Mosaic Monday! Holiday Memories

I recently found myself lost to the joys of our family's photo albums. Thank goodness my folks took as many photos as they did as my sister and I grew up. It is so magical to look back! I found a few favorites from the holiday seasons of the past. I wanted to share some of these with you! I am definitely in the Christmas spirit already and am smiling ear to ear at these oldies. :)

(Is my mother not gorgeous? You all know her from her blog: A Montana Life. I'm the littlest one!)

(My late Grandma. So very dear to me! I get all misty when I see this picture every time)

So much '80s flair in these pictures! I love my old red snow suit. Not too much different than my new one, seen HERE.

Please go visit Little Red House to see other lovely mosaics on Mosaic Monday! :)

Play with Shadow

Hey folks! I just discovered a new blog called Hey Harriet, and I really love this Aussie woman's photography! She hosts Shadow Shot Sunday, and I wanted to play along this weekend! Below is a favorite shadow shot of mine. Back in the old apartment, with the blinds half-way closed, looking out over the street. :)

Please go visit Hey Harriet and look at all the other participants! Aren't shadows fun?

Rednesday! The Sacred Planner

I cannot navigate life without some good list making, and I can't make it through the holidays without my trusty planner. Almost a year old now this little life-saver comes everywhere with me. Parties are planned in its pages. Work schedules are penned. Birthdays are remembered, and holidays are organized. With a crazy highway field season in the winter, and some big-deal holidays, I definitely need to stay on top! This wee beauty helps get the job done! My favorite red item. :)

Please hop over to It's A Very Cherry World to check out other red posts! :)

Knick of Time Tuesday!

I'm linking up to Knick of Time today to show off something old. :) Please go visit her blog and check out all the other participants!

Now that it's cold and snowy in Montana, it's time to get out all the winter sports gear. We downhill ski, we cross country ski, we snowboard, we ice-skate, we sled and once in Peru we actually ice-climbed and climbed mountains. Awesome! This brings me to my "old" item for today.

Hanging on our living room wall are a pair of old German crampons. (Spikes that go under boots for climbing ice and snow.) They're marked "West Germany" which helps date them a little. Technology has changed a lot since these were made. They're still in pretty good shape though, so I may trust them out on the snow still!

Mosaic Monday! Holiday Decorating

This week marked some of our first Christmas decor going up. We realized we'd be short on time this season, so we've got a bit of a head start this year. :) Glad to have the tree up and its friend, (on the other side of the fireplace) the grapefruit. It also was decorated!

Hop on over to Little Red House's delightful blog and check out the other mosaics! :)

"It's the First Ski Daaaay of the Winter!.."

Is there a better kind of day?! Sister and I realized we both didn't have to work on Friday and piled our gear in the back of her truck. Off we went to Lookout Pass which was the only ski area in the region that was already open. Oh the powder! It was absolute heaven up there!

The snow came down and covered your tracks as soon as you made them. I couldn't believe it! Sister is normally a snowboarder, but after a few runs, she went back to the car to put on her telemark skis. Yep, she is trying something new this year! And she loved it!

Yea! Bend that knee!

I enjoyed my usual AT skis, as I do every season. I just chose to wear my snow suit from Halloween! Turns out it's the warmest most comfortable thing I own! LOL.

Oh hello! It's not the 1980s, you say? Oh! I had no idea...

A few drinks were enjoyed at the bar while the blizzard picked up speed outside. The drive home was a bit intense, and took 2x longer than normal. Yikes! But that's the price you pay for good snow in the mountains. :) Here's to many more ski days!

Up to Canada, eh?

Last week found me driving 10 hours to British Columbia with a car full of colleagues. At least we had good scenery! We were rewarded after our long journey with a hot springs resort as the destination. Can't argue with a conference at a spa!

Our three days were full of technical sessions, presentations and networking. Amazing food was served, and wine was poured. Old friends met again and new job positions were explored. All five hot springs pools were generously tested and a manicure in the spa was on the docket.

Our research was well-received and we bid our conference buddies goodbye after a luncheon finale of cheese-cake and coffee. Back on the road through the worst snow storm I've ever seen. Had to stop short on the way back due to weather, and try again the next morning. Finally over all the mountain passes, it made me smile to see my familiar valley ahead.

A good trip indeed, but exhausting just the same. This week I'm definitely taking it easy. (And wishing for more hot springs time!)

Go Grizzlies!

My mother was kind enough yesterday to let me take her place at the last regular home game of the Montana Grizzlies. I had a blast with Dad! We poured our peppermint schnapps in our cocoa, and cheered on our team with spirit! We won the game by a landslide and the crowd was up and excited. It was Military Appreciation Day at the game, so they unfolded a HUGE American flag on the field during the National Anthem. This same flag has been to Superbowls and other huge events around the country. We had two jets fly over and lots of service men and women being honored. It was great! Go Griz and Go USA!

We always have skydivers :)

Really big flag!

Our Mascots (Monte and Mo) came in on military vehicles!

A New 'Do!

The new look!

I've had long hair for a very long time. Last time I really cut it was about six years ago, and it only got cut to my shoulders. That was as far as I could tolerate. It grew back out, and after many years of enjoying the length, I got tired of it. Tired of the weight. Tired with curling it or drying it. Tired of it looking flat and uninteresting.

So much hair! I loved it, but it was time to go!

I got inspired by the ladies on the new show Pan Am with their shorter 'dos and how they style them. That got the ball rolling. Then I talked it over with a few friends and the sister (who reminded me I'd wanted to go super short in the past) and a plan was made. Friend made the appointment, sister tagged along for moral support, and before I knew it I was sitting in front of a mirror at a salon holding 11 inches of my hair in my hand. Liberation! (And to a good cause! I donated it to Locks of Love!)

So happy I could donate it!

My final length is nice and short, but still versatile. I can curl it, style it, gel it, or do nothing to it and it'll all look good. I'm ecstatic. It's a big change but I'm so happy! (And I'll use so much less shampoo!) Hurray!

My neck is cold! Ha ha! I'll have to get used to having this new length!

First of November

Woke to a grey sky on this November morning. Whispered "rabbit rabbit" in the quiet and sipped coffee by the window. Then it started....snow. Small white flakes. The first snow fall of the season here. Best way to ring in the new month. :)