Hi, we're actually alive!

Seems like we've been so busy living life the last 2/3 of a year, that we've forgotten to preserve any of it in the blog! We'll have to backtrack sometime to go over what happened in the missing era, like our trip to Europe in February, but for now we'll start by showing you what we've been up to since getting back in the States.

Last winter I borrowed a friend's skis & boots that were 2 sizes too big but, with thick socks, allowed me to inexpensively sample the sport for the first time in ages. We went only twice- once on very tiny hills at Badger Pass in Yosemite which left me feeling very confident despite being an amateur, and second at Kirkwood- a resort for those with a little more hair on their chests. After tumbling continuously down a blue (intermediate) slope and running into a tree on a green (easy) route (the snow was crappy, may I add?!), I was nervous to try again this season, but having acquired my own equipment, we hoped the better fit around my ankles would improve my performance. I stuck to the greens to regain my composure, and after that successful visit, the following weekend I decided to go to the blue that had been my foe last year.
 

Here's the first part of it! (Click on photo to play the video.) I flew down it with only one gentle fall midway (and no falls on the second run!), so I eventually graduated to the back side of the mountain to try a different blue, thinking the snow might be better back there (the weather was pretty warm and made for slushy/cut up conditions). Perhaps an omen of things to come, I started off poorly, by running into and knocking over a sign on my way to the ski lift. Patrick was very patient and helped me the whole way down the hill, which ended up being a very slow, long descent that gave me a few souvenirs: a very sore neck from somersaulting, a softball sized bruise on my tricep, a line of bruising in the shape of a ski across my butt/thigh, and a renewed sense of anxiety for the next trip.

At my Monday workout the next day, I had to support my head with my hands to accomplish some of the exercises (since my neck was too sore to support the weight of it!), but luckily in the days to follow, I was able to recover. For our anniversary that week- March 20- Patrick sent me a lovely bouquet of flowers with a note I will treasure forever. We had a relaxing 1-hour couples massage in Modesto the Saturday following by upgrading a gift certificate, and a delicious a lunch at Mediterranean restaurant where we scored some free baklava- heck yeah!

We had a 3-day weekend for Cesar Chavez day, so we took an afternoon to go to Hite Cove and see the wildflowers in bloom. A couple years ago we posted pictures of the poppy-filled hillsides, if you recall. This year's pics aren't as intense since we dropped in a month earlier (the blooms weren't open wide yet), but there was plenty of beauty around us nonetheless.

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These pods growing off a vine looked so alien! They had tons of spiky protrusions, but being lush and green, they were flexible and soft, not sharp.

 

And these looked like little doilies hanging off a stem.

The weekend of April 5 was quite a busy one. Friday night we had dinner and played assigned roles in a murder mystery dinner our friends in Mariposa hosted. Patrick was Khover T. Ageante, a British businessman, and I was a no-frills journalist from the US named Mary K. Trairie. The stage was set in wartime1940s Paris. The storyline got pretty crazy, but at least we looked cool, calm and collected!

We were super tired since we drove back home late, but were refreshed by morning time for Love Merced, a community cleanup day we've participated in periodically (remember the story of the wasp attack a year and a half ago?- that was Love Merced). The upper right picture isn't of us, but some other comrades that helped in creek cleanup. The mega drought we've had this year meant we could actually get to the creekbed and collect some disgusting stuff there too. But it was still tedious work- my PSA for the day: please don't dump and spread packing peanuts among thorny brambles!

And Sunday, April 6, we decided to get a third and final ski day in. Kirkwood got a big snowfall that week (a lot of ski hills couldn't even open because of the drought, that's why it's the only resort we've hit up), but unfortunately it was soooo slushy because temps were hitting the 60s. I took it very slow and incrementally got down the hills to avoid acrobatics. I mustered up some courage though and told Patrick I didn't want to be a wimp forever just cause of our last visit, so I would attempt the backside hill again. We took an easier route to the lift this time (no signs to knock over!), and luckily on the way up, I noticed a different hill that looked slightly less steep. We decided to check it out (it's the one Patrick is on in the above photo). I just took it nice and slow, a few yards at a time, and had a much less painful experience this time around. It wasn't the most fun skiing conditions, but I feel like I ended on a better foot, which will help me feel less anxious to start up next year!

As some of you know, last weekend we became the owner of two critters, much to our own surprise. More to come on that soon!