The Cathederal of the Madeleine

Had a chance to visit The Cathedral of the Madeleine in downtown Salt Lake to see the Utah Children's Choir perform some Christmas music. There was a pretty big group of friends who showed up... probably around 30 of us. It was a great way to kick off the holidays.

Ted & Maggie Davis Wedding

Its a pretty sweet thing when two good friends decide to tie the knot. In the case of Ted and Maggie, their wedding couldn't have brought a better group of people from all over the country. It was a killer weekend not only because of the occasion but because of the quality of people that gathered for it. Ted and I were roommates in Hawaii while going to school, I got to know Maggie and her roommates during one of my last semesters out there and when the two of them started dating it was great seeing two great people start something special. The first pic is of Maki and Cheka (flew in from Hawaii) and their kid along with Ian (flew in from Florida) and Matt (flew in from New York) along with Christina and myself as we all met up at the City Creek Center. Second picture is of the guy get together bachelor party thing. I won't name everyone but it was fun meeting up at my house and walking around downtown Salt Lake on our way to dinner. The third picture is of all the roommates together minus Cory Simons. We all lived in the Goathouse together on the point in Laie. There were some good times back then. I'll never live in a house with a better view of the beach. I miss those days. Fourth picture is of the lovely couple with all our friends from Hawaii gathered around. I wish I had it in better quality but with iPhone and low lighting its the best we got. Last but not least we have a picture of Evan Fa doing what he does best... laugh and joke. He found a the stuffed animal dog pretty amusing. This was one of the best weekends I can remember. I still can't believe how many people came from all over to make it so good. Friends are so good.

Daytrip to Banff National Park

Took a day trip to Banff with some good friends and couldn't be more happy about it. The whole weekend was great but it was nice to take the gondola up to Sulphur Mountain, grab a great meal at Salt Lick (their mac and cheese is unreal), and walk around main street. Myself, Caitlyn, Josh, and Kathy decided last minute on Saturday we should do it and things worked out great. It was cold, a little rainy here and there but it was all worth it with the views up at the top of the mountain. If you havent' been to Banff, get yourself there.

Canada Extras

A few more from the trip up to Canada. First one is Paula and I in Glacier, Second one is Damien getting the perfect shot of Katelin near the visitor center on Logans Pass, Third one is of a relaxing day in Waterton, Fourth is of the crew who showed up for the gathering At Cody's cabin, Fifth is of Matt and I driving Amy's VW bus around. Matt put it in gear as I put the clutch down and steered. It was brilliant and successful. We made it around like it was nothing. Everything about the trip was perfect. I'm glad such a good group of friends got to see how things are up north. Between all the things we did in Montana and Alberta, there wasn't much more a human being possibly could do to properly be introduced. Looking forward to the next trip up there.

Roadtrip Revisited

^View of Waterton from the Prince of Wales Hotel.

^Levi knows how much I enjoy Redvines.

^Cameron Lake

^Carthew-Alderson Summit Hike.

^In the clouds.

^The hike got magical. Not even kidding.

^Looking into Glacier National Park fromt the summit.

^More magic.

^Paula, damien, and myself enjoying this little waterfall.

^Some of the men of the expedition.

More pics from the trip. I wish I had more but these should give you an idea of what it was like.

Canadian Roadtrip

^The gang just before we departed Salt Lake. 7-11 was a must for a snack stop.

^Damien, Ashley, Paula, and Katelin met up with the rest of us in Missoula after driving through the night. Once that happened we were rolling 18 deep. Two vans and a hatchback. Wes' family were nice enough to let us crash their pad on the way up.

^We had to stop by this trading post in Hungry Horse, MT. The owner of the place even got in a picture with us wearing his coyote medicine man hat. Classic.

Avalanche gorge with some of the group.

Classic group shot once we started on our way up "Going To The Sun Road" in Glacier.

Looking at some Grizzly bears we spotted from the car in Many Glacier.

Evan, Beau, and Tadd going over the cache of pictures from the day before.

Panorama of Waterton Lakes Nationl Park

I don't know what I got myself into but all of a sudden I was among 17 friends heading up to Alberta, Canada on a roadtrip. What started out as a small group of friends heading up north turned into a much larger group and ultimately a party on wheels. Typically when you think of a group this size one might be turned off, but this was different. Everyone was on the same page. I couldn't have asked for a better mix of friends and personalities. There were some real characters in the group and it kept an already lively group even more lively. Never a dull moment. The trip went on without a hiccup or issue. Coordinating this many people in a foreign land was actually quite easy. I didn't think it would come together as it did but really I owe it all to the fact I have honestly, the. best. friends. ever. I couldn't ask for a better group of people to associate with. If you want to go on the next one, next summer get at me. I didn't think I would have it in me to do another one but after it was all said and done I couldn't wait to show more people some of my most favorite places on the planet.

Matt & Suzannah

This hip couple went ahead and tied the knot. The backdrop of the Union Pacific Train Station is pretty impressive.

Too much fun.

This past week has been crazy. For some reason it seems like everyone I know is out visiting. I love it. It also makes it extremely difficult to be productive. I live here, I'm not on vacation; although when they're here I seem to be. Crap.

Picture 1: Waimea Bay was out of control fun these past few days. There is nothing better than bodysurfing there with a group of your friends and your favorite pair of churchill fins. Here is Evan and his favorite pair.
Picture 2: If you're ever in Haleiwa and need a sandwich, do yourself a favor and get a Turkey Pesto Sandwich at Waialua Bakery. You will thank me you did and you'll be 110% satisfied. The Swim family do a great job with everything there whether its a smoothie or a chocolate chip cookie. Radical.
Picture 3: Our buddy Jeff Johnson got married which is what brought a majority of the people visiting out to Hawaii. Here is Evan making a weird (normal for him) face as we wait for them to step outside.
Picture 4: Ghent, Taylor & I stopped by the Hannemann compound for some Lasagna and a tutorial on their favorite t.v. show called X Factor. Seth even conned Ghent into a foot rub (no shame & typical). The apartment was teeming with the raddest kids on earth.
Picture 5: Turtle Bay resort after a little hot tub session.
Picture 6: Ashley, Kelliann, Lauren, & Ghent.
Picture 7: Waimea Bay at its best.

Open Mic Night at the A-Frame

Last night gals at the A-Frame decided to throw a little get together after the fireside. It's nice to have such talented friends who can just get up and play a song. I really wish I had some recordings of the performances rather than just some pictures, but these will do. Luckily there are some cool cats doing some recordings of their songs so we will have some material in the not too distant future. I'll be sure to post those when the time comes.