Salt Lake City

January 7

I arrived in SLC at Aunt Dolores' house in time for dinner. Julie, Brad, Andy and I went out for Sushi so my Mom and Aunt D could go out with the Red Hat ladies (j/k). It was so cold in SLC...and in Tahoe. Man, I got spoiled in the Bay Area. Kristen joined us partway through the meal. It was really nice to be there. We stayed up really late drinking and re-connecting. Throughout the entire visit, I got to see Mom, Andy, Julie, Maren, Savhannah, Brad and Brad's friend Sean, Kristen and Dave, Sadie and Jordan, Aunt Dolores, Lauren and Russell.

January 8

Brad and my brother Andy rigged a "snare" to capture a giant rat that was living under Aunt Dolores' bird feeder. They had yarn going from inside the house, out the window, over a branch, and down to an opening in the foliage where the rat (named "Ratty McRat-rat" would stick his head out to grab seeds from the bird feeder. There, the yarn was tied into a noose around the hole. After several failed attempts, Andy finally caught the rat. This had the house erupting in laughter and amazement, the rat hanging from its mid-section from a tree branch. Andy carefully let the rat go to the dismay of Aunt Dolores, but Andy is such an animal rights advocate that he couldn't bring himself to harm the rat....or was it that he just wanted to catch it again? Not sure.

The days/nights run together a little for me, but we went to a Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon - laser show that everyone agreed was mediocre. Dave, Brad, Andy, and I went to see Avatar 3D at an IMAX. I'd already seen it with Megan Merry a few weeks ago, but I'd see it three more times, and the guys loved it.

The cousins went to Russell and Lauren's house one night after going out for Thai food with the whole family. We rented some video games and had a few beers. Brad peed on Kristen's tire and it left a trail through the parking lot a hundred yards long. I don't know why, but at the time it was amazingly hilarious. We were all having the greatest time hanging out together. One of the video games Russell rented was a first-person action game. For about an hour, all of us were in the living room cheering on (or scorning) whomever was playing. It was totally wild! You'd think it was a room full of Green Bay Packer fans during the Super Bowl or something. I've never seen such crowd participation for a video game. Maybe it's cousin chemistry.

January 10

Kristen, Dave, Andy, Lauren, Russell, Savhannah, Aunt Dolores, Mom, and Sean all went skiing at Brighten. Sean was able to get a pass working the parking lot. It being Sunday, the lifts were empty! Kristen explained that with the high population of LDS members in Utah not being able to do anything but church-related activities on Sunday, stores, restaurants, and (yay!) ski hills are empty! I got 11 runs in and was toast. The conditions were beautiful, and I had a great time.

January 11 - 12

Not much, just used Dave's Gold's Gym membership to work uppers and cardio. Oh, and partied with the cousins. We seem to be on a later schedule every day.

January 13

Andy, Mom, Julie, and I went out for Sushi while Maren was at school. The family suspects that Maren has Angelman's (sp?) disorder. Julie is amazing for taking on the responsibility for Maren while her parents are working some things out. That night, Julie and I stayed up till 330 am talking, and Maren woke up to join us. She is such a sweety, and so affectionate.

January 14

Andy and Mom left for Wisconsin. I hung out with Julie and Maren, got packed, and then Kristen, Dave, Sadie, and Jordan joined us for pizza. Kristen and Dave ended up spending the night (man, you guys can hang!) and the next morning I hit the road.

Special thanks to my family in Utah! It was far more fun than I had anticipated to reconnect with all of you! Much love and thanks for the amazing hospitality!