O Christmas Tree

When I moved to Utah in 4th grade we were only supposed to live here for a year as an "adventure". My parents came out to Park City for their friends 40th birthday party at Deer Valley and were sitting on Main Street, eating dinner and they decided to make the move. We lived in Phoenix, Arizona for practically my whole life at that point. When they came home and told us the news I was the only one up for it.

We sold our house in the matter of weeks and found a new house in Park City. Since we were only supposed to live here for a year, we did everything to make the most of the snow and the mountains. Our first Christmas we wanted to spend here, breaking the tradition of the holidays at my grandparents. To get our Christmas tree we drove into the Unitas to cut down a tree as FFF (forced family fun) as my mom likes to call it. A new tradition was born!

Driving home with a tired dog and a Christmas tree on the roof.
My photo.

We usually went Christmas tree shopping/chopping with out family friends, the Radovans but this year we went with my parents other friends. Since my sister left for college and wasn't with us to cut down our tree, I got to bring a friend. I like to cut a small tree to put in my room and decorate to set my room up in the holiday mood. It was my job to find my tree and my dad and brother set off to find the main tree while my mom brought out the hot chocolate and toppings.

When I got home, I went upstairs and set my tree up. It had lights and ornaments and was topped with an angel. I put my six foot tall tree in the corner of my room with some water and let its smell fill the room!

The tree at my Grandparents house in Arizona featuring my cousin, Cole.

Next year if you want to cut down a tree of your own, got to this site and look under permit information.

Sisters...

Family is weird. Sometimes you don't know just how special they are until they leave.  My sister, Hailey, and I never got along -EVER (other than when she was driving me somewhere and I had to be nice to her.)

Photo courtesy of my grandma.

This past summer my sister left for The University of Kansas. The last few weeks she was still at home, I wanted nothing more than for her to leave but then knowing that I wasn't going to see her until Thanksgiving made me miss her a little more and more each day. 

One go the amy American Girl Dolls
Photo courtesy of our mom.

5 great things about having an older sister-

1. She has to drive you anywhere you want.

2. She upgrades the family name.

3.  She doubles your stock.

        (My sister and I were big American Girl Doll collectors. Every

        Christmas I would get one and she would get one. Right now 

        we have a stash of 13 useless $100 dolls, desks, books, 

        scooters, and and an endless amount of clothes.)

4. On occasion we were allowed to do "sister bonding" activities.

5. She's your personal life guru.

The week leading up to Thanksgiving I was missing her more than I had ever missed anyone before. All I could think about was what I would do with her and how we would spend the week together. We had face-timed and texted but other than that I had not seen my sister in person for three months, one week, and two days. My sister walked into my grandparents house, in Newport Beach, about an hour after we did. My sister and I were SO excited to see each other but our excitement wore off by dinner time. As I said before, we NEVER got along and that streak continued. By the end of the break we were sick of each other.

Hailey and I last winter

Volleyball! Volleyball! Volleyball!

High school volleyball ended and that means tryouts for club!

On Wednesday, November, 12 at 10:37 pm the results for club tryouts were posted but the time leading up to it was super stressful!

On Monday and Tuesday I tried out for a 15s Select Team for Club V. (This year they changed the teams around and decided to add a new group. The order of the teams you could be on are Club, Comp, Elite, or Select.) I didn’t go into tryouts very confident in myself because the girls I was competing against for a spot on the select team were more athletic, taller, louder and had better skills than I did.

My elite team last year after winning the qualifying tournament in Reno, Nevada.  

On the first day of tryouts, 43 girls were pushing for a spot in the Select pool. They didn’t tell us how many girls were going to be on a team or how many teams they were going to make. I was expecting three teams because of the level of the girls and the amount so I was telling myself that I just had to be in the top 30. They slowly took girls away and told them to move down to the next court. At the end of the second day they ended with 26 girls and told us they were going to make two teams and they would be posted at 10:00 on Wednesday. At this point I couldn’t be more nervous for the outcome.

The whole next day I couldn't stop refreshing the Club V website. My friend and I, from Park City, were both trying out for the team. I was kinda doubting myself on making the top team because everyone at tryouts was SO good!

I wouldn't say it was worth the wait but I was on cloud nine knowing the results!  I made it!!

More of my team last year!

Pumpkin Pie, Oh My!

As previously mentioned, I love pumpkin and apple pies. Today I’ll be showing you one of my favorite pumpkin pies to make with my family. Pumpkin pie is one of the most traditional foods you can eat on Thanksgiving and my family is VERY into traditions. Every Thanksgiving we visit Grandma and Papa Beach on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California. All my cousins live in the area so they aways join us!  We have turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce and my Papa always has to have creamed onions - which I don't care for too much!  He is always in charge of the turkey every year and he is the one who carves the turkey right before dinner. He makes an extra one for leftovers for the next days lunch! My dad always hangs around while he is carving and steals bites before dinner.  

My mom is in charge of decorating the table and we always bring fall leaves from Park City to sprinkle on the table.  My cousin, Colleen, and I make place cards, assign everyone their seats, and write the menu on a big chalkboard. When the rest of the family has arrived, all the cousins play games while the aunts and uncles watch football.  When we are all seated around the table, we go around and everyone says what they are thankful for in their lives.  At then end of the meal, we all enjoy pumpkin pie with chipped cream and apple pie a la mode.  It is the best way to end a great day celebrating family and all of our blessings.  Hope you have a Thanksgiving to look forward to as well this year!  

Photo thanks to: Pauper's Corner

RECIPE:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin

1 can (12 fl. oz.) evaporated milk

1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell

Whipped cream (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.
POUR into pie shell.
BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

IT'S FALL Y'ALL!

Emigration Canyon
Photo Provided by PC Premier Property

Fall is my all time favorite season of the year. I love the weather, the leaves, and especially the food. A couple of years ago, I moved here from Phoenix, Arizona. aka the city with no seasons. All year round it looked the same and the only seasons we experienced were hot, hotter and hottest. 

Coming from a city with no beauty, Park city is very appealing to the eye. Everything is available to us and right at our fingertips. I feel that most kids living here take this beauty for grated. They know no different than having awesome warm green summers, gorgeous orange and yellow mountains during the fall, pristine white winters and beautiful flowers everywhere during the spring.  .I’ve lived here since 4th grade and ever since I arrived, I do not take any of the beauty of seasons for granted.   I love everything this town has to offer during ALL the seasons.

Everything about Fall is breathtaking. From the foods to the views! My absolute favorite thing about fall is Thanksgiving! I love seeing my family at the beach and making a menu every year with my cousins. Not to mention the pies aren’t too shabby either. Another thing I love about fall are the clothes! Sweaters, socks, and scarves are my favorite things to wear and that’s just what the fall weather means! Last but certainly not least, I can never wait to carve and decorate pumpkins. Every year all the kids decorate their own pumpkins and my dad then roasts the pumpkin seeds to make a yummy treat to snack on for the rest of the week.  So, if you get a chance “Fall” in love with Park City and come visit during this amazing season.

Top 10 of my favorite things about Fall!

(in no particular order)

1. Homemade Pies

2. Sweaters

3. Thanksgiving

4. Candles

5. Pumpkin Everything

6. Scarves

7. Fall Festivities

8. Thick Socks

9. Carving Pumpkins

10. Warm Apple Cider

Park City vs. Morgan

We’re in the midst of Fall, which means school has begun and volleyball season has started and it’s nearing an end. 

Photo Courtesy of Dani U.

I’m currently playing for the Park City High School volleyball program on the Freshman and Junior Varsity teams. As it is stressful to balance 2 1/2 hour practices everyday, up to two games a week and school, but volleyball is one of my favorite things so I try my hardest to make it work.

Today, Park City will take on Morgan High School, one of the hardest teams to play against and currently ranked first in state. The last time we played Morgan, we lost. Today, I’m not looking forward to maybe losing again against Morgan but I am looking forward to seeing some friends who currently play on their team. During  volleyball club season, I played for a team called Club V in Woods-Cross Utah. It was voted the best club in Utah and a place where all players from northern Utah come together to form some of the highest ranked teams. On my team, we had three girls from Morgan so I’m excited to see them again!

Today is our last game and the seniors last time ever playing a high school volleyball game. The gym is decorated with steamers and posters, nets are up, and game faces are on. Varsity has won every game up until we last played Morgan. Tonight we face them again hoping for a win on our home court. Today will be a very special day for all the seniors and a win will make it even better. 

I'll miss everyone on my team but in a way its bittersweet. I want to have a little more free time and time to do my homework but I also don't want to stop playing beside these girls.



Stay tuned to see how we did!

Fall Foods- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

As fall is approaching and the leaves are changing, our tastebuds are adjusting to the temperatures. Autumn in Park City is one of the best times to live in this unique town. The colors are always changing and the temperature is just right. For the perfect temperature there is always a perfect snack. In this case, chocolate chip pumpkin bread sounds simply scrumptious and is a must for fall! This seasonal sweet is the ultimate treat for a crispy fall afternoon. Paired perfectly with a cold glass of milk, your new favorite fall food tastes of the highest quality. This pumpkin bread is extremely moist and filled with rich pumpkin flavoring. Best served in the beautiful trees of Utah. As the smell of the bread in the oven reaches your nose, you know fall had officially begun.

(High Altitude)

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread- twopeasandtheirpod.com

INGREDIENTS
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup butter, softened
3 eggs
2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, cream sugars, butter and eggs. 
Add flour, pumpkin, water, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and cloves. 
Mix thoroughly. Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into four greased and floured 6-in. x 3-in. x 2-in. loaf pans. 
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until breads test done.Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home

Park City is a very popular destination in the winter. Known for it's ski resorts and "best snow on earth", this unique city located in Northern Utah attracts skiers from all around the world. Many don't know the beauty of it in the other times of years, especially autumn. The view from any window is breathtaking and the leaves are appealing to all eyes. According to Travel and Leisure Park City is the third best town to be in during Halloween. Park City is the place to be for fall on Halloween, Thanksgiving, or just an average day, you'll never be disappointed with the scenery.

Just an average day in early fall.

Happy fall everyone!