The Annual ski trip

Every year we go on a family trip to Grand Targhee Ski Resort for an awesome weekend. This weekend was absolutely fabulous, but we are all so sore we can hardly walk. There was no expectation for snow until a few days before. Check out our car and how much snow is stacked on top, note how high my feet are compared to the tires. Yes, like every year it snowed the most on Saturday night, really making us want to skip church and join the ski church.

The best tricks of the trip were Jordan's multiple under rotated backflip landing him tips in the snow and smacking his face to the ground. Jennie followed his lead and under rotated a couple back flips one of which she came crashing upside down on her head from 20 feet up, and the other gave her a great big fat lip. And cousin Logan's un-scouted back flip that landed him right in a pine tree. This year we are happy to report no broken bodies and no broken gear like last year. It is a weekend where everyone is trying to compete to go just a little bigger than the last person. 

This trip was also awesome as Heather flew in from Virginia to ski with us. Well we had tons of fun with the whole crew and we can't wait for next years trip. We love Targhee, we love snow, and we love the awesome people we get to spend time with.  

Jordan's New Hobbie

 We have always known how much Jordan likes to longboard and wake board. But he has just found a new hobby in the world of boarding. He is now making longboards. He told me he wanted to make longboards but I didn't think that he would actually be good at it.  I assumed him and the neighbor boy Steve would make something dinky they would be proud. I found out I was really wrong. His finished project turned out really great... If you are interested in buying one from him, just put in an order. 

Christmas in Honduras

It is true our Christmas was fabulous. No, it didn't feel like Christmas but, isn't Christmas rea

lly about giving. We had an awesome chance to give. We were doing some service work down in Hondur

as. (Yeah, I can now locate it on a map) We gave time, books to the first library in a village, love, dinners to poor families, gift baskets to people in the ward who needed food, toys to

 kids in the hospital, puke plus other stuff to the toilets, and school supplies and uniforms to 100 children. We gave in many aspects and it felt great, but we also received. We receiv

ed, love, kindness, lessons on humility, hospitality, parasites, and t

he chance to learn the trades of the disabled people.  It was t

ruly and amazing experience and we are very grateful to Jordan's parents for taking us along with them. 

It was warm in Honduras, we experienced sweat rather than snow. It was quite incredible. 

When we got home we enjoy seeing Heather and Rich for an hour before they had to catch their plane back to VA. We also had an awesome couple days of skiing with friends and family. Jordan hucked a couple of back flips on of which was while being towed 

by a snowmobile. The hot springs in Heber were a new experience it was like hide and go seek for the warm patches amidst the cool patches, and avoiding stubbing your toes became another game. Really it was awesome and a great time to hang out with the VanSlooten cousins. 

Now we are back home in our cosy closet of an apartment which now has tile in the kitchen and bathroom (a huge upgrade for us). The snowbanks here in Rexburg are crazy, Jennie has lived in snow country Utah most of her life and she is still amazed with the snowbanks. Every street has a 2-3 foot bank on the edge and we learned why places make such big parking lots. The reason is they need and entire section for the 20+ foot mountains. We are dying to dig a cave in one to sleep in.

 Jennie thought she didn't want to come back to work but the people she works with really have a big grip on her heart and she loves it. Jordan starts school tomorrow (Jan. 07) he is excited he is just trying to pretend he is a "cool kid".   

Consider this our December and January post and we'll update our blog again in February or March. 

 

The Pits of being sick

To stay home or not to stay home? Well I have been sick for nearly 3 weeks now and let me tell you the frustration that goes along with being sick. 

I spent the first two days in bed so I would be healthy enough to go to work and not get the old people sick. Well I went back perhaps too early but thankfully no one caught my sicks. 

Feel almost completely better we headed to an awesome Thanksgiving with the Families in Draper. It was great but the cold was coming from both sides of the family, and wham it got me again. This time worse in the throat so not only do i feel like crap but I sounded like it too. Ugh. I am almost to the point where I think Flem is part of life. 

All I can hope for is, Not to be sick the whole winter. and pray Jordan won't get it.

November

Well it is the beginning of November and unfortunately fall is just about over. The leaves were lush here in Rexburg. Unfortunately I didn't pick my "Perfect Leaf" of the Year but I think beginning next year that will become a tradition. 

I am sad to see the cold moving in but as the crisp chill moves in and snow occasionally falls WE (Jord and I) feel our hearts beat about 3x faster because we know what is coming the anticipation is excruciating but thrilling. SKI SEASON IS COMING!! 

We dress up in our ski gear every chance we get, call it Halloween costumes or weekly dress up. Not only do we dress up but we also irrationally spend towards our hobby. We call it early Christmas Presents. New goggles, new ski pants, new snowboard, new coat, new snowboard, new ski socks, new bindings, and boots from the local pawn shop. Needless to say we are excited and have a spending problem. But if the snow is good well forget about the $$$. Jordan watches the same ski movie once a week and then finds new ones online every day. At the moment Jordan is waxing all snowboards and skis. He says he is glad he married me, as it has kept him from being a ski bum and or addict, i thinks he has an problem and is in denial. 

Church

I asked God to help us to read our scriptures. Well we read them now as we have been called as the Gospel Doctrine Teachers..... If that is not overwhelming intimidating and scary, then I don't know the definitions of those words. Plus I procrastinated prepping for last weeks lesson because I figured Jordan would do most of it. He claims it was food poison. Regardless of the excuse I ended up knees shaking, splotchy neck, and forgetting to breath in front  of a class of return missionaries, while Jordan laid in our cushy bed.  All I can say is God answers our prayers.

School/ Work

Jordan doesn't seem like the studier but he is doing great in all of his classes and is loving school. He is smug when the class talks about beating up the kid with the highest grade who is throwing the curve way off for everyone else. He spend his days in classes on his new favorite toy, his mac book, and yet his grades are great. You can call him, "Oh Mister Brilliance" next time you see him.

For me it is the joys of working with seniors all day. Being hit on by Grandpas is my new way of finding self worth. You think that they look at you the way  they would view their Granddaughter but  no they think they are my age and that the more they flatter me maybe they'll get lucky.  And really they do get lucky, they get to play bingo with me and there is not much more exciting than that. 

What can I say our lives are always full of adventures.

Moving on

Well we left the lush Caribou-Targhee National forest ..Grand Targhee on the day of the first snow, a huge signal that summer is over. Despite age and career there is always something magical about the summer time. I was feeling a void as all my friends headed back to school but living in the college town of Rexburg is helping me feel as though I am still a part of college life, or that college life is still a part of me.
Since Jordan was "over qualified" for two part time jobs he applied for he decided to make the jump from working for others to working for himself. He got his business license and his contractor license. The name of his company is "TAYLOR CONSTRUCTION AND REMODELING" and he already has a couple jobs lined up. I bet we could all put money on the table that Jordan will never work for someone else again. He is a go getter and he is in the process of getting!!!
When it comes to careers for me I had felt a bit lost but this time the answer to my prayers was quick it just took kneeling and asking. Which took me four months to finally do. But with counsel of a good mother I prayed and was guided to the perfect job 2 days later. I hope I got the job, I will find out tomorrow, the position is "Director of Activites, for Teton House" an assisted living facility.
OTHER EXCITING NEWS
--We made it to our ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!!! It has been a blast, to celebrate we went to Yellowstone for three days and saw all the geysers, paint pots, and tourists. While we were there we saw a grizzly bear and were rushed by a large man bison (Jordan was terrified).
--We also left our home on wheels and moved into an apartment it is only $325 a month and we have screaming baby neighbors who wake us up at 4:00 in the morning, needless to say that is fabulous form of birth control, they may look cute during the day but they are monsters during the night.
--Jennie turned 22 years old she is really growing up..
--The jenny's were reunited again a much needed cuddling was called for.
--Jordan bought a bunch of tools

Nothing but fun

Ok so we'll give you a huge update. Since last posted Heather and Mary(mom) came to visit it was great. We explored Jackson. Then Jordan worked as the bread winner while Jennie went back to SLC to hang out with all the originals who were under the mama and papa's roof for a week, it was awesome. Then Howie and the boys (Braden and Garrett) came to visit. yes all 5 of us slept in the RV and it was great fun. So that is another shout out that we accept visitors. The Schmidt boys and Jennie ran the snake river while Jordan continued to work. Jordan has become an even better fisher man seeing as he goes every time he gets a chance, he is particularly good at catching carp.
Jennie finally left the unemployment and went to work at Grand Targhee also, she gets twitterpated when she sees Jordan on the job. We have made new friends, they are way cool and definitely hippie-ish, we are hoping it will rub off a little bit.
We got hit with 3 days of June snow which was not very cool in our opinion, Jordan was snowblowing 14 inches of snow at work. Well by the end of that week the sun choose to show itself which was awesome. So we decided to go camping we went up Darby Canyon, it was beautiful with the exception of the dead deer in the stream that had been kept so cold in the rushing ice water, it had stayed completely preserved other that that the rushing water had removed all the deer's hair. We then went to the wind cave which was a treacherous hike but incredible and we are proud to say we were the 2nd group to enter the cave this year. There was an ice plug blocking the tunnel so we helped the first guys in the cave by hacking at the ice with an icepick, we didn't make it through the ice, so we turned around and went fishing for the evening.
Jennie is loving her job, talk about adventure check this out.......she got to go flying with her co workers to get a sweet view of the Tetons and the entire area. Unfortunately she almost hurled all over her as of 3 days new co-workers. she wasn't just feeling queezy but the puke saliva started it was awful but the view was incredible.