see it until I looked through them later.

On a side note: see that bed?!? I am still in love with it to this day - I have a feeling you'll see an update in the future and our bedroom will feel more like the Waldorf! I've heard of wing back chairs, but a wing back headboard with no scroll action... love love love.



The weather channel assured us that the snow was on its way... just to make sure we had some on the slopes, we took a ride up the resort's private gondola to the Canyons. This hotel was amazing - I could get very used to having "boot lounges" with individual boot warmers and a table full of hot cocoa and slippers for your walk to the room. No joke.



The hotel didn't disappoint and neither did the weather channel! All was covered in 2 feet of snow by the next morning and it just kept coming. This is one happy kid...




Both of our hats/goggles looked like this by the time we took a break for lunch - thankfully, not fully iced by Ohio snowguns!



Dried off and warmed up - the Peak bandit shows again in Utah...



I'm not sure the peak bandits were ever featured... they should have been for sure. Just in case, please enjoy this little treasure from Todd, Sean, Clay and Garrett at Peek'n Peak in December 2007.

While wishing for snow and certainly enjoying it, we were very thankful to be able to enjoy a "bluebird" day on our last day on the slopes. The sun was shining and the conditions were perfect - if only our legs could have held up for another 10 hours of action.

Last trip up on "our" gondola...




Our 13th ski season together - both finally not wearing black or red :)


Headed back to Salt Lake - making sure all of my water didn't go to waste - Todd was still fully entertained. I guess it is pretty funny.



This vehicle was absurdly large for two people, but amazingly practical... we had tons of gear and the weather was intense. Thanks to this little trooper, we were able to ski at Park City and eat at places like Fuego instead of being in the Dakota courtesy mercedes van with a feuding family sliding all over the road! I think I'd pick a smaller version for reality, but would be more than willing to have similar license plates!


We've worked hard in 2009 and now it is time to ski... back to work for two days and then off to Holiday Valley in New York. I'm thankful to have the opporutnity to stay at such a resort and to enjoy the terrain with a man that enjoys it as much as I do - makes all of the work for moments like this quite worth it.

the turndown guy started just handing Todd the chocolates by the 3rd night,
jamie.