Monday, January 24, 2011

JUST A TEASER!!!


SUNNY DAY OH SUNNY DAY, HOW WE WISHED YOU WOULD COME AND PLAY.

SATURDAY AT GRAND TARGHEE WAS NOT QUITE AS FOGGY, HOWEVER, FOR A BRIEF MOMENT WE THOUGHT THAT THE SUN WAS GOING TO JOIN US, BUT ALAS IT WAS ONLY FOR A MOMENT. YOU CAN SEE THE FOG IN THE BACKGROUND, IT FLOATED IN AND OUT ALL DAY.


IT WAS FUN TO HAVE MICHELLE WITH US BUT I'M GLAD SHE WAS AHEAD OF ME (SO THERE IS NO PICTURE EVIDENCE) WHEN I FELL ON THE CAT TRACK. -THE FLAT CAT TRACK- OH WELL, I GUESS IT HAPPENS BUT IT WAS PRETTY EMBARRASSING. I LOOKED LIKE A FISH OUT OF WATER FLOUNDERING ON THE SNOW TRYING TO GET UP. UGHH!

THE WALL OF TREES...
I HAVEN'T BEEN TO TOP IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS BECAUSE OF THE FOG. WHEN WE WERE UP THERE ON NEW YEARS DAY WE SAW THIS WALL OF TREES THAT WAS JUST AWESOME, BUT WE DIDN'T HAVE A CAMERA. JEFF WAS ABLE TO GET THIS PICTURE THIS WEEK FOR ME.


LEXIE ALSO ENJOYED HAVING MICHELLE UP FOR THE WEEKEND, SHE NEVER LEFT HER SIDE.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

HOW SWEET IS SHE...


DAYNA SENT ME THIS PICTURE THE OTHER DAY. IT IS SO CUTE TO SEE OUR LITTLE HAILEY FINALLY GIVING IN TO SLEEP WHILE STILL SITTING UP. HER GREAT-GRANDMA JOAN ALWAYS HAD A JOKE THAT THE SWANER'S HAVE BUTTONS ON THEIR BUTTS AND WHEN THEY SIT DOWN THEY FALL ASLEEP, MAYBE IT HAS BEEN PASSED ON.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

IN A FOG

I HAVE BEEN ACCUSED OF A LOT OF THINGS ASSOCIATED WITH MY MEMORY. MY KIDS HAVE TOLD ME ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION THAT I HAVE "MOM-NESIA" WHICH I DON'T DENY. AND AT TIMES I HAVE FELT LIKE I HAVE BEEN IN A FOG, BUT TODAY GRAND TARGHEE LIVED UP TO IT'S NAME OF "GRAND FOGGY". THIS WAS MY FIRST REAL EXPERIENCE OF SKIING BY BRAILLE, IF YOU WILL, I LEARNED HOW TO SKI IN THE FOG AND BECAUSE I COULDN'T SEE I HAD TO FEEL WHERE I WAS GOING. THIS WAS VERY CHALLENGING. WE SPENT THE MORNING SKIING ON SACAJAWEA AND AFTER LUNCH WE DECIDED TO GO OVER TO THE BLACKFOOT LIFT THINKING THAT IT WOULDN'T BE AS FOGGY. WRONG! THE ENTIRE
MOUNTAIN WAS PRETTY MUCH IN A FOG, JEFF WAS ONLY ABOUT 10-15 FEET AWAY FROM ME WHEN HE TOOK THIS PICTURE. BEFORE WE LEFT, JEFF AND OUR FRIEND BRYANT TOOK TO THE TOP OF DREAM CATCHER AND THEY EVEN GOT A LITTLE OUT OF SORTS IN THE FOG.

WE HAD HIGH HOPES THAT THE FOG MIGHT LIFT BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY BUT IT DIDN'T. THE FOG WAS THERE TO STAY, SO WE WILL JUST HAVE TO GO BACK ANOTHER DAY, AND PRAY FOR NO FOG.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

THE ROAD TO PERFECTION IS ALWAYS UNDER CONSTRUCTION....

You won't believe that I heard this quote while "listening" to ski racing on tv.

Jeff spent this weekend coaching the D-teamers on the Kelly Canyon ski team and I was home alone, so you might ask "why was skiing on tv when no one else was home?" Contrary to popular belief(Brandon) my tv is not always turned to HGTV or the Food Network, sometimes I like to watch skiing. Usually Skier's World so I can get skiing tips from "Ask Butler" not sure anything has rubbed off yet. ha, ha!


Skiing has been a big part of life in the Swaner family. The first year of our marriage Jeff taught me how to ski, something that he had done most of his life. I learned at Nordic Valley, now called Wolf Mountain, and every Wednesday was ladies night and I skied for free, so that is where we went. I remember one night I guess Jeff thought that I was good to go on my own and as I stood at the top of the hill I could see Jeff, Joan and Clix at the bottom of the hill urging me forward, I was not happy, thus the beginning of my skiing sojourn.
Jeff became a ski instructor at Nordic Valley enabling us the opportunity to teach our kids how to ski on a great beginner hill. I even admit to a couple of our kids falling off the chair lift while under my care, but they were ok, I think. Later, after we moved to Idaho we spent many weekends at Kelly Canyon and then Ben decided that he wanted to join the Kelly canyon ski team. At that point Jeff decided that he would help out and soon became a coach on the team and the skiing became even more of an interest in the family. Ben traveled a lot with the team, and at times we as a family were able to go and attend the races and ski at the resorts. As time progressed and Jessica decided to trade in her two boards for one, and my familys skiing ability bypassed mine and my interested started to wain. Jeff and the kids continued to ski and snowboard but due to a back surgery, I quit skiing for about 7 years. Last year I started to feel bad that Jeff would get up every Saturday morning and go to Grand Targhee to ski by himself and so by the time the ski swap came around I had talked myself into skiing again. Was I crazy at age 50? Well I can't say that it has been all roses, I have enjoyed being back, even with the challenges and my erratic emotions, and I've learned that I love resorts with gondolas and if anyone says lets go to the back side that it always entails and long cat track to get back to the front. And so the quote " the road to perfection is always under construction" This year I am going to work on my confidence on cat tracks, I have a problem with my small motor skill and making tight turns. As for watching ski racing on TV? yes, I do enjoy it, and I watch it with Jeff at night. I am awe struck at the fact that these guys are going down the hill at 75 mph, that is as fast as driving down the freeway. CRAZY! Ben is now a coach for the Beaver Mountain ski team, and the legend lives on. I also suspect that even maybe next year Brandon will have Hailey on the ski hill somehow, we"ll see...

I know this Blog is long, but bear with me, I am going to sum up the other reason this quote resonated with me. I think that it can be applied to everything that we are trying to do better in our lives, whether it is personal study, prayers, service, showing love to others, attitude...anything that we have set a goal to be and do better. Like President Hinckley was always urging us to "always try to do a little better".
So I guess that I am still UNDER CONSTRUCTION even at my age. And even at -6 deg. last weekend at Targhee, It was soooo cold but the last two runs in the sun were delightful.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I HAVEN'T HAD MUCH TO POST THIS YEAR SO FAR, HOWEVER TODAY I FOUND A
GREAT QUOTE... I DON'T GENERALLY MAKE NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS, BUT THIS IS ONE REGRET I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE. SO THIS YEAR I AM GOING TO TRY AND SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY, ESPECIALLY MY MOM. SHE TURNS 90 THIS YEAR, NO TIME TO WASTE.
"At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a friend, a child, or a parent.” -Barbara Bush