I've always wanted to see the Northern Lights, and it is on my "life list" to do before I'm 35. Patrick has been lucky enough to experience the phenomenon while canoeing in Canada as a kid, but I've never travelled far enough to the North. Then I saw this on Re-nest.com today and thought it looked like a romantic getaway for those who don't mind the cold and snow (like us!).
The Igloo Village at Hotel Kakslauttanen
The glass igloos let you sleep under the Northern Lights while staying warm. The special thermal glass keeps you warm without getting frosted.
It would also be a great trip for kids at Christmas to visit the "real" Santa's North Pole since I think Santa's Resort is Finland's version of Disney Land. Cute idea for those who still believe!
Sorry to have been gone for so long! Life gets so busy, it is hard to live it and blog about it too.
We've had to revamp our training around here, and I use the term "training" lightly. Pat and I had to stop working out in the afternoons, because there is only an hour between when I get home from work at 5:30 PM and when Kate goes to bed at 6:30 PM and in that time we have to feed, bath, and play with our little girl. Not to mention, start something for us to eat. So working out had gone out the window, and Pat and I had to come up with a new plan to work out in the mornings. We both leave for work, and to take Kate to daycare, at 7:30 AM so our workouts need to be done by 6:15 AM if we're going to have enough time for both of us to eat breakfast, shower, feed and dress Kate, get her bottles and food ready, make coffee, walk the dog, put away laundry and clean dishes, etc. So the alarm clock now goes off at 5:00 AM and one of us tries to be out running by 5:30 AM on alternating mornings. So far we're not doing that well - Pat is doing better than I am, but we both make it about once a week. This week, so far, neither one of us has wanted to run on icy streets in the dark.
In researching tips for early morning workouts, I found the following to be the best advice:
- Eat something - between 100 - 300 calories is all you need. It helps get your digestion going and keeps you from being hungry half way through your workout. A banana, granola bar, or piece of toast seems to be just right.
- Set the coffee pot - or put out items for a hot drink. I prefer tea. Although caffeine has been shown to improve your performance, neither Pat or I can stomach it before a run. Something hot is comforting and helps you wake-up though, so I make sure and put out the tea pot with water, my cup, and the tea bag before I go to bed.
- Set out your clothes - having everything ready cuts down on the time and energy it takes to get out the door, once you finally make a move away from the bed sheets.
- Turn on lots of lights - we have to leave it dark upstairs, but we go downstairs or in the bathroom to get ready and make sure to get lots of lights on. It helps your brain wake-up and feel like it is morning.
- Don't look outside from bed! - Especially if the forecast called for snow last night. Just don't do it.
We also had to change the route that we take. While it is very safe to run along the trails, and rivers here during the day - I worry about animals (bears in particular) in secluded areas. The best advice I read mentioned that even well lit areas that are secluded won't help you if you get attacked and no one can hear you call for help. Plus the trail can be icy and snow packed, so we decided to create a path through town using http://www.mapmyrun.com/.
I'll try and post some pictures the next time I actually make it out that early!
I laughed so hard I cried.... Beyonce, watch out because he'll cut you!
If you haven't already, please take a look at the new website for 10th Mountain Huts, found here www.huts.org.
Patrick took it upon himself to learn how to design and maintain the company's website, and the new version is finally up and running. I think it looks amazing, and I couldn't be more proud of the time and energy Patrick put into it. Great job honey!!!
Great story over on www.StuckintheRockies.com about an inspiring woman here in Aspen. Read the story here. We don't know Christy and Ted Mahon personally, but they are constantly tackling fun runs, hikes, and skiing that we don't have the time or energy to do anymore, so we love reading about their adventures.
I resisted the temptation to title this post "my brother is a bad, bad man"! In fact we're very proud of him, but knew this day would come. Pat and I both said that, barring some horrible injury, we knew he would finish this adventure once he started it. Our recent trip to Coronado to see him graduate was fun and sad at the same time, mostly because we don't get to spend that much time with all of us together anymore and it was too short.
The trip did not start off that well, as our flight out of Aspen was cancelled so we headed over the mountains to Denver to catch a later flight to San Diego. Pat snapped a few shots of the pass from Copper Mountain.
We made it to San Diego, and the next morning we were on the bus to the graduation. Of course, we didn't take enough photos, but here are a few from the ceremony...
We miss these guys already!
Back to the basics! We've been sick, moving, cleaning, traveling, and getting ready for my brother's graduation.... but the most important part of last week was purchasing our ski passes for the 2011-2012 Ski Season in Aspen.
For the last six years, Pat has always bought the Premier Pass with full access and lots of discounts. And I'm certain he has gotten his money's worth. I used the 2-day a week pass, since I couldn't ski during the week due to work, until they discontinued it two years ago. I made the mistake of buying a Premier Pass that year (non-chamber for $1,500... grrrr) and it went to waste, and last year I bought the 4-day Classic Pass since I was pregnant (I only skied three days).
This year, we are new parents. I didn't think it would be such a big let down to ski less, and I always knew skiing would take a back seat to parenting some day, but this fall I was sad when we bought our passes. Maybe it's because I only skied three days last year, so I am really anxious for winter to get here. With some nostalgia, I bought the 7-day Classic Pass and Patrick bought the Double Flex Pass. I can buy extra days at $50 per day, and I estimated that I would get between 10-15 days this year if I'm lucky. Patrick thinks he can take a few long lunches during the week, or ski alone on a Saturday or Sunday and we just couldn't justify paying for the Premier Pass even though it was only $150 more.
That means we need to get back to our workouts. We've stopped running and working out in the last two weeks, unless you count the endless boxes we've carried up and down several flights of stairs every day. I'm really looking forward to the new Aspen Pure Barre classes, since my schedule doesn't allow me to take any of the adult ballet classes in town, and this is the next best option for me. Hopefully, we'll be able to find some ski conditioning classes that meet on alternating nights of the week, and we'll be in top shape for opening weekend!
