Couchy

The loving generosity of our family has gotten us through years of couch and general furniture needs. The flowered couch in the image below was my parent's for years. Then it went with me to college, my first apartment, our first house, and then SLC. Millie will have to confirm this, but I think that couch is going on 15 years.

The white couch has had quite a wild adventure. It was originally Grant's aunt and uncle's (Jim and Mahvash). Then, each of Grant's siblings (and maybe even some cousins) have had ownership of it at one time or another. It was once a bright white, but now has turned cream. It has braved many homes and has been supporting behinds for more than 20 years. Again, Jim and Mahvash will have to confirm its age.

After using the "turn the cushion over" technique to hide tears and stains, it was finally time for us to purchase a couch of our very own.



We got a killer deal over President's Day. And here it is, our new sectional and ottoman. My favorite feature is that the ottoman has a secret compartment to hide things. And as Grant knows, I love to hide things before company comes over!



And another view. Grant already claimed the corner seat since he has to park outside during the winter months. Fair enough. Bill has picked the spot where the red blanket is. He is also happy with our purchase. We only hope this couch will have a story to tell in the decades to come.



We invite those who have owned the above mentioned couches to share a memory of them. And Ali, don't worry, the tan recliner is still kicking!

24 hours in Jackson Hole

We recently went on a long vacation...a full 24 hours in Jackson Hole, Wyoming! He he. Ok, it might have been the shortest vacation we have ever had, but it was so worth it. Our good college/med school friends Nate and Erin were vacationing up at Jackson Hole ski resort, so we joined them for a quick day of skiing.



Here are the boys all geared up and ready to go. It was FREEZING that morning. When we woke up the wind chill was -9!



Nate and Erin.






Grant looking annoyed at me taking so many photos on the lift. He thinks one of these days I am going to drop the camera from the lift and we will never find it again.



Why is the shortest in the group on the downhill?



Um, yes, gorgeous.


Stats from the trip:
24 hours in Jackson Hole
10 hours of driving
5 six-packs of full strength beer (Utah beer is weak so we had to purchase some of the good stuff to take home)
3 states (Utah, Idaho, Wyoming)
2 lift tickets
1 gas station coffee to keep Anna awake while Grant studied in the car

Sundancers

It has been a few weeks since we have posted because, well, we have just been working too hard and skiing during all of our free time. But somewhere in there, we were able to experience a sampling of the Sundance film festival. If you remember back to last year, my mom and I did some star gazing up in Park City during the festival, but didn't actually see any films.

This year I was determined to figure out the locals ticket situation. After registering all the way back in October for the locals lottery, I won a time slot where I could go and purchase tickets. I researched the 200+ catalog of films and made my list of eight films I wanted to see. By the time I made it to the ticket booth, most of the films I wanted to see where sold out. But I did get tickets to two, Freedom Riders and To Catch a Dollar.



The first one I saw was Freedom Riders. It was a film about the individuals during the civil rights movement who traveled on a bus through the south trying to challenge segregation laws. It was so well done and quite moving. After the film, they had the director and one of the original Freedom Riders up on stage for a Q and A session.



I was so moved, that I actually sobbed in the theater. To see that amount of passion for justice was truly inspiring. I called my mom afterward and could barely speak because I was crying once again. So if you get a chance, please see this film.



The other film we saw was To Catch a Dollar. This one was about Muhammad Yunus and microcredit. And as many of you know, this is a subject I have followed since high school. Microcredit is the idea that you can give small loans to the poorest of the poor, those that do not qualify for credit, and help them break the cycle of poverty. This film was about a pilot project in the US. It was also inspiring, but needed a little bit of editing.

So I conquered the Sundance maze and next year we will try to see even more films.