With February brought snow. Since we were not getting any in the Sierras my friend Joleen and I went to Utah!!! We drove out there with her boyfriend David and hit it just right. We followed a storm in and got to ski powder the whole time. We skied Canyons in park city and it was beautiful! The snow was fluffy and deep! Joleen and I skied from the tallest lift that was full of experts only signs. It was amazing! We played in the aspens which was magical.
At Canyons they have a Belgium Waffle shop and OMG they were to die for! They would stuff your sweet fluffy with 2 bars of Belgium dark chocolate and then top it with whip cream and strawberries! I was in Heaven! That was my favorite part of the trip only second to the powder runs with Joleen.
On our way out of town we stopped at a local museum because they had the Dead Sea scrolls exhibit. That was incredible! This is one of the jars the scrolls were found in. being able to see the history from Jesus’ time was absolutely incredible! I know I am such a history nerd.
Gotham is growing up also. He is so goofy and loves to play with all his toys. He is not partial to one or the other he must play with them all.
The end of February also brought my Dads birthday. In honor of him I made his favorite Oatmeal Raisin Cookies. He could never get enough of them. I miss him so much!
I also was able to get a few Ski Patrol Days in at Sierra at Tahoe. I do love my home mountain! It is so pretty watching the sun get low and doing sweep. I feel so close to my Dad in these times.
April was a busy month for me! The first weekend was Hansel’s Graduation which was just amazing! I was puppy sitting Prospect that weekend so we had 2 GDB puppies and Aspen while I was home in Folsom. Gotham and Prospect did great together and drove down to San Rafael with us for graduation. 
Once I got back to Nevada I was a mess. I was missing Hansel and my Dad so much; I was emotional, and tired. I decided to take a day off work and just spend it alone with God. I am so glad I did! I went for a big hike and saw beautiful wild flowers that were blooming. I defiantly needed that time to rest and have good quiet time. 
The next weekend I went rock climbing with Kim’s family. That was awesome! We went to a place out in the desert called pig rock and set up our ropes. This was my first time top roping on a natural rock. The first time I climbed up I only made it half way and got stuck. Then with more determination I went up again just before we were leaving and adjusted my rout slightly and made it to the top! I was so excited and exhausted after. Gotham came too and he loved eating sticks, weeds, and gravel. 
Easter weekend Gotham turned 6 months and looks so handsome with his little bow tie. I got to be with my family for Easter and celebrated it with Dana’s Family (Drew’s GF). I was in all black because I was painting on stage during the morning services. That was such an amazing step of faith that was so fun! I got to be on stage surrounded by the band painting our interpretation of rejoicing. It totally sparked my creativity bug and I will be painting more especially with Arts Camp coming up. 
That afternoon we took the puppies to Lake Natoma to go for a swim. Gotham is still unsure about if he likes the water or not. He did a big bunny hop in and then right back out. It took me a while to get him to just stand there. Maybe this summer he will change his mind. 
The last weekend in April a storm came and brought with it snow and rain. I decided to head over the mountain the morning after which left me with an evening of no plans. So I made cheese! It was super easy a quart of milk, ¼ c vinegar and cheese cloth! The morning after the storm was absolutely beautiful! In Reno the hills were slightly green, the trees were putting out their baby leaves and the mountains were topped with a new dusting of white snow. You could smell the freshness and hear the birds delight in the sun shine. It couldn’t have been better!
