Thursday, December 4, 2014

Opening Day, Thanksgiving, Oh Christmas Tree

Check out the video of our weekend HERE!!!

What a crazy Thanksgiving break!  To celebrate some time off of school, we were able to be at Snowbasin Resort for opening day on Nov. 26.  It was super crowded and very crazy, but we had a fun day nonetheless.  It was an abnormally warm day, so the conditions weren't spectacular and only a few runs were open.  We were able to rid ourselves from the rust of the off-season and get back into riding form.



Thanksgiving was great.  I spent Thanksgiving with the in-laws this year and it started with a morning basketball game with Uncle Randy and his family.  We dove into our Thanksgiving feast at a church in Riverdale with extended family.  Dinner was followed by a talent show where we performed quite the rendition of "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas" with Alexa on the piano, my father-in-law on the accordion, and me bringing it home on the ukulele.

After the party, we stretched and prepared ourselves emotionally and physically for the events that were about to unfold.  That is... Black Friday.  We got to Walmart at 6:00 pm, when the deals kicked off.  As one might expect, it was a claustrophobic experience that left me with a massive headache.  After more shopping that night and on Friday, we had pretty much completed our Christmas shopping for the year.



Like many others, we pulled out the Christmas decorations to ring in another December.  After all the shopping and buying and deals and ads slapping me in the face, I had to take a deep breath to think about and appreciate the approaching Christmas season.  Remembering Christ's birth and the life that he led will continue to inspire me as I try to follow his example throughout my life.  I'll save the rest of my Spirit of Christmas speech for another post, prepare yourself.

Monday, November 24, 2014

Wax On, Wax Off, Catch Shrimp

This weekend we headed south to spend some time with family.  It is always nice to get away and spend time with loved ones (and enjoy the free food that comes along with it.)  We made the most of our time by eating a delicious dinner at Tepanyaki's, watching football, and getting everybody's skis and snowboards waxed and ready to go for the season.

Our cause for celebration on Friday was Parker's 22nd birthday.  He brought his gift receiving enthusiasm, as expected, and we were reminded of childhood birthdays again.  I was able to capture one of the highlights of our dinner, the infamous shrimp toss.  Everyone did pretty well this time around, many of us showing improvement.  Parker caught four shrimp in a row, while others needed a little extra help from our chef.  I was able to catch the highlights of our shrimp toss showdown on my iPhone and inserted them into my weekly edit.  The edit also includes a time lapse of our ski waxing party, as well as my Sunday treat.

Click HERE to watch the video!

We are super excited for Thanksgiving this week!  We only have 2 days of school and work and then its off to the feasts with family and friends.  It will probably get a little hectic as we try to see everyone, hit the slopes, attend a wedding, and Ali may even drag me along to do some Black-Friday shopping.  Whatever happens, we will enjoy spending time with people we care about and we will be sure to count our blessings.

Saturday, November 15, 2014

A Trip to the Movies

Wow, these past six months have been absolutely insane.  I moved out of Logan, worked at a great company all summer, moved back to Logan, and have been working for a great organization all semester.  I have posted a few things on several different blogs, but haven't done any real blogging of my own during that time.  Writing a blog is hard.  It makes complete sense to me why so many people start and then fail after a few posts.  Life always somehow seems to get in the way of writing and documented, well, that same life!

I do a fair amount of writing for work and have to continuously remind myself to revisit the things I've written for me.  I vow to do a better job!  You might be asking "Really Shane, I bet you get caught up in work and school again and neglect the documentation of yourself."  I can't blame you for thinking that.  We see it happen over and over when beautiful new families set out to create the blog that will tell of their fairytale-like lives, or the mothers who dream of being the next best mommy blogger. I applaud their efforts. I, too, attempt to replicate their sense of dedication at the beginning of the project.  How, then, am I going to accomplish my goal and be diligent in keeping my promise?  I turn to film.

I find myself taking pictures and videos of things I'd like to remember.  This includes anything from catching a mouse in my house, sitting on a beach, taking a bike ride in the mountains, to gathering with friends.  My newly restructured blog will contain more and more video segments of, well, myself.  I'll be sharing thoughts, ideas, stories and experiences, events, and anything else I find somewhat meaningful.  I should probably apologize in advance as my continuous jabbering will more than likely fall on deaf ears.  For those who have interest, however, I am very excited to share my life with you in this way.  It'll be an adventure at the very least.

So here is my first attempt at filming our lives.  I definitely have some work to do, like making it so everyone else can hear what we are saying.... I will learn quickly, but until then you are just going to have to deal with the learning curve.  Because the videos will generally be too big for this blog site, you can find them on my personal YouTube account.  The link to this is: http://youtu.be/dNCFR9noG4o Go ahead and subscribe. Everybody, welcome to my life.


Friday, April 4, 2014

Better Question: Why Not?

It's been three months since the semester started and another month will pass until it ends.  It is months like these where the redundancy of routine can feel overwhelming.  I'm currently taking 18 credits in school and working my job with people with disabilities.  The monotonous day to day activity can feel heavy, slow, and suffocating. While experiencing these feelings one day, I decided that I needed to get out and experience the world around me.  Not everyone shares my same desire to get outside and explore the world, and often ask me why I want to do what I want to do.  I often find myself giving the most simple answer I can think of, "Why not?"

A couple of weeks ago I took off for a much needed break that included relaxation, the sun, and the beach.
I got this shot while on the short trail heading to Solomon and Honeymoon Beaches.  This is overlooking Great Cruz Bay.  Sailboat anyone?

This is St. John, part of the U.S. Virgin Islands, and it is a spec-tac-ular place to visit.  It is just a short  ferry ride away from the greater populated St. Thomas and is a must see island in my book!  I love traveling and it always feels good and exciting to check another location off the long list of dream destinations around the world.  St. John has about 5,000 permanent residents and, consequently, is much more quiet than most of the other islands.  That was one of the things I loved most about this place; it wasn't overcrowded and everyone had their own space to play.

We are always taking pictures! Alexa snapped this quick shot in Hurricane Hole with our GoPro Hero 2.

One day was spent exploring Hurricane Hole, one of the most sheltered bays on the island.  We set off with our snorkel gear and lunch packed away in our boat's hull.  The day was spent snorkeling, free diving, and enjoying beach time with food and good company.  The water was clear, the coral was vibrant, and it was a perfect day where I forgot all about school and work.  While skimming across the water's surface in our yellow kayak I felt light, strong, and rejuvenated.  I was excited to be outside doing what I love to do.  Whether I'm exploring places I've never seen or places I've seen hundreds of times, the reward is always great.  

Every time I go somewhere, see something, or find something new, I get motivated and immediately start thinking of more places to go and things to do.  Whether I'm climbing, hiking, surfing, wake boarding, camping, fishing, kayaking, swimming, running, biking, or slacklining, I love being outside.  I enjoy documenting my experiences with the hopes that I can encourage others to get out of the day to day routine and see for themselves what this world has to offer.  This was one adventure of many, and there are many more to come. Check back shortly for more updates, reviews, and news. Cheers.

Friday, February 7, 2014

Me, Where I'm At, What I'm Doing

Hey all, welcome to my blog.  My name is Shane and I am from Utah.  I am a senior at Utah State University, located in Northern Utah, studying marketing.  I love everything outdoors.  I continually find myself climbing, hiking, running, biking, surfing, camping, skiing, snowboarding, taking pictures, shooting videos, traveling, and writing.  I enjoy spending time with family and friends and I am always looking for a new adventure. So, what's the deal with this blog and why am I taking the time to write?  I will use this blog to document my travels, post photos and videos, and show YOU the things I find.  I will post product reviews for the gear that I use and try to help any and all who are planning escapes to the places that I have visited.

Utah State University is located in Logan, about 75 miles north of Salt Lake City, nestled at the base of Logan Canyon and surrounded by climbable/rideable mountains.  I've lived here my whole college career and know this place like the back of my hand.  Here are a list of hotspots to check out if you are ever in town:

Logan Canyon:
This canyon, leading east out of Logan, is like a massive playground.  There is something to do in the canyon for every type of outdoor activity.  This canyon has HUNDREDS of bolted routes to climb in the spring/summer/fall and they keep climbers happy for years.

A quick shot I took on a recent hike a couple miles up Logan Canyon.


The ROCKHAUS:
The winters here are very cold and very snowy, forcing us climbers to find shelter while we are in town.  The ROCKHAUS is the local climbing gym and a popular spot to hang out with other climbers on any given night.  It is a relatively small gym, but they've successfully figured out how to fit plenty of climbing in a small space.  The gym has just over 12,000 square feet of climbing surface, 21 top ropes (32 feet) with over 100 routes, 45 foot lead walls, and an upstairs bouldering area.  The staff is friendly and always welcoming newcomers to the climbing community.  Check out their website here: http://www.rockhausgym.com/
A section of the Lead Wall at the Rockhaus gym.


Beaver Mountain:
There is no escaping the winter here in Northern Utah, so the only way to deal with the chill is to embrace it.  Beaver Mountain is the closest ski resort to Logan and it is located about 25 miles up Logan Canyon.  This is a small ski resort with four lifts and small crowds.  It's not uncommon to see empty seats in class or cars carrying skis the day after a good storm, but no one can blame them... After all.. we do have the best snow on earth. Check their website out here: http://www.skithebeav.com/

We get a lot of the white stuff up here, as this shot from Beaver Mountain proves.


Green Canyon:
This place is awesome for riders looking for classic single-track.  This is a local hotspot for mountain biking and trail running.  Green Canyon is 14 blocks north of Logan Canyon and is a great place to go hang out with the crew.  The canyon is littered with great camping spots where we have enjoyed many quick overnighters or late night bonfires.  In winter, you're likely to see nature lovers taking advantage of the cross country skiing in Green Canyon.

View from Green Canyon looking back towards Logan.


These are just a couple things that Logan has to offer, and I'll show you more in coming weeks and months.  I have a couple of trips planned to great places around the world in the coming months and I can't wait to document what happens.  Until then, go outside and see what you can do!