Just about a two years ago...(summer 2014 - summer 2015)

Punkin, Butter Ball, and Cupcake were all packed up for Singletrack 6 (2014).  Cogma bikewear was ready to go international and Moby was ready to go, so we hoped,  and we made our way up to Canada....

To experience outstanding scenery like this....

And to ride some phenomenal terrain like this....

And I happen to meet Dax, who knew my travel partners.... and I had heard of through mutual friends. Since Singletrack 6, 2014 we have spent just a few weekends apart  and are looking forward to spending the next year with even more time together in pursuit of our passions and career development while traveling and adventuring on bikes.  

Our goal for the upcoming year is to continue to race together, explore new places, connect with new people and to promote the biking lifestyle while pursuing career development.  We hope to help the bike related companies that embrace the essence of biking to grow…Cogma bikewear, Elevated legs, Light and Motion,  Mountain Peak Nutritionals, and our soon to come mountain bike team.

I was fortunate enough to be granted a year long sabbatical (yessssss) so that I can pursue becoming an active learning specialist and Dax is wrapping up his business plan for Mountain Peak Nutritionals so that he can be a sales rep and develop his recovery formula along with future additions to the supplements.
SO before we move on with our current adventures and future goals we wanted to recap the past year with the top 2 or maybe 3/4 photos of every month and our selectively chosen highlights of each weekend.

AUGUST:  Breck epic...confirmation of "us" and first weekend dates...

I went to Breckenridge the weekend following Singletrack 6 to watch and support my good friend from Steamboat in the Breck Epic, Kelly Boniface...and conveniently Dax as well.  This was the trip that solidified the feelings we had in Canada and helped confirm our desire to travel on the weekends to see each other. This is also when Dax crashed on stage 5 of Breck Epic for the 2nd time and dislocated his shoulder…but he has been working on it since then and now it is nearly 100%…he says 75%.

August was full of the excitement of seeing each other whenever we could which included bike polo events, wine in the park in Denver, riding bikes in Steamboat/Denver together and just figuring out a little bit more about each other. The end of August (Labor Day weekend) is the first time Dax met Audrey, Chip, Ruby, and Owen in Utah when we made the trip to Park City for the point to point.  Dax supported me since he couldn't race and I had a great experience placing 6th with a miserable mechanical experience.

SEPTEMBER: school is in full swing as well as mountain bike coaching and we are continuing to see each other as much as possible....

The weekend following Park City Point to Point Dax and his buddy Peter rode their bikes from Boulder to Winter Park to continue meeting family and Dax met my dad and I while I was in Winter Park coaching the high school mountain bike team.

We may have not been together for inter-bike in Vegas, but thanks to Cogma Bikewear my blow up version was there and Dax got to feel as close as possible to me…this also happen to be the weekend the words "I love you" were put out there.

As most fellow mountain residents understand September might be one of the best months in the mountains, cooler temperatures are approaching, less tourists are encroaching, and fall colors are peaking.  Dax and I rode Kenosha pass together to try to catch the best of the colors in the high country. 

And in Steamboat…

OCTOBER: another fun filled month with so many great options we were traveling nearly every weekend…this month is so packed with fun it requires 4 photos - one for each weekend.

Weekend 1 - the classic, Mustache Ride in Steamboat, which ironically enough Dax and I have a photo from 4 years ago in which we are about 5 people away from each other but had never met.  Thanks to CariAnn, (Nate's now fiancé) for the beer stache.

Weekend 2 - Moab, Whole Enchilada with the 92fifty crew and Jonathan Davis...great weather, riding and company!

Weekend 3 - Mountain bike coaching in Eagle, bike fit and PROM for my dear friend Amy who is fighting breast cancer! You go girl!!

Weekend 4 - Oregon trip...time for me to meet Dax's dad Jim and step mom Karen and for us to take a beach trip.  We had a wonderful family visit and little excursion to the beach in the t-bird!

And I can't leave out our first Halloween together!! I learned that I never want to dress up as a boy for Halloween ever again..couldn't have felt less attractive and more awkward.  Not sure how Cookie always pulls that off so well. But I will say our Napoleon Dynamite group was pretty rad.

NOVEMBER: We squeezed in a few more high country rides and immediately transitioned to the skinning routine up the gondi.  November lead to some pretty memorable nights out in Denver with Scott and Kiely (Dax's best friends in Denver).

Road riding up Lookout was common practice this time of year with the late warmth and sunshine.

And eventually November led to wintery skins up the gondi with friends and some of the best snow for the year.  

Punkin getting after it (above) and the Punkin/Butterball couple after so good turns.

And of course the annual birth of winter party at the Baileys.... a must do to ensure positive snow falls for the winter...although this winter we were far from getting the powder we had hoped for, which played well for Dax and I..first year I did not get a season pass and was probably the best year to make that decision.  

DECEMBER: The 6th annual Mulliken Macrobrew party, Dax's 40th, Ruby and Owen's 4th, and holdiay travels/family kept us busy for the month of December!

The 6th annual Macrobrew party was another great success, with a lack of clothing being the unspoken theme, Dax, oddly enough,winning the most macro-brews correct (I swear we did not cheat), and Gretchen winning best dressed.

Truly Ben and Jen would have won best dressed or lack there of...but they had to leave early with Colin. Nice effort you two!

Two of my favorites...

Dax did a great job embracing the spirit of the macrobrew and less clothing theme...

Then off to Ruby and Owen's 4th birthday party in Park City...haven't missed one yet and don't plan on missing one if I can help it!

Loved the piñata!

To add to the love I have for Ruby, Owen, and Dax they also happen to share a birthday! December 23rd is a special day, so I flew to North Carolina after Ruby and Owen's party to celebrate Dax's surprise 40th birthday party!....Nice work Gracie and family who got that to come together.

After a nice dinner out, we headed to the local bar where about 40 friends and family were there to surprise Dax and celebrate! The entire North Carolina visit was a blast, I met a lot of family and a ton of  long term friends of Dax.

Of course we had to attend midnight mass at Duke Chapel. Wow, that was beautiful and quite the experience.

Then back to Park City for me so that I could see Gus and Amber...it was a long overdue visit and I was so glad to catch them for a couple days and partake in some family tubing...

Twin loving....

And the kids first ice skating experience...

Dax stayed in North Carolina as that is typically his one trip a year he gets to see mom and family on the east coast. Unfortunately Dax missed meeting Gus by just a few hours, but he made it in time for some family extreme sledding...we took Owen for a true powder sled run!

Our eyelashes might have been frozen, but it was hard not to have a smile on our faces after that!

JANUARY:  a ski trip to Randy's cabin,  some winter road riding in Denver and some snow biking in Steamboat.

Randy's cabin was a great closing weekend to a lot of travel, family, fun and busyness.  Sleeping in a cabin with limited facilities, a cozy wood burning stove, and in a peaceful forest makes my heart happy.

We got to do a fun ski tour and carry our groceries up to the house via sled.

Due to a lack of snow this winter snow biking become a popular choice activity on the weekends. Conditions were pretty perfect until we hit Larry's, there might have been some cursing but overall everyone was psyched to get our and play in the snow on bikes. 

FEBRUARY: Love Februarry, winter carnival, blues break, dance theatre and spring skiing around the corner.

And who doesn't love winter carnival?  My favorite Steamboat celebration! 

Cookie and I have a tradition of drinking hot chocolate and peppermint schnapps while taking in all the entertainment of ski biking, fireworks, fire hoop jumping, etc.

After some time apart I was delighted to spend Valentines day in Arizona with my missed boyfriend.  Some people opt for a nice dinner and wine, we chose to do 24 hours of Old Pueblo.  

"Team Fun" made up of Kaelen Beisel, Dax Massey, Coach Miller, Cam Wydoff (the radio) and myself.  We came in first and had a lot of fun.  

My favorite gift from Dax - a turquoise hand made hear necklace made by Hoss Rogers.

Artsy truck shot. 

After the race we headed back up to Phoenix for some quality family time with Gracie and Jim.  We rode bikes along the canal, had margaritas and celebrated Jim's birthday.  

There is such a great story to go with this pic. We had the most epic ride on trail 4. I knew it was going to be an adventure when we started the 40 mile ride at 4 p.m. and realized about 15 miles in that we had no pump and then a couple hours later figured out that our night lights were out of batteries. Murphy's law we got a flat. Kaolin to the rescue - we were so thankful he picked us up, fed us and let us rest at his house for the night.

A huge thanks to Kaolin and of course he has a turtle in hand for the photo. 

Off to Sedona, wow, how have I never been here before? I was so impressed by the technical trails, beautiful scenery, and quaint town.  

Dax had told me stories about the heart vortex...I didn't believe it until we found this....

After some needed vitamin D and time on the saddle I headed home for our Dance Theatre performance: Hypnotize, Notorious B.I.G. Hip hop goes mad scientist.

Dax met me back in Steamboat for our final performance and it's the perfect time of year to chase the setting sun on a late afternoon skin up the mountain. 

MARCH: St. Patty's day, Park City fun, and of course, one of my
 annual highlights of March, gear testing at Powder Mountain. 
 
Right around 2 months of not seeing the twins I start to get uneasy and have to make a visit to Park City, so why not visit during a dress up occasion, St. Patty's day. 

One of those holidays that kids make a little more fun with the excitement for getting green and attending the parade. 

After some quality family time, I get to see my 2nd family at Backcountry Magazine gear testing 2016! One of my favorite trips of the winter, so many amazing people, always a fun cat ski adventure, and pure comedy all week while trying to write professionally. 

Utah's oldest bar, The Shooting Star...it's a classic and a must do for all gear testers.  Can't imagine a week at Powder mountain without a burger bite and beer from here!

It's always fun when the photographer wants to join you for a day of skiing, such a treat to go to the best snow and have a personal photographer to capture some of your favorite turns.

Our photo contest attempt...we didn't win, but we had a lot of fun giggling while taking this photo. 

2015/2016 did not bless us with much powder so the desert called early this spring.  Fruita for Easter with the bike gang and Colin!

APRIL: April brings us to the desert, wraps up the ski season and offers a spring break with my birthday sprinkled in the middle: 

I think the whole town of Steamboat headed to the desert this weekend. 

Last day on the mountain with my longest running ski partner, Cookie, and the how could we say no to being photographed with the polar bear!? 

My favorite birthday gift arrived just in time.  As I pulled up from school Dax arrived with gifts in hand.  We hadn't seen each other for over a month so this was a long overdue visit filled with excitement to see each other. 

For my spring break I took a few days to fly in to Ohio.  My dad had let me know that his cancer (sarcoma) had come back after having it removed from his leg over Christmas.  At the end of March, the found 4 nodules in his lungs.  This was hard news to hear and I wanted to visit him as soon as I could.  Of course I always get to see my girls when I come to town.  

And this time I even got to see Joannie and Dudley DuRoss, I think my dad appreciated having someone to talk to that has also gone through sarcoma (Joannie). 

This is one of my favorite pictures of my dad and I, he looks like he is trying to hold in a laugh and I was happy to see how healthy he appeared despite his diagnosis. 

I always try to get some extra Calvin time in because we are the closest. I love these boys and how much we laugh together. 

And from Ohio, I flew to Arizona for the Whiskey 50 and to meet Dax.  It was nice to be back in the warm weather except for the race of course it snowed!!

It was Gracie's birthday while we were there so we took her out to a fun dinner to say thanks for hosting us and a happy birthday. 

Appropriate picture of Dax sipping some whiskey prior to the Whiskey 50 race.

Coach Miller and Dax - such great riding buddies.  

Coming home from spring break left me wanting more riding and due to our low snow for the year Madcreek/Red dirt were dry and good to go.  Emily, Craig and I made the trek!

MAY: May this year allowed for some early season riding, and all my best girls visiting from grad school!

May snow brings....? the cancellation of the 12 hours of Mesa Verde.  I woke up this morning to race and I wished I was a baker or someone who plans to sew on the weekends. 

Kaolin did the first lap and just as it was warming up to 38/39 degrees I went out on the 2nd lap, about 10 minutes before they called it.  I ended up pushing/carrying/demudifying my bike for the 16 mile lap and looked like this...

This picture captures my excitement prior to knowing what a disaster it was going to be out there, but I do love an adventure!

What do you do when your 12 hour race is cancelled and it is snowing/slushing...go bowling!

What a treat..all my college girlfriends (Anna, Jill, Aine) came to visit me in Steamboat over Memorial weekend.  I don't think we stopped talking for 20 seconds! So. much. fun.

We hiked lower bear, went to my favorite happy hour (Low), and walked downtown...we didn't need to do much as long as we were together and could hear each other we were happy!

JUNE: Bachelorette party, more biking and wedding season has kicked off!

Vernal bachelor/bachelorette party for Jody and Snook, with croquet and margs...super fun weekend in the sun!

The croquet posse.

The riding posse. 

Shout out to cogma!! Thanks Punkin, twinsies without planning it!

I swear there is always a reason to celebrate - JJ's 40th birthday party in the Bailey's garage. Celebration of him and Celina moving back to Steamboat!

Our boys. 

Vail Go Pro games...so smart, I did expert this time!

And Betti Bike Bash..I will do pro open next time!

The girls at Jody and Snooks wedding, love the pretty faces.

Dax and I trying to get a photo of us without bike helmets and sunglasses on :).

First ride this year to the top of storm, beautiful day and feeling excited for the bike season. 

JULY: Awesome.  Friends, family, floating the river, weddings and our favorite bike race, Singletrack 6 

My most missed friends, Tamara and Leo.  I was so happy Dax had a chance to meet these two and the family for a happy hour.  I love Germans and Germany, but when are they going to move back?!

Ruby's pink bike! I had a friend selling his kids bike and it was the perfect size and fit for Ruby, do you get any more stylish on a bike, love this girl!

Park City, UT 2015

Dax and I getting an evening ride in together once the kids were sleeping.

The hike to the cliff jumping.  The whole family did a 2 mile hike into this gold mine of a spot to soak in some sun, swim and partake in an optional cliff jump.

My mama and I.  She continually impresses me with her strength and positive attitude. 

One of my favorite family moments - dancing on the deck before dinner! We have so much fun together, I just love them all!

Dax loves to help Ruby and teach her new skills.  I am pretty sure she loves it too!

It makes me so happy that I get to share riding bikes with my niece.  Owen is getting there, but at this point is not loving bike riding...he will come around. 

Lunch picnic in the woods between the Kirby's and Duross homes. 

My favorite time when we all get to go play together! Thanks mom for staying in with the kids!

Katie Lawrence (Emily's sister who is like family) threw the most beautiful wedding in Jackson Hole, WY.  It was so much fun to spend time with Em and Craig during such a special time for the family. 

Jackson Hole, June 2015

What a stunning bride and groom. 

And what an incredible view for the rehearsal dinner....

and when you thought it couldn't get any better, here is the wedding venue, truly breathtaking.

Two of my favorite people :).

Dax and I did our first race as a team (just the two of us).  We did the firecracker 50 and came in 4th...neither one of us was very happy with this result, but we had some really tough competition so we tried not to be too hard on ourselves. 

And I love any excuse to do a race in Breckenridge because I get to see my beloved Jill Sorenson and family!

Fun summer ride to the top of storm!

You know it's officially summer when you tube the Yampa! One of my favorite summer activities in Steamboat.
 Steamboat Springs, July 2105

Taking a bask in the sun break. 

A long overdue girls ride was in order...sometimes the summer gets so busy we don't all get to ride with each other very often. 

And our trip up to Canada...always involves a stop in Missoula, MT...my home away from home.  We did a classic Rattlesnake ride and got a taste for some of the new trails.  

Missoula, July 2015

Isis loving the elevated legs..couldn't get her out of them.