Little Grassy Island and the two hour paddle

I haven't written for months so here is a new post. Summer has arrived and I find myself missing winter, what is wrong with me? I actually think that 80 degrees is rather hot and I prefer the afternoon rain that has settled here for the past 6 weeks, blood really does acclimate. I love the unpredictability of the weather and the views that are created by the clouds and light. Two weekends ago I took a camping trip to Little Grassy Island with 3 friends, it is about a two hour paddle from the shore of Jackson lake. The small island is at the base of Mount Moran, and with the snow still on it you could fool anyone to think it is in the Alps. It rained most of the day and all the night, but I have rarely felt more peace and tranquility watching the sheets of rain pour over the lake and through the dark forest against the mountains. This place truly casts a spell at times and I am always amazed to be looking at a scene that is picture perfect and to be completely alone in this vast wilderness. We are so blessed to be here.

Frost

We are almost out of winter, but spring seems to bring a fair share of it's own snow. One of the most memorable days in winter was the "frost day" - the conditions were perfect to cover the barren trees with a layer of ice and frost and the morning sun was illuminating everything all over town. These shots are some of my favorite taken in Jackson. I found out later that this phenomenon is special to only certain places where it is cold enough to snow "ice"- the flakes are rectangular as opposed to round. We hit it just right to see it- absolutely beautiful.

My life is the extended, uncut version of Office Space

I am stealing this extended uncut idea from a friend- kudos to her.
For the past 5 years, my life resembles Office Space for many reasons including these:

Most days the most productive thing I do is surf the Internet
I've come to realize that it's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care
Someone just stole my (no joke) red swingline stapler
I say often,...ya, I'm going to have to get back to you on that
A better title for me instead of the highly regarded Assistant, Jackson Campus (were they serious when they came up with this? who has a comma in a title?) would be office grunt or the lowest living life form in the office and consequently must answer phone
I have an on-going case of the Mondays
I've been missing a lot of work lately. Well, I wouldn't exactly say I was missing it.
I generally come in at least 15 minutes late, I use the side door so no one sees me, and after that I sorta space out for about an hour, I just stare at my desk, but it looks like I'm working.
I have come to realize that it is not about me and my dream of doing nothing,... it's about all of us.
Often I do nothing, absolutely nothing, and it was everything I thought it would be.

The hutch-less generation

I have noticed a trend in my generation, no one has hutches. You know, those old things that keep china you get when you are married – and who even has china anymore? Well, I do. I got it for my wedding 7 years ago and I can honestly say, I have never eaten off it once, not one time. I don’t even know exactly where it is, somewhere at my parents house in Big Bear. So is this just a random observation? I don’t think it is, I think it is saying something about our generation and how we are different from our parents. When our parents got married they settled down, bought houses (who can afford that anymore?) and used things like china, they had “colors.” I was asked so many times what my “colors” were going to be when I got married and to this day I still don’t know, I would call my “colors” and eclectic variety of random dishes and keepsakes that I was able to afford buying and haven’t broken in our 17 moves. I think there is more of a trend in mobility and being transient, a little college here, a little college there, a few years here, a few years there and when you live that way you never really set up house, you just acquire and get rid of furniture as disposable items from IKEA. I know very few people in my generation that have furniture that actually cost something of value and they try to keep nice. I hope to one day eat on my china, but given the chance I to go back I would have not registered for the china but for a trip somewhere exotic and I think most others my age would say the same if asked that question- a shift in priorities (good, bad or indifferent) formed by us and on us by forces in the economy, housing market and the ever increasing ability to be mobile for cheap. So to all my fellow same agers- keep traveling and enjoying being the hutchless generation.

Does it look like I need another phonebook?

Ok, this is my beef with phone books, around this time of year (who knows why) I start getting phone books, in my mailbox, on my porch, at work, I am practically stepping over them, in fact I almost tripped over one last night due to inadequete lighting on my porch. I see stacks of them at the Post Office..stacks. What is the deal? Did a bunch of people decide to get together and find old, outdated, manual ways of doing business and then kill off all the remaning trees we have left on this planet to clog our poarches and mail boxes with gigantic books that take up space? And who uses phone books anymore, I'm sorry, but I don't...if that makes me a yellowpages.com snob than hand me a crown and I will be queen of the internet searches...let me think, it is faster, you can find what you want in a multitude of ways and it takes up NO space and it is not killing trees (if you are unaware of my feelings about trees please see blog below). So I started a new job and guess what was waiting for me 5, yes 5 phone books! And what is up with not ever being able to find what you are looking for in them anyway, you remember those tabs (also see... blah, blah, blah) it's another way for the phone book publisher to send you on a goose chase to find a simple listing. And what the heck is up with people who keep old phone books!?!? This makes NO sense, I recently moved into a new condo also and what was waiting for me but 4 old, outdated phone books, ya-those are gone. I know..I know, let's start collection, I will have all the phone books lined up in order from 1975 to today along with my old yearbooks and sports illustrateds in the front room, won't that look nice? Uh,....what? I don't know about you, but I agree with Ivan "The Terrible," I don't need another damn phonebook!

Every year my family makes Casadil; it started with my great great grandmother who made the traditional Italian Easter bread every year and it has been passed down by generation. For the last couple of years I have made it with my Uncle David and Grandma in Palm Springs during the few days before Easter. I think I am comfortable enough with the recipe to try it on my own, we will see how the Wyoming air likes to rise my starter dough!

IronMan Race

Nick finished his IronMan Race in a little over 6 hours, I am so proud! It was a beautiful day in Oceanside and we had tons of family and friends around to cheer him on :)