Vacation

Our life is slowing getting back to normal after one week trip to Utah.  This morning,  I was thinking maybe I should make a good healthy dinner for my family as we have been on the road for a week.  Maybe it is the effect of vacation,  I am more relaxed and chopping and separating a whole chicken did not bother me.  Tonight, I will be making some dumplings with chicken, tofu, carrots, tree ear and cabbage. 

Last week in Utah, we survived the "Polish teaching method", aka pushing yourself to the limit type of teaching.  This year,  we joined our friends and a group of Polish people from Poland with Polish couches while we were in Alta, Brighton and Snowbird.  In the past few years,  we have always been staying in our comfort zone of Deer Valley and Canyon resorts, but this trip,  I was determined to better myself.  After Day 1,  I developed a mental block because I was tumbling down a blue slope.  According to my sister,  while she was watching me from the bottom of the slope,  it was pretty hilarious because I was doing all kind of posts that were incorrect.  In any event,  my husband actually skied 3 days (sort of) which was unheard of.  On Day 4, while we took the gondola to the top at Snowbird,  I said to myself that I am going back to Deer Valley next year.  On the top of the Snowbird,  it was snowing like crazy with visibility of zero while my lovely couch asked me if I think the black slope looks steep.  By the way,  when she was asking me this,  she asked me to stand next to the edge and looked down.  What do you think?  I almost passed out.

The thing is that at the steep slope,  I thought about all kind of possibilities of injuries, such as losing my leg (possibly both legs) or arms or became unconscious.   While I was thinking about this,  I had to regroup myself to remember my poles, my hands, my knees because apparently  I was skiing with bad postures in the past which hindered me from skiing at black diamond.  So after thinking all too much,  I skied into a tree.  By the way,  how is one to think logically when on the steep slope with upper body facing down the slope?  Basically,  I was thinking that at 45 degrees,  I would be tumbling down so I leaned my upper body on the slope, then I fell miserably.  Of course,  now we are back in NYC,  I am thinking about skiing again. 

While at Utah, we took a detour to the Antelope Island before heading to the ski resorts.  It was so beautiful with Wasatch mountains in the background, it was almost magical. We also saw bisons ramming around.  

Above are the things we got while we were in Utah, croissants from Eva's bakery;  Ev's ski badges from the ski schools; local honey; some kind of flowers and rocks from the Antelope Island. 

Before we all went to Utah,  my little sister came to NYC first to visit,  It has been a long time since she came to the States,  we had a fantastic time together.  Maybe we are all older now so we get along with each other better!  She took a ceramic class, walked around the city (although it was bitterly cold), we even went to visit Eldridge Street Synagogue which I walk pass every day in the past 3 years and never thought about visiting.  But it was such a wonderful surprise.  The stain glass is just amazing.  Even thought it was a very new installation in this more than 100-year old synagogue, the modern design fits into this old synagogue so nicely.  In any event,  we enjoyed each others company and it was indeed very nice.