I'm back?

Woah!  January 6th?  That's just pitiful!  Those were my thoughts as I clicked on my blog page.  Now just because I haven't posted since then doesn't mean I haven't been *thinking* about posting...that counts right?  I guess I don't even have an adequate excuse for waiting 6 months forever since my last post so I'm just jumpin in and going for it.  I guess I'll start with:  another road trip!  The beauty of working in a school district is that you get so many breaks...seriously, SO MANY!  The third best break (third only to Christmas and summer) is Spring Break!  So what did I do with a whole week off this year?  What else besides a road trip to none other than Jackson Hole!  You might remember a previous post about a road trip back from Portland with a stop in Jackson (if I could figure out how, I would link to that older post but let's be honest, it's a miracle in an of itself that I'm writing this now, so figuring out that whole linking thing is just gonna have to wait! :)  Anyway, this trip was nothing like the previous one.  This time around we stayed with a good friend from home and it was so nice to have such a great place to stay, and to have someone show us around town!  Thanks Zach!!  So now I'll let the pictures do the talking...

Wyoming State Line...you know that sound about the wind whippin across the plains in Oklahoma?  The original version is actually about Wyoming!  (Or at least it should be) 

If you go back and read that older post I was talking bout, you'll find out about this awesome hotel...I just had to go back and make sure it was still there!  Also, proud to say, I'm no longer a stranger!

Kim bout to take her first run at Jackson Hole

If you've never skied there just know...this mountain is STEEP!  Also, you will feel like you're going to ski off the face of the mountain because you can't see the bottom from the top but don't worry, this is just an optical illusion!

No offense Wyoming but y'alls snow ain't got nothin on Colorado!  The day we went was nothing but slush, rocks and patches of grass everywhere

Our host for the week and tram operator extraordinaire representing all the way from Clemson, SC!

These are waffles at the top of the tram.  It's a place called Corbet's Cabin and if you go to Jackson Hole, this is a must...these are SOOO good!! 

I recommend the brown sugar and butter combination.  Super healthy too!  Ok only kidding but after a day of shredding gnar pow, who cares?!  I'm always so dang hungry apres skiing! 

These are found in the square in the town of Jackson (I'm pretty sure this is 1 of 4).  Now that's a lot of antlers! 

The Grand Teton mountains...pictures just don't do it justice...this place is beautiful!

This is Moulton Barn known as the most photographed barn in America 

My roommate is a pretty stellar photographer!

Road trip: Aspen!

There are a handful of towns in Colorado that I've always wanted to see so what better time than the summer when I don't have to work?! I'm super lucky to have a roommate that loves road trips so we mapped out a plan and made some hotel reservations. Here is a good piece of advice when booking a hotel...always always always book online! Otherwise you will spend waaaay too long on the phone and you won't end up with a better deal. Also, you might get talked in to a cheaper hotel, only to find out later that it isn't such a great hotel. Now if you read about my hotel adventure at El Rancho in Jackson Hole last summer, you will understand why I'm a bit skeptical. Just know, El Rancho was quite the experience! So the plan was to head to Aspen on day 1, stay the night in Snowmass, head to Vail for day 2, and leave the next day. Aspen was absolutely beautiful...if you have the opportunity to go, do it!! I was hoping to see a celeb or two (which is partly why I wore my Ralph Lauren polo dress...he has a ranch there) but unfortunately, we we're so lucky. It didn't really matter though because the scenery was amazing and we had so much fun walking around town and checking out the cool houses. Here are some pictures from the trip!

This is what $12 will get you at Starbucks in Aspen...not much!

Hangin out and people watchin

It seems like mountain towns have an obsession with oversized chairs...this one is in Snowmass 

Our hotel in Snowmass had robes so of course we lounged around in them! 

So we brought our own toaster to make breakfast in the morning, and after sneaking it into the room, Kim burned her toast and almost set off the smoke alarm...

Here is the proof!

The little village in Snowmass 

We decided to detour off of I-70 to hike Hanging Lake 

It was beautiful up there! 

If you're ever in the Vail Valley and looking for a good place to eat, check out the Saloon in Minturn...it is so good! 

My good friend from home, Beth, used to live in Vail but moved back to Charleston last year and I miss her dearly. She was out here visiting and it was such a treat to see her. 

Sorority pic pose after breakfast in front of Westside Cafe in Vail. Such a fun little breakfast place and a great time catching up!

This is where we almost stayed in Vail (via our over-the-phone reservation fiasco) until Beth warned us that it was no bueno. At that point I had visions again of last summer at El Rancho in Jackson, and took her word for it. We drove by and took a pic outside for good measure!

Miss you Beth!!

Road trip: Portland

This past weekend I had the opportunity to take a mini-road trip to help a friend move. Starting point: Portland, Oregon. I had never been west of Colorado so I was excited to see what the Pacific Northwest had in store. It's difficult to describe Portland in just one word, but if I had to try, it would be a combination of: colorful, interesting, eccentric, eclectic, and weird. It's a huge city with many different neighborhoods so you never really feel like you're in the same city because everywhere you go is just a little different. We started off with brunch at the Veritable Quandary, which was a super cute restaurant near the Portland Waterfront. We also hit up Nob Hill, Hawthorne, Alberta Street, and a few other neighborhoods. We then went down to the Saturday Market (which also runs on Sunday) and that was quite the experience. There were tons of vendors selling a huge array of different things. Most of it were what I would consider to be quite typical (think hemp necklaces, t-shirts, sunglasses, etc.) but there were also some true artisans selling handmade clothing, artwork, and other goods. We rounded out the day with amazing tacos from a little restaurant called ?Por Que No? If you're ever in Portland, you seriously have to go there. One thing that I loved about that city was the abundance of restaurants and coffee shops, which were just as diverse as the residences of the city. A couple interesting facts about Oregon: First, you can't pump your own gas there. Weird, right? I'm sure that's pretty nice in the winter! Second, Oregon has no sales tax. Don't let this fool you into thinking you're saving money however because you will pay almost $2.50 for a 33 ounce SmartWater...a major bummer for sure considering they can often be found 10 for $10 here in Colorado. Overall, I had a great time exploring the city. The next day our travels led us through Idaho and to the great state of Wyoming. You will learn more about that adventure tomorrow! In the meantime, enjoy so pictures from my time in Portland...

The Saturday Market

Sierra got this entire bouquet of flowers for only $10. Bomb!

Spare any weed?

This is how most of the guys in Portland were dressed...cutoff man-pris. True hipsters I suppose.

We came across lots of abandoned cardboard signs.

Por que no. So good!

There were gnomes just hangin out on the side of the street. No big deal!

The Bagdad Theater