Antelope Island, Picnics, & Birthdays

After the job search that began soon after moving, I was offered two positions in one week.  I started working the first week of November at a local hospital's newborn unit part time and PRN for an incredible early intervention program for children ages 0-3 years old with delays or special needs. I'm enjoying both so much as they are both a little different than anything I've done.  The timing worked perfectly because David began a vascular surgery rotation in November which required him to work a few more hours per week than he had been previously.  Since David still had most weekends off, we continued to explore our new surroundings.

Not far from downtown SLC is Antelope Island State Park.  Located on the Great Salt Lake, it is 22,000 acres of beautiful landscape.  With friends, Mike and Jen, we visited the park for the annual bison roundup in November.  Its a great place to visit as they have white sand beaches, campgrounds, hiking/biking trails, horseback riding, sailing, swimming, and much much more.  We're excited to go back next summer for more adventures.

Mike and David learning to lasso...

Antelope Island is home to over 500 Bison

We had to stop to let them cross the street -- they were not afraid of humans...

We stayed until sunset and then headed back downtown for dinner at the Red Iguana.  For those of you who love mexican food, you must eat at the Red Iguana in Salt Lake.  Its a local favorite that most often has lines out the door during lunch and dinner.  They are famous for their moles, but everything on the menu is delicious.

Later that week David and I both had a day off mid-week so we bought lunch at one of our other favorite mexican food places, Chipotle, and had a picnic in Sugarhouse Park.  The weather was warm and sunny with blue skies -- the perfect day for a picnic.  We ate and then toke a walk enjoying the beautiful city.

The day before, I had cut all my hair off.  My first haircut since we were engaged.

Yummy Chipotle...

Sugarhouse Park

Later that week we celebrated the lovely Suzanne's day of birth with a wine and appetizer party. It is always fun to hang out with these guys.

The wives -- for some reason minus the birthday girl..

Some of the boys...

The Birthday Girl with sweet baby Ada...

Halloween

Halloween was fabulous.  Every year David and I say that we are going to be smart the next year and plan our costumes in advance. Somehow, every year we end up waiting until the day of the party to throw something together.

David went as Kenny Powers from Eastbound and Down and I was the swine flu.

We did a little pre-gaming at our friend's house then headed to the ultimate Halloween party, Spooktacular, thrown by an ortho resident and his wife at their home.  The party was incredible -- Haley had to have spent a week decorating, but it was time well spent.  They had it all... smoke machine, spider webs, bats, black pumpkins.

There were lots of creepy treats...

I made some zombie dogs for the occasion...

Hint:  You can find great, creative recipes on Pillsbury.com.  These were simple -- all you need are crescent rolls, cheese slices, hot dogs, and mustard.

We had a great time hanging out with friends and seeing everyone's costumes.  Every year I'm amazed at the new costume ideas.

Even Bruno made an appearance...

Neither of us had to work the next day on Halloween.  Trying to explore our city a little more we went to Red Butte Garden, Utah's Botanical Garden and Arboretum.  Located just a mile or so from our home, it was an easy place to spend our afternoon.  The Garden is beautiful and in the summer they frequently have outdoor concerts.

That night David, myself and another couple went to Nightmare on 13th Street -- voted one of the scariest haunted attractions in America by the Travel Channel.  It was terrifying, but very cool.  Every year they begin working on decorations and attractions starting February 1st. It has been open for 20 years, but they always change atleast 1/2 of it each season.

Viva Las Vegas

David's best friend from college who also happened to be his best man in our wedding lives just a 6 hours drive from us in Las Vegas.  We decided to visit him for a weekend in October.

On the way...

Kevin was a wonderful host.  We arrived Friday to find that he had in bought us concert tickets to see Tim McGraw.

The outdoor concert was around a casino's pool and, surprisingly, no one ended up in the water.

We spent Saturday on the famous Las Vegas strip

Serendipity is by far my favorite place to visit in New York City, so you can imagine my excitement when we walked by this on the strip...

That night we were able to see Cirque du Soleil's show Mystere at Treasure Island.  In our Vegas luck, we managed to get third row seats -- it was amazing to see what some people are able to do with their bodies.  If you ever get a chance to see a Cirque du Soleil show -- do not pass it up.  From the costumes and acrobatics to the drama and athleticism, you will be amazed.

We couldn't leave Vegas without a treat from Serendipity.

So far, being married is treating us well.  At this point, I was still looking at job options and enjoying spending time with David.  Trying out all of our new kitchenware proved to be exciting.  Salt Lake has a great Farmer's Market in a park close to our home that's open from June to October.  We enjoyed going on Saturdays and cooking dinners together with out great finds.

Utah Hikes

Utah is famous for its natural beauty.  It's a paradise for outdoor enthusiasts with its National Parks, Ski Resorts, Hiking/Biking Trails, Park City, Lake Powell, Temple Square, Whitewater Rafting, and more.  Our hope in moving here is to explore as much of this beautiful land as possible. While the weather was still nice in September and October we went on a few hikes.  Within only a few miles of our home we have an unlimited number of hiking trails to explore.

One afternoon we hiked a trail about a mile from our home called the Living Room.  On a beautiful fall afternoon it was a great short, relaxing hike in the foothills above the city.

I still can't believe we get to live in this place

Erosion in the area has created piles of smooth, flat rocks that people have arranged into stone furniture built on a ledge overlooking the city.  Couches, chairs, footrests, and even tables have been stacked into the hillside.

Our home is somewhere on the right side of the screen covered by trees.

Another gorgeous day we hiked to Lake Blanche in the Wasatch Mountains with some friends.  This strenuous trail was about 6.7 miles round trip, but totally worth it when you pay attention to the canyon scenery and the gorgeous lake at the top.

Taking a water break on the way up...

Gorgeous view at the lake

I love my husband!

I was so excited to have one of my best friends, Alison, come to visit.  While she was in town we did a little shopping, spent some time in Park City, and did a short hike up to Ensign Peak.  It is a fairly easy hike from just behind the capital building that gives you great views of downtown Salt Lake.

We've helped each other get through Nursing school and Nurse Practitioner school alive.  I'm so sad that we live 1600 miles apart now, but know that one day we'll live close again.

80's Madness and Our First Snow-Sighting

Our first fall in Utah continued to be exciting as the orthopedic surgery crew further proved their eternal fun-ness with a love of themed parties.  For a resident's birthday an 80's celebration was held.  Sadly, David and I had given most of our 80's gear to Goodwill before the move -- so we had to take a trip to the local thrift store to stock up on new-old clothes. David's med school class had an 80's party once per year and we had thought our themed party days were over with his graduation.

We started the night at a friend's house and then actually went out in public after dinner in our fashionable dress to see an awesome 80's cover band - the Spazmatics.  Everyone had a blast.

Here are a few pictures to give you a visual:

Your future orthopedic surgeons...

The better halves...

Personally, I think we would have fit well into the 80's.  I'm particularly fond of David's pants.

The Spazmatics were great with all the awesome sounds, styles, and way cool dance steps from the 1980's. Good thing for you, readers, they play all over the country so you don't even have to travel to Salt Lake to see them.

In pursuit of our first snow-sighting, David and I ventured to Snowbird's Oktoberfest celebration in the mountains.  We got our wish along with some beautiful scenery.  We love living so close to the mountains with so many great things to do outdoors.

Our first encounter with snow -- and in October!

Exploring Our New City

We continued to take advantage of David's light schedule by exploring around our new city.

We spent some days by the pool

We went to a few concerts including Gov't Mule, Pearl Jam and Ben Harper, Frieghtened Rabbit...

David and Jace at the Pearl Jam/ Ben Harper Concert

We got really close to Eddie...

For Emily's birthday and Jace's last day visiting, we toke the short drive to Park City to ride the Alpine Slide, pay a little visit to the outlet mall, and see the changing fall colors.

Park City was beautiful and gave us the perfect sunny, warm day

Happy Birthday Emily!

We all enjoyed racing down the slide through the trees.  We're so glad that Jace came to visit and hope he comes back again soon!