Before there was snow, there was SUN

Here's a little piece of airline trivia: The three letter airport code for Sun Valley, ID is S-U-N, that's right "SUN."

You know Sun Valley. The US's first destination winter resort? Where Hemingway completed "For Whom the Bell Tolls"? Playground for the Kennedy's back in the day? Ring any bells? Or shall we say "Toll any bells?" Ha! See what I did there? Genius.

So before Salt Lake got waylaid with snow this week, but just a weekend after I had run 26.2 miles (yep, still talking about it, ha!), the Mangums took a little trip North, past Napoleon Dynamite territory to this fabulous resort town.

Danny's family has been going to Sun Valley since before he was born. His Grandmother "G.G" as we call her (Grandma Great since she's Holden's great grandma), tells the story of the family being up on Sunday morning and telling the kids: "Well we have a choice. We can either get ready and go to church or pack up in the car and drive to Sun Valley for prime rib at Warm Springs Lodge." I'm sure you can guess the outcome.

My love affair with the resort town started a little differently. I used to nanny for the daughter of Sun Valley Resort's owner (Earl Holding). The family would take summer vacations and spend Christmas up there. Years later, when I worked for SkyWest, I found myself revisiting for Christmas parties with our dear friends that wrote and published SkyWest Magazine (Go! Publications out of Boise, ID).

Sun Valley has a special place in both Danny's and my heart(s).

So off we went. Holden's first trip to one playground of the rich and famous.

But what to do? We'll we've got our regular haunts, but it's always nice to check in with the locals when you're wondering where to eat and what to do.

So we did.

With 2665 of them.

The Sun Valley Guide published the results of the local's favorites -- from best breakfast to bike shop tune up. Our weekend also happened to coincide with the Annual "Trailing of the Sheep Festival," which among the many festivities ended with a parade on Sunday where 2000 sheep were brought down from highland to low land through Main Street in Ketchum. Classic. Holden loved it, and kept signing "More" while saying "Baaaa."

The boys waiting for the sheep

And here they are!

being blessed by a priest

Big cheers from the Little Guy

Sun in the eyes

This was before the parade; Holden was playing with his little skateboard (about the size of my thumb)

and then found a local skater and decided to try out the real thing

Here are some of the things we did (in no particular order):

1. Danny and I took a 30 mile bike ride (15 out to Hailey and 15 back to Elkhorn). I'm not a cyclist. Prior to that ride, I the furthest I had ever gone was the nine miles I did for the Bountiful sprint triathalon in 1999. (My sit bones were kind of numb.)
2. Coconut Steamers & breakfasts at Java (the blueberry muffins were Holden's fave)


3. We ordered Holden a cup of whipped cream (among other things) at Christina's. He had been eyeing everyone's warm drinks and wanted something to call his own
4. Romantic date night at the Ketchum Grille with Danny. His parents had Little Bits and we were treated to live Jazz music table-side
5. Hashbrown skillet and blueberry pancakes at The Kneadery (and whipped cream in Holden milk since we were all indulging in hot cocoa)


6. Four mile run and the serious realization why one should take a few weeks off of running apres your first marathon.
   SV Duck Pond & Dad's Shoulders
   


7. Sun Valley Resort for the duck pond (trying to feed them, but Holden just kept eating the bread we got for the ducks); Bald Mountain Pizza and a new *Vera Bradley from the gift shop I am now declaring the swankiest diaper bag I will ever own. (It's called "the weekender." How fitting right? And the color scheme is Baroque.)
8. Sandwhiches from Perrys (hailed as Sun Valley's best bakery)
9. Pedicure at "In N' Out Salon" (not the burger joint) where I was mistaken for a local (did I mention I LOVE the off season?) And Danny and the grandparents took Holden to see horses
   
10. Despos ('Best Mexican') for dinner and Holden's first real come apart when I suggested he share a toy. Usually the kid is so game...not so much om this particular night.
11. Some Signing Time, a French 'cartoon' and a lot of Beverly Hills Chihuahua for the roadtrip

And not a Walmart or McDonalds for miles....ahhh, heaven.

*So what is it with Old Lady Bags, you ask? Well, a decade ago, when I was a flight attendant, there were certain 'routes' I would fly where these bags kept popping up. Sun Valley in the summer time was definitely one of them; but any place that was famous for it's vineyards, wine, etc. It seemed that these 'weekenders' on my flight had a certain air about them. Not necessarily hoity-toity; but they always seemed so put together... they'd wear designer slacks or crisp pressed linen pants (how does one keep linen 'crisp?', designer sun glasses and toowhite sweaters tied around their shoulders... and more often than not they'd be sporting a Vera Bradley. That's when the love affair began. They're not ridiculously pricey like a Burberry or Prada bag; AND YOU CAN WASH THEM! So naturally, I now have three in various shapes, sizes and colors.