26 November 2006

on holiday

home sweet home. we've arrived home after a short jaunt in the hills and in the valley. it was pure bliss. Dan's family has a fantastic tradition of enjoying Thanksgiving in beautiful Sun Valley, Idaho. after marrying him, i quickly caught the vision of this joyous place. not only is Thanksgiving Dan's favorite holiday, but Sun Valley is just about his favorite place on earth. this made for an exceptionally wonderful long weekend. Sun Valley is small enough to feel quaint & darling and large enough to enjoy the vivid mountains and the grazing fields spattered with snow. It is welcoming, perhaps because after one visit you can know it's crevices & corners like the back of your hand. Yet, discoveries are always bound to happen. Luckily this trip had no shortage of new treasures.


i present to you the highlights of our trip:
Mount Borah, we took the scenic route which offers gorgeous wintry scenes in between the shifts of sagebrush & cows. free cassette tapes from the forest services provided easy listening.
British Royalty: Casino Royale/The Queen (both highly recommended by yours truly).
Vanilla steamers/Squash/Salmon/ Sausage/Turkey/Salads/ Chiligetti/Ben & Jerry's/ Coke with (real) lime, etc.
Steamy, dreamy hot pools. Enough said.
Skaters on the ice, us watching from the warm lodge.

Shopping in Ketchum. Who says Idaho is boring? Not i. on girls day out, we happened upon the cutest li'l shops. if ever you find yourself near Hailey or Ketchum, Idaho - you should surely spend some time in: Two Fishes (gasps of delight), Polkadot (Jane's Paper Place), Ketchum Kitchens (ramekins galore), The Sun Valley Garden Store (fun holiday decor), Iconoclast Books (Children's section in the attic), Vintage Gypsy (sweet ornaments) & last but not least, The local Episcopal Thrift Shop (five dollar shoes!).

Tags. loads of gift tags. between the bunch of us, we surely bought hundreds of these li'l babies. not too lavish or elaborate, clean and beautiful. just imagine the possibilities! it's true, we went a little overboard.. but that is how it goes. last year we were obsessed with soaps and loaded up on all the thick, luxurious kinds we could get our hands on. this year, we hoarded these plain & simple tags. can't wait to see what you girls come up with!

Out & about during the days / Cozy & comfy during the nights: we painted our nails, watched Bring it On, played cards, analyzed said movies (what does the dead deer really mean? and how does the Queen feel about this movie? will she have to come out with an official statement? and which scene did Bond look best in: the Bahamas or the casino? and what about that torture scene? yikes.), gabbed while the boys watched sports, digested, hung out without any other obligations or heavy responsibility, exchanged grand ideas & recipes, discussed all sorts of royalty (from Elizabeth's upbringing to Chuckles and that ma'velous pinky ring) - because royalty is the best kind of 'reality' drama.

Papa bear pancakes. The Kneadery was a delicious mom n' pop place to stuff all umpteen of us in and stuff us full before a day of adventure. We each had home-cooked dishes within a cabin-like restaurant. it's not everyday you can dine with a moose, a bear, an elk, and a few pheasants all at once!


Thanks.
the best part of Thanksgiving is just being together. the simple pleasure of being in another's company. like shanna said, the gift of Time truly is the best gift. i love interacting with the little ones and hanging out with our siblings .. learning from each other and gaining insights from the grandparents. thank you, thank you. dan has a heart of gold and our five years together have been amazing. i feel so full of gratitude for all the people in my life; both of our supportive families, incredible friends & the wonderous opportunities that lie ahead. i am thankful for all that awaits us. what a wonderful world.

2 comments:

jamieanne said...

Sun Valley sounds like the perfect escape. I like those tags too miss Marta. Something about them...so simple and clean yet lending themselves to some embellishment. I'm expecting a posting displaying your creative magnificence!

whit said...

Mart..those cards are ADORABLE!!! I want..want want. You find the perfect creations.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...