Park City, Utah...A Tiny Slice Of Heaven

What an unbelievable weekend I just had. My time in Park City can only be described by using the word, wow! I know, I'm a literary genius aren't I?!

I wasn't sure what to expect as I arrived into the Salt Lake City Airport late Wednesday evening. To start things off I was DRUNK after the plane ride (I don't fly well, so I decided to cure my stress with wine...4 glasses...it worked!) and ended up getting fairly sick on the half hour drive to Park City. Part in fact due to my alcohol intake, part in fact due to the winding, twisting roads and the altitude I'm sure. By the time I got to our Condo. I wasn't exactly in any mood to party and really just wanted to go to bed. But alas, I hadn't seen my brother in a while and I was excited to spend a bit of time catching up with him...even if all I really wanted to do was puke over the side of our deck.

Our condo. was gorgeous. It was right on the mountain and had a beautiful view of the Park City mountain range around us (which I wouldn't find out until the next morning). We had two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a fireplace, and fully stocked kitchen complete with a wonderful little gift basket provided to us from my brother's boss Michelle (we stayed at the hotel my brother works at right now). We chatted for a little bit, and I called it a night around 2:00 am Park City time. I was EXHAUSTED and wanted to get a good night's sleep to rest up for our busy few days ahead of us.

When I awoke the next morning and stepped out onto our deck my jaw literally dropped as I scanned the horizon. Towering mountains covered with fluffy green trees sprawled out around me and I couldn't help but stare in awe for a minutes as I took it all in. THIS is what my brother got to wake up to every single morning. It sure makes me feel a bit jealous that I live someplace as visually boring as Wisconsin (although I must admit Lake Michigan's views are something to contend with). I awoke the rest of the family as I giddly anticipated our day outside, playing among these mountains that I so rarely get to see.

And playing we did!

We spent the next few days outside doing every outdoors activity we could find to do. We played on the mountain, and riding a few of the touristy rides: Zip Line, Rollar Coaster, and Mountain Slide. They were a lot of fun, and a great excuse to be outside but I tired quickly of the ride concept and so we headed out, this time to the site of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games. Here we toured around the facility seeing where all the great athletes of the world competed and watched some olympic training ourselves at the ski/snowboard practice facility. I was in awe as I watched men and women younger than my brother barreling down a mock hill at a rapid speed and catapulting themselves through the air, all the while bending and stretching and flipping their bodies and landing safely in a pool of water. It was awesome!!! I'll post pictures as soon as I have them I promise.

We were also able to do a bit of hiking on our trip as well and we ate some amazing meals as well. But I have to admit that I was most happy when we were simply driving around Park City in our little Xterra, checking out the views that the mountain city had to offer. I tried to take in every site I could and take as many pictures as I could, but as with most things in life, a picture just doesn't seem to do it any justice. The beauty remains instilled in those mountain tops for every visitor to see.

Although my trip was amazing, and the city extremely beautiful, I must admit that I was really happy to be home in Wisconsin. I wish I could wake up every morning and see a towering mountain in my back yard, but I'm really thankful that I don't have to maneuver around them every single day to get to work or to get to a grocery store. I love an open road and the occasional flat stretch of path that lay before me. I love open grass lands and the way Lake Michigan smells on a cool spring day. The mountains are a great place to visit every now and again, but I don't think I could ever call that small little mountain town home.

I'll leave that to my baby brother.

It really was a truly fantastic weekend...busy, but fantastic. I would gladly visit Park City, UT again ANY day. You all should too.

And that's all I have.

I'm Leaving On A Jet Plane...and I Know When I'll Be Back Again

About a year ago my baby brother Mikey, headed for the hills of Utah in search of his life long dream of bumming it out on the ski slopes, growing his hair to ridiculously long levels, and probably sleeping on numerous random couches and dirty floors. You see, unlike his big sister, my brother is a "free spirit" if you will. Not quite a hippy in the sense of tree hugging and acid trips and world peace, but he generally doesn't give a rats ass about big business, corporate america, and wearing his pants at it's natural intended place on the body. In fact, when he was a Sophmore in college, he and his buddies took a week trip to Spain for spring break and instead of sleeping in hostels (or hotels with little soap samples like I would prefer), they opted for the "au natural" approach and slept on park benches and beaches throughout their stay. It's not exactly my style...but it fits him.

Needless to say, as he approached his Junior year of college he found that he wasn't experiencing everything in life that he felt he needed to be experiencing and thus packed up his truck, and drove to Park City, UT where he took a job as a snowboard instructor on one of the very large mountain resorts in the area. He absolutley loves what he's doing, and he's perfect for the job, but him being so far away from home gets a bit sad sometimes so I vowed to take a trip out there sometime before he returns home for good.

That opportunity presented itself this weekend and I jumped at the opportunity to spend a few days in the mountains of Utah doing what Utah-ians do...hiking, biking, hyaking...I'm not really sure what's all in store for my time there but I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun none-the-less. I'm very excited to board that plane tomorrow afternoon (rest assured I have an entire bag full of my spaz spills, as I like to call them) and just spend some time in the outdoors with my entire family. If there are three people on this planet (besides Jon Hainstock and his music) that can lift my spirits it's my mom, my dad, and my baby brother. I feel very fortunate to have such a tight knit family, and one that I thoroughly enjoy spending lots of time with.

With that said, I will be absent for a few days as I frolick in nature, but rest assured I will return with plenty of pictures, and hopefully some good stories. Or maybe just a really good tan, which I would be completely okay with as well.

Dinner Conversations with the Andersons

Meet my family:

Mom: What is it that they say determines your porn star name?
Dad: First name and….
Mikey: No first pet and first street name
Christi: I’d be Merby…mom what was our first street in Burlington?
Mom: Meadows
Christi: Oh yeah, Merby Meadows. That’s hot
Mikey: I’d be Chocolate Karyl no wait, Keisha Karyl
Christi: Are you a drag queen?
Mom: I’d be Tippy Lions
All: complete laughter.
Christi: Seriously, that’s awesome

Christi: I seriously can’t help picturing a pregnant woman having sex because it’s just absolutely 100% certain that at SOME TIME she had sex!
Mom: Christi, who thinks about that stuff.
Christi: I also think about famous people pooping
Mom: Gross Christi
Christi: What like you honestly don’t think of Brad Pitt sitting on the toilet.
Mom: I don’t care what he does!
Mikey: YEAH! Like Britney Spears pooping. She does! It’s gross!
Christi: Seriously mom. You’re weird.

Las Vegas, Round 5

In a city such as Vegas, it’s no wonder that it becomes a highly frequented city, considering all that there is to do there. In the five times that I have stayed in Las Vegas, I have managed to leave with a very different experience each and every time, and each time I find myself loving it more and more. I have had trips dedicated solely to drinking and partying in which I was given a thorough look at some of the fabulous nightlife that Vegas has to offer, while other trips were dedicated to the sole purpose of relaxing by the fabulous pool, to which I must say Mandalay Bay remains one of my favorites. I have seen shows, and eaten at amazing restaurants. I have shopped at one-of-a-kind stores, gambled in a number of different casinos, and walked down the strip with a beer in my hand. I’ve seen live music, I’ve ridden a number of rides, and I’ve spent countless hours relaxing in a number of different spas. Yes, Vegas is probably my most frequented vacation spot, and I can’t say that I’ve ever had more fun than I have when I go there.

This weekend I went back, this time in celebration of my brother’s 21st birthday and like every other time, it failed to disappoint me. We stayed at the Mirage (a first for me), where we spent a combined total of about 10 hours sleeping and about 60 hours partying and gambling. We partied like rock stars that’s for sure (my parents included), taking stretch limos to clubs, renting out VIP rooms, and drinking Grey Goose by the bottle. Who cares if we couldn’t technically afford it…we were in VEGAS! Some of us partied a little too hard. In fact, I ended up leaving early and carrying one of my brother’s friends home from RAIN one night because he was puking in our VIP room and was too intoxicated to walk on his own. I have to say that it was my first time ever being escorted out of a club by security guards.

When we weren’t clubbing, we were gambling, and the majority of us were winning! Hundred dollar Blackjack hands could be seen throughout our group of 13 and that came with both very big wins, as well as very big losses. My winnings were spent in the Forum Shops of Caesars palace where I treated myself to my first Kate Spade purse (and matching wallet/clutch) and a fabulous pair of Betsey Johnson stiletto shoes. Yes, I am a designer whore. I love buying myself something I couldn’t normally afford when I win money I wouldn’t have normally had.

Although we did party hard, the trip didn’t consist of a total drunken stupor. We managed to have a number of really good meals and I squeezed in a few naps as well as some down time at the hotel hot tub (it was too cold to go swimming). Overall I think it was a great trip, and I think my brother had a really great time! I wish the trip had been a bit more relaxing than it was considering I leave for Daytona on Wednesday for two weeks, but I suppose you can’t really expect that when heading to Las Vegas.

In Death We Find Strength

"You guys are the Andersons. You'll get through all of this by using your music!" ~ Katie D.

In a time, when a family cannot possibly comprehend a death, they are somehow able to come together, and smile through their tears, through the very music that has always held them together as a family. I sat in awe this weekend as I watched my family heal before my very eyes as they played their hearts to the sounds of Black Sabbath, Pat Bennetar, and Lynard Skynard.

They may never truly heal from what has happened, and they may never be able to truly understand any of it...but the Andersons will forever have music to guide them. It's the cornerstone of our entire family.

...our late dear Annie would have agreed.

So *cheers* to music, and that it does for the world every day. Some people pop pills, some down alcohol, us Andersons....we sing, we dance, we jam our little hearts out. It is definitley something to smile about.

Rest in Peace Aunt Annie

American Players Theatre

Every year, for the past 5 or 6 years, my parents have driven up to Spring Green, Wisconsin to attend the performances at the American Players Theatre. For the first time last year, my brother and I were able to attend one of the plays with them, Tartuffe, and I’ve been hooked ever since!

The venue consists of a cozy outdoor theatre setup with about 1100 auditorium style seats horseshoed around the stage. The theatre sits on top of a hill, in which you have to hike up a wooded path to get to, and surrounding the path to the theatre are little picnic areas in which you can utilize prior to the shows. Last year we brought our picnic basket and some wine and sat and enjoyed the nature before heading up the path to the theatre. This year however, we were crunched for time and arrived to Spring Green just in time to hear the music playing at the top of the hill, signaling the patrons to take their seats.

This year, I saw Romeo and Juliet (my first time seeing a live performance of it) and I must say I’ve never seen Romeo and Juliet portrayed better! While the actor playing Romeo was a bit weak, the rest of the company did a fantastic job portraying the intensity and the crazed feelings these young lovers had and the stage direction of the play was just phenomenal! I loved it so much more than any movie creation of the story.

It’s always a bit intimidating walking into the theatre due to all the scholars, professors, and literary types that frequent the shows, but luckily the popularity of the Romeo and Juliet story drew quite a younger crowd, so I was able to relax a bit more than I was able to while seeing Tartuffe. =)

I’d love to make it up one more time this summer to see another show, but time is crunched the way it is so I may have to settle for an early show next season.

It's a LONG post, but it was a LONG weekend =)

I had forgotten how much I truly LOVE to ski!

On Thursday of last week, the Anderson clan (Aunt Micki and Neil and their 3 kids, Uncle Johnny and his 2 kids, Aunt Dianne and Paul, Grandma, and our family) piled into an R7R Limousine shuttle bus, destined for Chicago, IL. The 15 of us were headed for the Amtrak stations to catch our train to Pittsburgh PA.

Ever since my Grandpa Dave died a few months ago, the family has been adamant about spending more time together (other than at each other’s funerals). So my dad and Uncle David set up a ski weekend away in the mountains of West Virginia and by March 2, 15 of us were on our way.

We arrived at the Amtrak station within plenty of time before our train so after getting our tickets, checking our baggage, and doing whatever it is a group of 15 people do, we headed to our gate so as to ensure we were first in line for boarding. After all, we all DID want to sit together!!

After an hour delay, a gate switch, and a whole lot of “Get off the Tile” yelling by Amtrak employees, our crew finally made it to the train (together of course) and anxiously awaited the next 9 hours of relaxation.

The train ride itself was not so bad. I had my books, my IPod, and of course my family to keep me occupied and entertained. Sleeping on the other hand, was a completely different story and as our train rolled into Pittsburgh around 4:30 am, I realized that sleep for myself and most of the Anderson clan, was just not going to be happening that night. Instead, we exited the train and took our seats in the waiting area to wait for our luggage.

I loaded up on coffee and mingled with the fam as I tried to ignore the fact that I had not yet slept and instead was spending my exhausting morning sitting in the Pittsburgh train station. About 45 minutes later our luggage arrived, but the waiting was not yet over as the men still had to pick up our rental cars…30 minutes away!!! The rest of waited patiently (some slept) and by 7:30 the caravan of SUV’s was outside the train station. We could finally leave!!!

The ride to my Uncle David and Jackie’s house was about a 2 hour one, which wasn’t exactly the most appetizing of endeavors considering our long train ride, but we made the most of it. We stopped along the way for some more coffee and waffles at the Waffle House just outside of Pittsburgh, which was enough energy to keep us awake for the rest of the trip. If you’ve never experienced a Waffle House before, you’re missing out on an experience! =)

We arrived to David’s around 11:00 at which point I was dying for some sleep! But it just wasn’t happening yet. We helped David and Jackie pack up their own SUV and then hit the road by 1:00 for yet another 2 hour car ride. This time, into the mountains of West Virginia!

I find it very unfortunate that West Virginia gets such a bad wrap. Sure the state is relatively poor, and yes those “mountain people” do exist, but the beauty of the state is so much more than it’s people. The rolling mountains, and the green prairies and valley. It’s really an unbelievably beautiful place! I tried to enjoy the view from David’s to our cabin in the mountains, but the winding roads made me quite sick and I spent the majority of the trip hunched over my legs.

By 3:00 we had arrived to our cabin. Our beautiful 6 bedroom, mountain top, ski-on, ski-off cabin. I had officially arrived in heaven. After figuring out room situations, unpacking, and getting the kids settled in, we gathered in the living room to relax and unwind. We watched the skiers pass us by out the living room windows and anxiously anticipated our own ski trip in the morning.

As the children one by one filtered to bed, the adults took full advantage of the empty cabin by popping on our swimsuits, and enjoying a few glasses of wine in the outside hot tub. We waved at the night skiers as they passed right by us, and chatted about life. We soon retreated inside to play a quick game of Phase 10, my new favorite card game, and by 9:00 I was ready for bed. I could finally sleep.

We woke up early on Saturday to get as much skiing in as possible. I was nervous at first as I had not skied in a number of years, but the second I placed my boot into my binding, 15 years of skiing all came back to me. It took once down the hill before I was comfortable enough to hit those double blacks I love so much.

After a few times down, I ventured to the bunny hill to see how the rest of the family was doing, teaching their children how to ski. I offered my helping hand and spent the next few hours snowplowing along side my cousin Jesse, showing him exactly how he needs to stop while on a pair of skis. I was so proud of him. He picked it up after just a few runs down. Hooray for skiing!!

We returned home around 5:00 once the cold set in and headed straight to the hot tub to relax our sore muscles. I had forgotten how much work skiing is! Especially when you’re completely out of shape! The rest of the night we spent just relaxing in the cabin. I love being secluded in the mountains! =)

On Sunday, I woke up bright and early again to get a jump on skiing before we had to leave. Today, was a bit different as I was going to try snowboarding. Seeing as how I have been skiing almost my entire life, I was ready for a change. I figured snowboarding was just the winter change I needed. My cousin Melissa and I headed to the hill before everyone else arrived so we could rent our snowboards, and figure out just how the stupid things worked. Thank god we had my professional snowboarder brother along (He’s been snowboarding about as long as I’ve been skiing) otherwise I don’t think we ever would have gotten out of the lodge. He showed us how the bindings work, which foot to lock in, and how to walk with this huge board attached to our foot. He took us on and off the lifts and taught us about the stomp pad and finally, he showed us a few quick snowboarding moves.

We started off on the 2 mile long green hill, Salamander, thinking that would give us just enough time to learn the basics instead of practicing on the little bump they call the bunny hill. BAD IDEA! I didn’t realize how much I would fall. Every time I got up, I fell right back down. Up, Down, Up, Down, Up……….Down. This was how it went for the first hour of skiing. Melissa and I laughed and laughed as everyone kept lapping us on the hill. “Christi, I’ve seen that man three times since we’ve been on this hill, and we’re still not even half way down yet!” It’s true we spent the remainder of the run on our butts, but along the way we finally got the hang of it. Our boards turned and stopped when we wanted them to, and we were actually able to snowplow a few feet before falling face forward into the snow. Once I was up I was able to balance long enough to actually move down the hill, and a few times I was even able to turn the board back and forth to move out of people’s way! Of course near the end I took a few very hard falls and that pretty much ended my snowboarding experience. There is only so much falling you can take in one day before your body just yells. 2 ½ hours was my bodies limit =)

We made our way back to the cabin in pain and ready to go home. I was a little annoyed at snowboarding since I couldn’t pick it up right away, but I had a lot of fun regardless. I think I may have to think about taking a lesson around here before the winter ends. I could just become a snowboarder soon =)

It was a fast weekend complete with a lot of traveling, but it was a lot of fun regardless. Between the mountains, and the skiing, the family, and the laughter, it is something I’d do again in a heartbeat. No questions asked.

I’m just glad to be home. For the moment =)

Christmas '05 Recap

I cannot believe that it's over. Christmas came and went faster than any year in the past and I fear that it's only going to gain momentum as the years progress. I cherish this season so much, and it's over faster than I know how to handle.

It was an eventful couple of days that's for sure. Erin and I started off the season with our traditional "Christmas Eve, Eve" in which we have a few drinks, exchange presents (she got me some really yummy smelling candles and a Starbucks gift card) and drive the streets of Candy Cane Lane. I look forward to it every year (although this was only our second year doing it). After our little Christmas tradition, we swooped by her apartment and picked up Dave, and headed out to Mantra for some drinks with the Bistro kids. It was a fun night, the music was lame, but I was entertained anyway. Dave, Erin, and I left around 1:30 to grab some late night/early morning breakfast and then I headed back to my apartment...only to be awoken at around 4:00 by a very drunk Nicky wanting to exchange Christmas gifts =)

Christmas Eve was spent at my Aunt Linda's house. It's my favorite night of the entire year. My mom and I showed up wearing our Santa Baby Christmas outfits, which were the hit of the evening that's for sure! The days festivities included pictures with my cousin's new baby, toe nail painting in my Aunt's heated floored bathroom, a tearful dinner, a cozy movie session to Charlie Christmas Christmas, a fabulous gift opening (my Uncle got me a Best Buy gift card and a slinky he he), and a loud obnoxious game of Scattegories.

Christmas Day we woke up to Santa's presents which included: new curtains for my apartment, bath stuff (a TON of it), a ton of gift certificates, a new digital camera, an I-Dog, Pajamas, a few DVD's, a book, a bunch of stuff from Sephora (my favorite store EVER), and a kick-ass bracelet/necklace thing. Oh and who could forget my ring from Tara!! After present opening we headed to my Aunt Miki's house for my Dad's side of the family Christmas.

It was a truly joyous holiday and I'm sad to see it go =( This week at the store will now be spent tearing down the Christmas decorations and prepping the store windows for New Years. *sigh* 362 days to go until next year!!!!

Happy Holidays All!!!

A Holy Jolly Christmas

This first weekend in December brought in many holiday festivities for both myself, my friends, and my family.

Thursday I enjoyed my day off at Mayfair Mall, with my Aunt Linda, Cousins Bridget and Carol, and of course my mom. We met up bright and early for breakfast at 9:00 and then Christmas shopped all morning and afternoon. We even took a detour break for a plop on Santa's lap, and lunch at Panera. YUMMY!

At 2:00 my mom and I left the Koshick girls to head to Brookfield for our facial appointments at Azana Salon and Spa. We LOVE a good facial (we're becoming quite the connoisseurs). The salon is actually really great and we were pleasantly surprised that such a great facial came at such a reasonable price! We'll definitley be back.

After our facials, my mom and I parted ways and I headed to Target to purchase a few last minute Christmas items: Christmas Tree, a few ornaments, and of course some wrapping paper. I was then off to my apartment to spend the evening decorating my tree and wrapping my newly purchased presents. Ryan came down and helped me "fluff" the branches of my artifical tree and Nikki and Adam came strolling in a few minutes later with plans to head to the Hi-Hat for a martini or 2 (who could pass up THAT invitation). I finished putting the finishing touches on my tree, then headed to meet up with them for a Martini which quickly turned into one martini, one lemon drop shot, and a bottle of Spotted Cow.

Strolling back to our apartment, Nikki and Karen helped me to decorate the tree (keep in mind, they're Jewish) while Adam showered, and within an hour we had the tree decorated and we were ready to head out again for the night.

I got up Friday with a bit of a hangover, but had to put on my "A-Game" quickly as there was much to do back in Burlington that day. It was December 2nd, the day of the Burlington Area Christmas Parade, and Christy's Bridal had float number 35 to assemble. My dad spent the morning drilling and hammering, while my mom and I dressed the manequins and fluffed the trees. We closed down the shop at 5:00, pre-partied in the salon with some champagne and hot cocoa and whiskey, then dressed and headed down to Kane street to line up.

It was REALLY cold outside but the adrenaline of the parade kept us all really warm (plus I'm sure the whisky helped). At 6:30 the parade began to move, Steve and I hopped onto the float while Patty and my mom walked (read: sprinted) alongside the float handing out candy to the little mittened hands along the parade route.

Steve and I danced the night away but unfortunatley half way through the parade we lost power, including our music. We improvised though, and laughed while we danced to nothing but the hoots and hollers from the crowd.
Saturday was a very much needed recovery day, as can be expected, I was CHILLED to the bone after being outside in the freezing cold in nothing but a wedding dress (and a few layers). Due to the snow I was stuck in Burlington, so I spent the evening watching Christmas movies with my mom, and relaxing in a hot, HOT bath.

Sunday came, and my parent's apartment was filled with people by 10:00. It was time for our anual Christmas cookie baking get together. The girls bake, while the kids decorate (I get to be included in the kids portion of the get together) and about 6 hours later I left with 4 plates full of FABULOUS cookies. I love cookie baking time =)

You'd think with a festive weekend such as mine I'd be a little burnt out on the holiday season but I'm most definitley not. The ground is white, the lights are bright, and music is still magnificent! I'm cheerful as ever and am looking forward to the coming weeks.

St. Nick comes tonight everyone! Horray! =)

My Father, My Mentor

My dad called me about 20 minutes ago, with an unexpected apology. He and my mom came over to my apartment last night and we cooked out on the grill, but he's pretty stressed out lately so wasn't exactly pleasant to be around. I of course ignored it, as he has plenty on his mind right now but he felt really bad about his behavior. When I told him I understood, he said he has no right to act as if he's the only one stressed out. "Who isn't?!"

He's the most put together man I know. No matter what is going on in his life, and how many tasks he adds up, he always manages to put life into perspective and leave the day with the mentality that all of that "stuff" is mundane. The office, the house, the new business venture...at the end of the day it doesn't matter. He feels blessed for his health, for his loving wife, and his two children. He says it's THAT he wakes up for every morning.

He's such a good man. I wish more people could think like him. There are so many people out there that have a bad day, or a bad week, or a bad breakup, or a bad wrought of food poisoning, whatever the case may be, and they're forever pissed off at the world for dealing them a bad hand. But we all have our bad days, our bad weeks, our bad breakups, and we all get sick. What gives one person the right to be angry at the world over another? And what gives some people the ability to hold their head high and say "I'm blessed" when things get rough, when others are not so capable?

My dad dealt with poverty, alcoholism, teenage parenthood, and many other blows throughout his lifetime. But he still manages to wake up every morning with a smile and know that things could always be worse and he's a pretty blessed man.

I respect him more than he'll ever know.