Padres

 

My cousin Nancy and her hubby Vinny were in town from LA.  We decided to go to Petco Park for a baseball game because they have never been (and our stadium is really nice). 

Brewers vs Padres. 

Ryan Braun hit THREE home runs tonight. It is hard to root against someone with such an awesome last name!

It is way more fun when you have decent seats. From this view we could not only see the game, but also see the fans file out like there was a fire drill as realization hit that the Padres were not going to win.  

Why aren't Padres fans dedicated? 

I can't blame the Padres for being so terrible, they aren't supported at all!

Maná en Concierto, Finalmente

Mana in concert! So exciting! I have wanted to see them ever since I had tickets to go in MEXICO CITY (but it most unfortunately didn't work out then). 

Mana is the best selling Spanish rock band of all time (25 million albums sold). 

My hubby got us these tickets for Valentine's Day. I have been patient...

What better way to start the evening than with SUSHI.   

We went to Sushi Yama in Escondido. 

The salmon sashimi was incredible.

You have to love the suma wall paper...

Corona was Mana's sponsor. 

And what better goes with Corona than way too much tequila?

They may drink a lot (the drummer has a cooler in his drum set) but they have managed to keep their band together since 1986. 

The concert was amazing. Mana has extremely talented musicians. Although Fred doesn't know the songs, he couldn't help but appreciate the music. 

It is difficult not to appreciate music filled with such alma. 

Fred said I should take a picture of my parking job, he was impressed. 

I hate to brag, but I am really good at parallel parking.

Brighton, Utah

Brighton Ski Resort is a favorite among our group of boarders. The runs are open, there are levels for new and experienced riders, and it is fairly inexpensive as far as day lift tickets goes. 

Raya and Josh, our local sherpas.

It doesn't get better than this! Fresh powder in April, on a Saturday, with hardly anyone on the mountain. 

This is an awesome shot of Raya.  Love it!

It was great to spend time with my uncle. I am glad he could make it, as was he.

I can't believe how quickly the time went by, I would love another day on the mountain with my sister!

My face is looking a little wind burnt... 

Utah is so beautiful. Fred is like a kid in a candy store on the mountain. It was difficult to keep track of him as he would take off on any run that tickled his fancy. My uncle suggested we plant a GPS on him so we could track where he has been throughout the day. 

Today is the very first day I actually felt like a boarder. It took four seasons of occasional trips for me to finally understand what it is that I am supposed to be doing. Fresh powder allowed me to push myself more than usual. Fred is stoked.

This was THE BEST day of snowboarding...EVER!

Thank you Snow Gods.

Snowbird, Utah

This is the view from the parking lot at Snowbird Ski Resort. 

Needless to say we were dying in anticipation to get on the tram.

The tram holds a maximum of 125 people. Apparently there was room for more, but it didn't feel that way. We were sardines. 

This is the crew. In order: Josh, me, Fred, Raya, KC, and Howard.

The weather and visibility changed drastically throughout the day.  Although it was difficult to see at times because of the snow and/or clouds, we had nothing to complain about. 

It was the best snow I have ever had, by far. 

Face plant! Luckily it doesn't hurt when you are in soft powder. 

Raya stuck with me the whole day. She helped me progress a lot, but I still have so much to learn!

I can't wait for Brighton tomorrow. 

It was an exhausting day though. We are beat. 

Panoramic view from Chips. 

Sandy, Utah

Sandy, Utah is the perfect location for all of the ski resorts in Salt Lake (about 20-30 minutes to any of them). The house we rented is small, a 2-bedroom, but was a grand total of 325$ for all three nights. It is in a quiet, rural neighborhood and really couldn't be better.  http://www.vrbo.com/11305 

We have had this trip planned for months, but really lucked out with the weather. 

It is supposed to snow the entire time we are here. 

When you do not live in the snow, it is very exciting to experience...

The contrast of colorful flowers and snow is incredible. 

Within the clouds it is impossible to see the majestic mountains surrounding us, but the glimpses of views we have got are incredible. 

Josh is preparing our boards (waxing and buffing) for tomorrow. We are EXCITED!

Raya and I made enchiladas for dinner (chicken with green sauce and veggie with red sauce), with California avocados. 

The evening ended with shocking games, Raya's homemade apple pie, and the jacuzzi. 

are SO ready for snowboarding tomorrow. 

Sweet Easter

What a gorgeous Easter day, 82 °F and sunny. 

Absolutely perfect. 

Ruby looks so grown up in this picture. I cannot believe she is already FOUR!

And this year Elle is going to be EIGHT!  

My nieces are so sweet. 

I am a little irked that Easter has turned into another candy holiday, yet I brought my nieces chocolate eggs for their second Easter egg hunt of the day nevertheless. In my defense they weren't just any chocolate eggs, they were See's hollow chocolate eggs with white chocolate chicks inside. As far as Easter candy goes, it doesn't get more fun than that!

The Helton familia is looking bonita. 

There was a butterfly in my orange.  

Marla made pear gorgonzola salad to go with our quiches, and lemon cupcakes with strawberries for dessert.  We used my friend Denise's recipe (it is the best quiche I have ever had).  My sister added ham, corn and asparagus spears and I combined carrots, broccoli, peas and baby corn.  

This Easter felt more like Thanksgiving; good food and time spent with family. 

Everything was wonderful.

Fred was so bummed to have missed it all! But Marla gave him cupcakes so he was happy. 

This was a pretty sweet Easter. 

Marla and Dan recently found a hummingbird's nest (along with two eggs) in their backyard. In between bouts of pollinating she frequently returned to incubate her eggs. 

Our new tradition is wine spritzers on Easter... it seems to go well with the holiday. :)

Thanks for hosting, Heltons!