Aww, Tetons you're so purty

This is the post where you get to see me look like a crazy woman because sharing a 4 bedroom 3 bathroom condo with 17 people can get a teensy bit hectic & I possible may have only showered 3 times in the last week.  at least, that'll be my excuse.

Truth is, when the Tetons are right outside your door, doing your hair all fancy shmancy and putting on makeup is the last thing on your mind.  Unless you're a teenager girl (which we had 3 of with us) then all that stuff is actually the 2nd thing on your mind second only to #1 boys.

  

This morning was my first morning back at the gym  in over a week & i felt like i was going to die.  I guess that's what you get for eating twinkies and pringles for a week straight.

I did get a little exercise on our trip.  Jeremy took Swede and I on a morning hike overlooking the Tetons.  & we did paddle a canoe for 2 days straight.  But that came to a screeching halt when Jeremy tweaked is back (bad!) while putting the canoe back on top of the car.  So, we had 2 full days of running around, swimming in String Lake and having fun, and then 4 days of taking it easy, driving around a lot looking for animals, watching Jim Gaffigan on Netflix & a quick trip up to yellowstone to look at a few hot pots.  ya know, those pretty, stinky pots of boiling water...can't get enough of them ;)

The paddle boards we rented were a highlight of our week.  Not necessarily because they were super fun, but because of the uncoordinated-ness of us Winborgs.  It's hilarious watching a 70 year old man fall off a paddle board repeatedly...and a 40 year old woman, and another 40-something year old woman...and myself.  hilarious. every. time.

i have video, too. dare i post it??

I hope your week was fabulous, too!
and fyi, the winner of the $50 Shabby Apple gift card giveaway is Beth @ Through the Eyes of the Mrs.,
congrats, i'm jealous!

adventures in snow canyon utah

Our family took a trip to southern utah last week, it was so great to spend time with them! Jeremy & his dad were down there to take photos of the landscape to use for their oil paintings.  They would wake up at 4:30am on our trip so that they could get to Zion's National Park or Snow Canyon before sunrise, now that's commitment! and to think,...I was feeling kind of sorry for myself because Ingrid woke me up one morning at 6:45.  These are our adventures in Snow Canyon:

it was a lot of fun for us to climb up on the sandstone

the kiddos weren't too sure about sliding down into this little slot...we finally talked them into it

the only photo we got with all 7 of us together, yeah, that's ingrid, just bein ingrid (eyes crossed just for funsies:)

the girls were actually terrified of climbing through this hole....i don't know why.  but, they put on their smiley faces for the camera

Our favorite part of Snow Canyon is always the sand dunes!  look how much fun it is:

even the adults dug right into this pretty, warm sand. fun stuff!

we found pride rock, it's in southern utah...yes, it's the real pride rock they used in the filming of the lion king, pretty cool, eh?

no trip would be complete without some rock climbing, which i hate, btw. but, i'm a pretty good sport, and i occasionally will climb...here is some proof;

rock climbing in logan canyon, northern utah

 but i prefer the role of belayer!

and the kids had a grand old time

i didn't get a picture of Jeremy in his element (climbing) but, i captured in him in his other element (photographing)

we had an awesome time in southern utah, and can't wait to go back...i kinda wish i lived there, as we have about a foot of snow here in northern utah right now.

i'm so grateful for my awesome family and the time that we have to spend with each other.  i am a very blessed woman!

and i guess i'm grateful for the snow, too...but it's just so cold!!
oh, and some fun (very true) facts about utahn's from jeff foxworthy:

 If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance and they don't work there, you live in Utah. 
If you've worn shorts and a parka at the same time, you live in Utah 
If you've had a lengthy telephone conversation with someone who dialed the wrong number..., you live in Utah. 
If 'vacation' means going anywhere south of Salt Lake City for the weekend, you live in Utah. 
If you measure distance in hours, you live in Utah. 
If you know several people who have hit a deer more than once, you live in Utah. 
If you install security lights on your house and garage but leave both unlocked, you live in Utah. 
If you can drive 75 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching, you live in Utah. 
If the speed limit on the highway is 75 mph -- you're going 80, and everyone is still passing you, you live in Utah. 
If driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow, you live in Utah. 
If you know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction, you live in Utah.

:) xo-danielle

instafriday in zions national park

We took a week-long trip to southern utah and I want to share with you my cell phone pics and link up with life rearranged for instafriday

we were a bit nervous the first day when we drove through snow storms and found this: we were hoping for warm, good picture-taking weather!

luckily, it the skies cleared up, but it was still chilly!

I never knew you could find such wildlife in zions park!

and, then there's a real dear we found in springdale

jeremy took a ton (like 4000!) pictures with his good camera, these are just the ones from my cell phone

one day, while the boys were photographing, we took a girl's day and just went shopping in st. george.  Here, the girls are showing off their new color-changing nail polish, aren't they cute?

there were three in a bed, and the little one said "roll over, roll  over"

I'm so glad all three of my kiddos can fit in one bed! we stayed in Salt Lake the last night of our trip so that we could enjoy the pool at the Little America Hotel :)
I don't know what i'll do when we try to stay in a hotel when all the kids are older!
Happy (insta) Friday!
xo-Danielle

staycation

it's sad when you come home from a vacation and you realize your pajamas are super tight and leave you writhing in pain from elasticus too tighticus.

in other words, my vacay made me chubby.

we took a week from the icy-cold northern utah to the slightly warmer southern utah- this is what we were leaving as we headed south

and this is where we ended up:

not only were we on vacation, we were on vacation from sensible eating

I guess because a client of Jeremy's let us stay in his awesome house and we didn't have to spend money on a hotel we thought we could spend a little extra on food....we ate at restaurants 9 times in 7 days! and when we weren't eating out, we had real genius ideas like ice cream for breakfast

so, it's back to reality now...

jeremy and i have set a goal that we won't eat anymore desserts until thanksgiving.

thanksgiving has never felt so far away :(

here's a look at the beautiful home we were so blessed to stay in:

someday i will have a kitchen this spacious...6 stools comfortably fitting around the bar...uh, yeah, I could get used to that

to the left is one of the paintings my husband painted for this client.  you can see it better here

my kids spent all their free time playing the clavinova...oh, and my father in law, too

 the patio wrapped around to where you could see the private runway

it was a thrill for the kids to see the private planes taking off, oh, and a thrill for me, too ;)

see, she's very excited about the planes!

and now..... we're back...determined to eat chewing gum for dessert...or diet dr. pepper (which i may or may not have had 5 of yesterday) 

this is what northern utah looked like when we got back

my daughter swede is on the right with her cousins. she's modeling for us.  sell that leafy snowball, swede, sell it!

spring never felt so far away