Nature's Playground: Park City's Wildflower Magic

At the top of our street in Park City there is a trail head that leads to the back country and takes you on a beautiful hike throughout the trees. In the winter it's gorgeous with bare aspen trees and stunning views on the valley, but in the summer the trails are crowded with overgrown bushes and vibrant wildflowers- flowers that radiate the bluest blues and pinkest pinks I've ever witnessed. And the aspens with their leafy canopies that filter the sunlight in the most dreamlike way. It's a whole new world to explore.

Park City: Savor the Summit

Every summer Park City hosts an event called Savor the Summit, an outdoor dinner party where restaurants on Main Street serve guests seated at the Grande Table, one long table set up down the entire street. With live music, hundreds of people enjoying yummy food and drinks, and plenty of people watching to enjoy, this event was the perfect kick off to summer and has me itching to host an outdoor dinner party!

Park City: Summer Fling

It must be the way the sun filters through the windows in late afternoon, or the vibrant wildflowers that are scattered throughout every morning hike. Maybe it's the soft patter the aspen leaves make when the warm summer breeze blows through them, or how the primary colored houses dotting the hillside contrast beautifully with the green background. While Park City in the winter will always steal my heart with it's white capped mountains and ski town perfection, there's something about this town in summertime that can't be beat. With hundreds of trails for hiking and biking, countless free live music events, and festivals nearly every other day, Park City in the summer is quickly winning me over.

Jack and I are plotting about how we could live here for a summer, waiting tables and saving money while living in my parents' amazing new mountain house, and if everything works out as planned, this crush I have on Park City might turn into a full fledged summer fling.

Park City Bound

After a crazy weekend filled with two photo shoots, two weddings, and a day of spoiling my papa to the fullest, I'm off to Park City for two weeks to enjoy my last days of unemployment. I'm looking forward to drinking ice tea on the porch, roaming Main Street, nature hikes for days, and soaking up the sun in our little mountain getaway.

t-minus two days

On Thursday morning Jack and I are jetting off to Park City for Sundance! I've never been to Park City during the festival so I'm extremely excited to see how the town transforms into a bustling Hollywood haven. Oh, and I'm just slightly excited to see some amazing movies! Here are a few I've had my eye on:

Prince Avalanche

In Prince Avalanche, Paul Rudd plays against type as a straight-laced highway worker who spends the Summer with his girlfriend's scatterbrained little bro (played Emile Hirsch, who I've loved since my obsession with the movie The Girl Next Door in highschool). Emile Hirsch + Paul Rudd + the'80s? SOLD.

The Way, Way Back

I love me a good coming-of-age film, and this one is filled with an amazing cast: Steve Careel, Sam Rockewell, and Maya Rudolph. Not to mention it was written by Nat Faxon (from Ben and Kate, which I am also obsessed with) and the Community's Jim Rash, both who created The Descendants, so you know it's going to be a good one. 

Ass Backwards

Staring Casey Wilson from Happy Endings and June Diane Raphael, who's made a couple of guest appearances on the New Girl, Ass Backwards is about two girls who return to their hometown to compete in a beauty pageant they lost as teenagers. There is no doubting this one is going to be a chuckler. 

Who knows if I'll even be able to get tickets to these movies, but I'll try to review any that I do see! And I'll try not to freeze, considering it was 0 degrees yesterday when we checked the forecast. Good thing I just got a down jacket that makes me look like I'm wearing a sleeping bag (and feels like it too, it's wonderful.) However, my main goal for the weekend is to find Taylor Swift and/or Mark Walburg and convince them to come to my friends' wedding this July. Best wedding gift giver ever? I think so. 

the time my mom took me on a two hour hike through the snow

My mom and dad spent their twenties in park city- they lived next door to each other and started dating here- so this place has a very special significance to them. The house they just finished is right across the street from their two old houses, so they know their way around this street. Yesterday morning my mom took me on a gorgeous hike that starts at the top of our hill and that, little did I know, would take two hours and bring us upon some amazing sights. We found some abandoned old cars and house, tromped past an old mining site, and even saw a moose! I feel so lucky to be able to experience these places with my mama who knows them so well.

and then we went snowmobiling

My family is not what you would call adventurous. It takes us years to coordinate a family vacation let alone an excursion on said vacation. However, yesterday my dad signed us up for a snowmobiling tour of someone's private ranch and we all jumped on board (after some whining and a few tears. Hey, it is a family vacation). We spent two hours bundled up driving around 200 acres of beautiful land through a snow storm and it was magical. I've realized on this trip that I'm a HUGE fan of snow- the look of it, the smell, even the coldness!- and this ride solidified my love for it even more. There's nothing like riding through some birch trees while snow softly falls around you.

the gift that keeps on giving

Christmas escaped me this year. For some reason I wasn't 100% committed to the holidays (despite our excellent decorations) and now all of a sudden it's gone. Probably because the day after christmas we left for Park City and spent the 26th in a car for 15 hours. That'll kill any Christmas spirit in a heartbeat. But, despite the exhausting drive, my family made the best out of it with car games, a 20 hour playlist, and every snack you could dream of. Now, we're comfy cozy in our BRAN SPANKIN NEW DREAM HOUSE that only took 7 years to build. I'm so proud of my parents for finally accomplishing their dream (more on the house later) but needless to say my sister and I are THRILLED to have this amazing house to jet away to whenever we feel. Thank you parents for this amazing gift!!