A Great Start to the New Year: January

Well, January came and went and we were very busy! I think we are starting to realize how strange it will be to not live in Provo anymore so we are trying to make the most out of everything that we have here. We spent this month cramming as many of these things as possible into our busy schedules! Oh, and P.S. we started our last semester of college. :) whaaaaat?

We started the year by going snowshoeing with Jessica and Ande (the dog) :). We went up Provo Canyon to Shingle Creek in the Uintas. I had never been to the Uintas before (I know, sad) but it was absolutely gorgeous. It's funny how each of these different areas around Provo can really all be so different.

My selfie with Ande.

 The next weekend we went Cross Country Skiing! This was my first time, and believe it or not, I was not that good. I know, it's shocking because I'm so naturally good at everything.... ha. Even though I wasn't super used to having skis instead of a board, it was SO much fun. Like way more fun than I thought it would be!! It's right up there with snowshoeing for me.

We also visited the Sundance Film Festival! This was on my list of things to do before I left Utah, so I am really glad I did! Buuuut, it was also nothing like I expected. Maybe it's because I really don't care about celebs running around in Park City, but to me it was just a lot of people running around. And huge lines outside of bars. And a ton of yelling. But we still had fun :) 

 Then we had an "ICE DAY!!!!" Probably having something to do with seeing the movie Frozen, but Rusty planned a surprise day for me that included going out on Deer Creek Reservoir, going to the Midway Ice Caves, and eating dinner at Dairy Keen-home of the train. Oh yeah!

So we got out there and started to hear these really weird sounds. Like deep thuds. At first we thought that someone must have been throwing rocks out onto the ice, but then they started coming from the middle of the lake. It took us a while but we realized that it was the ice cracking! Super creepy sound to hear while you're standing out in the middle! 

  

Probably the highlight of January was taking a trip over a long weekend to McCall, Idaho. My family used to come here every winter when I was growing up to ski, snowmobile, and see the Winter Carnival. Some of my best memories happened in this place. I was so excited to finally be able to take Rusty there to see it. The drive there went through some beautiful canyons in Idaho.

The first thing we did (and one of the things that I love most about McCall) was head to the Pancake House where we ate pancakes that are bigger than your plate. And the shocking part, is that they are actually really tasty!! Rusty was pretty skeptical and thought that my memories were incorrect, so when he ordered not one but TWO I was pretty satisfied to see his shocked face when they came out. :)

They're huge!

Pure bliss.

The next thing that we did was walk around and see the Winter Carnival. McCall does this big carnival every  year where they have an ice sculpture competition. We saw some pretty fantastic things! My favorite was by far the pyramid, but there were some other really cool ones too!

The Abominable Snowman!

Finding Nemo!

And here is my favorite one! It was a giant pyramid that you got to go inside. The pictures do not do it justice. There were mummies, sarcophagi, and Egyptian gods that didn't show up good enough to keep the pictures. But it was A.MAZ.ING.

The next day there was a parade! I mean, could this weekend (and McCall) get any cuter/better/more perfect? It's got the small town feel that I really love, but it has so many fun activities to do all of the time. In the summer there is dirt biking, hiking, and climbing, and in the winter there is snowboarding, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. It is just the perfect mixture of everything. I'm pretty sure we're moving here sometime.

After the parade, we went and ate a delicious lunch at a Chinese place in the center of town. Then we loaded our gear up and went snowmobiling. I saw some of the prettiest country ever, and we were up at the top of the mountain to watch the sun set.