Skiing in Utah!

Aaah my first vacation since July! Horray! My parents were kind enough to invite me to go along on a ski trip to Snowbird, Utah for Thanksgiving. I mention that they were kind enough to invite me because last month they went to Mexico without me; still jealous! :) I'm really grateful that I can still go on occasional vacations with my parents. I think it's really special how well we can get along and how much fun we can still have on vacations together.

I'm also really proud of them for being adventurous and trying something new for Thanksgiving. For the past 24 years, my parents have used Thanksgiving as a time to look back at how far they have come since they first arrived in America. I always loved our traditional Thanksgivings because it was such a meaningful day in our family. That said, I'm proud that my parents are trying something new this year (and that they are letting me tag along!).

It's been four years since I've last been in the mountains. Gosh, I almost forgot how amazingly beautiful it is to be up so high. It's so exhilarating to be skiing down a steep slope again, admiring the mountains around, and contemplating the one below you. What a rush! Although I was worried it might take me awhile to get back to my technique, after the first few turns I felt like I'd been skiing last week. :)

I'm especially grateful to have a ski trip as my first vacation from med school. Ski trips are the anti-med school: working out all day, being outside, feeling athletic (and awake! and alive!), not studying anything more than a new novel, enjoying the hot springs, and going to bed by 9 exhausted from the day. It's such a nice break! Like the nerd that I am, I planned to do tons of work on vacation but I haven't felt like getting back into it just yet. Hopefully I will be more motivated later on in the week, otherwise I will have a tough week back in school!

Today is Thanksgiving. We are off to a nice breakfast, then the slopes, and we have reservations for a very fancy Thanksgiving dinner early tonight. Horray!