Roma Barba /

This year Nicolette and her friends bought the annual ski pass to Brighton, so when in Salt Lake City, Brighton is where we go! There was a huge snow storm which dropped a few feet of snow all over the city, so our trip that week was perfectly timed! On this particular beautiful day, we experienced lots of sun as well as a few snow showers during the day, so it was a nice mix of weather, even though it was a whopping 8 degrees! Brrrr…

The view upon our arrival (the parking lot was literally full by 9:30am).

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Then the girls (Caroline on the left, Nic in the middle and Grace on the right) took one pic before heading off until lunchtime.

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Nic & Grace at the top of Brighton!

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The outside of the ski lodge I had gotten comfy in. Loving those icicles! Did I mention how cozy it was in there, and if you do make it to Brighton, they stop serving French Toast at 10:30am! Get on it early!

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After lunch in various areas of the resort…snow! 🙂

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We all had an excellent day. Them on the slopes, me in the lodge 🙂

Roma xoxo

Roma Barba /

My visit with Pumpkin to Salt Lake City never disappoints, especially in the winter. Hands down, Salt Lake City is a winter wonderland and is one of my favorite cities to visit for skiing, eating and visiting with Nicolette’s friends. Look at how up close and personal nature gets right outside of our hotel, the University Marriott, which I highly recommend if you get a chance. They have a full service Starbucks in the lobby, along with a swimming pool, gym, restaurant and an incredible bar which has a happy hour each evening. I was standing outside with these beauties, drinking my morning coffee. Surreal.

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Then, on my way to Eggs in the City for my morning Huevos Rancheros (I’m addicted), I stopped to take this picture on a residential street in the Sugar House Neighborhood. I sat in my car for a good 10 minutes just soaking in the beauty and serenity of snowy trees before capturing this image.

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We first fell in love with Salt Lake on our college tours in 2011. We visited many, many colleges in Cali, Colorado, Oregon and Utah, but Salt Lake City had stolen Nic’s heart back in 2008 when she competed with her skating partner in Ice Dancing at the U.S. Figure Skating Junior Nationals Championships when they skated a perfect performance and placed 5th in the nation. It was a day in the life of their competition career to remember forever!! That competition was followed with snowball fights in downtown Salt Lake City, snow angels, and lots of hot chocolate.

With that said, Nicolette became a Ute and entered the U in the fall of 2012, and graduated in May of 2015 with a BA in Strategic Communications. Happy dance, happy dance that day. She made a lifetime of memories and friendships there. Here’s a flashback of graduation pix (proud Mama braggy moments).

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And this one made me cry when we saw her cap!

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How sweet is that for a parent to see upon arriving at her graduation? The tears started flowing and so our love affair with Salt Lake City continues. It stole our hearts forever!