Ginger Bread Houses

So since it is the holidays, this time of year calls for lots of food, fun, and festivities. Full of holiday parties and getting together with loved ones and friends, these are opportunities for lots of food, fun, and festivity. Around town, we have been seeing some excellent examples of gingerbread houses. This afternoon, we went to one of my co-workers' houses, and made our own. Check out our dream gingerbread home! And some examples from elsewhere in town!

TheChristyBel

My Chimney Work on Our Gingerbread House

Our Front Door
Check Out Marc's Excellent Shingling on the Roof!

Summer Houses at the Mountain House

A Replica From a German Castle at the Brauhaus!

Delaware for Christmas

For the wintery holidays, Marc and I spent a few days down in Delaware. It was super nice to spend time back at home, relax, and not worry or think about work! We spent the week touring around Delaware (we saw a Longwood Gardens Christmas, Baldwin's Book Barn, HomeGrown, Ashland Nature Center, Newark's Main Street, and old friends), working on homemade gifts, and watching the Star Wars films (yes, that is right, watching all 6 films and the new one)! It was a long, lovely week of being home. Here are some highlights of the Christmas holiday!

Happy Christmas, Everyone! I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday!

TheChristyBel

Merry Christmas from Marc the Christmas Jew!

Marc and I at Longwood Gardens

Beautiful Decorations at Longwood

A Succulent Christmas Tree
I want this for next year!

The Foxfire Crew - Christmas 2015
From Left to Right: Zach F., Sean B (Brother), Marc, theChristyBel, Michael, Megan, Shawn, and Zach

Before Heading Back to New Paltz, We Stopped in AP!
My Asbury Park Ladies
From Left to Right: Krista, theChristyBel, and Kelsey

Easter...Not-On-East

Another holiday, where I am not celebrating with family. Not going to lie, it really stinks. I miss being home for holidays. Hanging with the Burton-Juniors, going to Phyllis and Ray's, the Easter Egg 'Hunt' to find YOUR egg...but knowing where everyone else's are, the food!!!!, and just being home. I really miss all of that.

But this year's Easter Sunday, I received a gift in the mail from Mom and Dad. It was one of the infamous treats sent from Mom from the Popcorn Factory. No, it was not another tin! haha. This package was a pyramid of some Easter treats: chocolates, peanuts, and popcorn! Super yummy! It was definitely a wonderful surprise to get this in the mail. Something delicious, colorful, and happy is something that I think is needed as this spring semester winds down and gets closer to the big Defense Day! yikes, it's right around the corner!

On Easter Sunday, Facebook was blowing up with pictures of food, Easter Egg Hunts, chocolate, desserts, and Easter festivities. I was definitely getting pretty homesick. So, I went to Vedauwoo for a nice, long 2-hour hike around the Turtle Rock Trail. The weather has been absolutely wonderful and so the hike was just beyond perfect. The snow has 98% gone, so I was able to use my hiking shoes and not have to worry about post-holing like I have been the past few times I have gone there.

But, I think spring has definitely sprung here in Laramie. The snow is mostly gone (there is some still on the mountain peaks and in areas where not much sun gets in) and there are other signs of spring popping up everywhere.

My hike at Vedauwoo was pretty nice. The weather was great (warm and sunny) - I did not even need a puffy! There were a bunch of people out on the trails too which was nice: lots of families and people getting a morning hike in. As my hike strolled around Turtle Rock, the willows were blooming Pussy Willows (I love those things - you know, the little buds that are absolutely furry!), Mountain Buttercup, and little rodents have come out of hibernation and scurrying everywhere.

Then after my hike when I looped back to the car, I scrambled up the rock to a high point to get some great scenic views. As I sat there on the rock, I heard some rustling down below, and sure enough, a moose was walking through the trees! How cool is that?!? It was pretty neat to watch it trudge through the forest and notice hikers practically walking alongside of them (and they did not even know it!!!!)

Below are some pictures of my hike. Enjoy!

Happy Easter!

TheChristyBel

My Easter Sunday Mass
No Peeps, No Eggs, No Ham

Happy Easter!

The Last of the Christmas Mugs

Remember when I showed you those mugs I made for holiday gifts way back when?! Well, I have finally gotten the rest of them fired and packaged up for some very special people. Here, are the last mugs - they went through a Salt Fire Atmosphere - where the temperatures get mega hot and at a certain temperature, salt is added to the kiln. This allowed the salt particles to break up and adhere to the pieces placed in the kiln. It gives a very interesting crystallized look to them! I cannot tell who these are for, since they are on their way to the recipients now! But they are late holiday gifts!

Happy Late Christmas!

TheChristyBel

A Salt Lake City Layover

So, if I wanted to fly from Jackson (a tiny airport) to Laramie (another tiny airport), it would've cost me a $1,000+ dollars. That was money I was not willing to spend...so, I found a much, much, much cheaper flight from Salt Lake City to Laramie. Now, how do you get to Salt Lake City from Jackson? You take a bus, of course! Or in this case, a 15-passenger van! Marc dropped me off at 6am to catch a 6:20am van ride to the Salt Lake City International Airport. The van/bus ride only costs about $75. I think I slept for the majority of the trip, they stop about every hour for bathroom breaks and make stops along the way to either pick up people or drop them off. When I was awake, I was able to take a few pictures of the beautiful scenery that we drove through. And yes, I got the front passenger's seat! It was awesome and lots of leg room...and I could recline my seat! Boom!

Blue Beautiful Skies

Good Morning!

Cool Cloud Patterns Over the Mountains!

Sunrise!!!!

Arriving into Salt Lake City, the Wasatch Mountains (I think) were floating! There was a lot of haze in the valley of Salt Lake City, so the surrounding mountains appeared to be floating around the town! The city is incredibly beautiful! I was super excited to be back there, since I had not been there since last April for part of my spring break.

Wasatch Mountain Range...I Think!?

I was welcomed and picked up by my friend Chris (a friend from Delaware that now resides in Utah), where we had some lunch, and I went back to his house for a real nap. There, I was greeted by Nimbus, Chris' cat, who is just as awesome as Gus and Tweedy!

Nimbus!

When Chris returned home from work, he took me to the Great Salt Lake. I had never been there before, so it was really cool to actually go up to and see it up close! As we walked from the parking lot to the actual lake, you could see dried up salt crystals on the sand! They were super huge and beautiful. Of course, I had to document what I saw! Nerd.

Salt Crystals!

Also, along the walk up and along the lake, we discovered a bunch of shells of the brine shrimp, lots of dead waterfowl, and bird tracks!

Bird Tracks!

We got there just in time for the sunset. It was really pretty to see along the lake. Despite the bog/lake smell that was pretty stinky, it actually reminded me of home when you would be along the riverfront and in the wetlands. I really miss that smell. Even though it is not a true pleasant smell, it reminds me of tall grasses, mucky boots, tides, and the Delaware wetlands. Great reminder of home. :)

A Great Salt Lake Sunset

Sand Ripples in the Water From the Wind!

Sunset and From What I Believe: Two Cap Clouds Over the Mountains in the Distance
Not a Very Good Picture of It, But I Think That Was What I Saw

Stumbled Upon a Duck Decoy and a Dead Fish With This Catch Phrase!
Are There Even Fish in the Great Salt Lake?

Again, a Close Up of the Two Cap Clouds Over the Mountains in the Distance
Not a Very Good Picture of It, But I Think That Was What I Saw

That evening after the sunset, Chris and I met up with one of his friends, Sarah, for dinner. Had sushi at this place called Tsunami! It was pretty good. Then went home for a relaxing evening of catching up and watching a movie while we both fell asleep on the couch! Traveling is exhausting.

Tomorrow, I head back to Laramie...Winter Break has officially ended.

TheChristyBel

Nimbus and I Relaxing

Finally Using My JHMR Season's Pass

Last Thursday, Marc was off from instructing and I was in desperate need of a brain break from writing my Master's paper. So we both were able to test out my winter legs again and do some personal runs on the mountain!

Let me just say I was really worried about riding down at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. It just appears so intimidating compared to where I was at last year at Targhee. But Marc was pretty patient and allowed me to try a green before heading up the gondola! haha. So we took Teewinot up and I did a green run - totally had to remember what my legs, body, and feet were supposed to do...but got down the mountain very easily. So off my snowboard went, we unclipped and climbed into the Gondola. We were going to meet our friend, Sarah, at the Casper lift for lunch. Most of the paths to get there are blues and double-blues, which is where I left my skill level back at Targhee in April.

Simply just took my time working on turning and controlling how fast I wanted to go as we made our way down some traverses and down to the Casper lift. Not only did I survive my first time riding the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort's runs but I enjoyed it! Not to mention had a few tumbles, but it was super entertaining for Marc to watch as I did fall, I mean, 'starfish' on a traverse and maybe fall when I was getting into the lift line...and...getting off the lift. All laughs everywhere and in between though!

Also, throughout my days where I was scheduled to work at the Pioneers' Kid Ranch - I was able to go straight from work to some snowboard breaks. Have not done any Blacks yet - I want to continue my technique and build up confidence on these blues. I'll get there - will just take some time and practice. And of course, I am still liking it! Oh....and PS....my knees are doing great!

TheChristyBel

Top of the Hanna Run - Midway Down from Apres Vous

Partying It Up with the Pioneers

Making Faces on the Gondola!

Today was my official last day with the Pioneers at the Mountain Sports School Kids Ranch; that is, until my spring break! Working at the Kids Ranch was by far a really fun job. The people you get to work with are incredibly awesome and laid back - they don't judge you or think less of you if you don't know how to ski. In fact, they are really supportive and are always willing to give you a few tips if you have a desire to learn. I'm really sad to be leaving to go back to school. I have met so many wonderful new friends through the mountain, that it is such a tease, that I have to leave again.

Pioneers was really fun. I even got to do a bit of teaching...which was really funny, since I don't ski. But since Pioneers ranges from 3-5 year olds, I was solely working on the Magic Carpet and instructors do not need skis to bring the little ones to the top of the carpet, then catch them as they come down, or shout out pizza to teach them to stop.

Didn't Go Anywhere Without That Rabbit!

Excited to Go Up!

It was just a great time, laughing with the children and fellow instructors, coloring, and getting lots of hugs and love from the kids! They pretty much love you and will show it too!

I got to meet a wide-variety of children too! Many of them were from all over the country (even from Delaware!!!)! Yes, that was a wonderful treat! I met two children from Hockessin, DE and I knew exactly where they were from and went to school! Ahhhh! And I even got to meet children from Australia and Brazil! It was super cute to hear different accents and to work on my Spanish, and well Portuguese! I definitely want to pick that back up because I felt so bad not understanding some of my children, and I am positive they did not understand me! Definitely want to work on that communication for next time I'm there!

Also, during my time working at JHMR, we got to take our students up the Gondola (not to always come back down in skis, but just for a round-trip. When I went up, we were able to see the inversion. Where it was pretty cloudy at the base, then bluebird skies when you got into the tree line. Our students loved it! They would wave to other passing cars and let us know what they were seeing. It was adorable!

Above the Clouds!

I'm sad to leave, but I will be back in a few weeks for spring break! Can't wait to be with little ones again and the new friends I have made! Ahhhh...I know the spring semester has barely started, but I'm already ready for spring break! Bah.

TheChristyBel

Jen & Her Girls
Hair Salon & Story Time Break!

Coloring During Break

This Little One is From Delaware!

Turkey Legs in January?

The other night, we found a great deal at the Whole Grocer on Turkey Legs! Humongous Turkey Legs! We roasted them in the oven and made mashed sweet potatoes (with garlic salt, pepper, parsley, and onion powder)! This mini Thanksgiving dinner...in January...was incredibly delicious!

TheChristyBel

Turkey Legs for Days!

Moose Hockey Game

Cheering for the Moose Win!

Went to the Moose Hockey Game with Marc and Ben tonight. Super fun - the mountain resort was hosting the game that night, so we got in for free with our employee passes! How awesome is that?! We arrived there after the first period. It was mega crowded - a bunch of staff from the mountain resort was there and the game was pretty entertaining to watch. There was even a band that played in between the periods. Totally went to the upper level and prowled around for a balcony edge to get a clearer view of the game. By the end of the second period, we got an edge balcony spot and were right behind the Moose goal. It was super awesome to see all the action from up top. Not much else to say about this evening, except it was a fun time with awesome people and a really good fight on the ice to watch! Plus, the Moose won! Boom!

TheChristyBel

Hannah and Louie Relaxing After the Game?
Louie, Are you Comfortable?!

Hockey Game Selfie

Making Girl Scout Cookies

The other day, I got a message from one of my friends asking to purchase Girl Scout cookies from her niece. Well, I am totally down for a good Thin Mint, Trefoil, or Samoa! However, have you looked at the prices of those small boxes lately...they are almost $5 a box! How crazy is that?!? I remember when I sold them and they were just $2! Looking at the website, I suddenly got this huge craving for Samoas! They are just so gooey and delicious! I mean, you get a box, put a few in the microwave, cook them for 15-seconds and place them on top of vanilla ice cream and boom! - The most awesome dessert ever! So, Marc looked up online and found a Paleo/Marc friendly version for the cookies! So of course we had to try them out. They are from a recipe from Elana's Pantry - a food blog site that specializes in specific dietary lifestyles. If you want to check out the recipe, here it is - found here. I do not have images of the entire process, but it was broken up into 4-5 parts.

Part 1 - Making the dough (use a food processor or hand mixer - the dough does clump into a ball, but it is really, really gooey!) Then let refrigerate for 30-minutes. We recommend maybe a little more to let it firm up.

Part 2 - Preparing the Cookies - Roll the dough in between two sheets of parchment paper. For cutting them out, we used a glass jar rim and when cutting the cookies, spin the glass to make a clean cut. For the smaller hole, we used a clean opening of a beer bottle! Haha! It was the perfect size and proportion to our circle cookies. The parchment paper was a great way to flip the soft, gooey rolled out and cookie cut cookie into our hands and then flip onto the baking sheet.

Part 3 - Baking the cookies & melting the chocolate - we recommend 6-7 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown. Making the chocolate (prepare with a double boiler!) Marc used his own little recipe for the chocolate, and then when the cookies were cool. We used a wide fork to set the cookie on to dip the bottom of each cookie. Place back down on the parchment for easy removal and clean up.

Part 4 - Toasting the Shredded Coconut & Making the Caramel - we used honey instead of the Coconut Nectar since we could not find it. It still came out great!

Part 5 - Drizzle the Caramel & Chocolate - Drizzle the caramel over the cookies and the melted chocolate over the cookies until completely covered!

Sadly there is a part 6 - Letting it all cool and set! - We had no room in the fridge to cool the cookies and let the chocolate harden, so....since we live in WY and it is super cold out, we placed the cookies outside (just covered them with aluminum foil). They were cool and hard in about 15-minutes! Let me say, they taste awesome!!!!!! We definitely recommend you try them for yourselves!

Enjoy!

TheChristyBel