February - The Month of Love

February was quite an exciting month....at least for me.

First of all, it marked the big launch of the APX re-brand. Due to the movement towards home automation, APX officially became Vivint on February 1st. Of course, it made a huge impact on the day-to-day at work...but rather than focus on the business of it all, let's cut right to the fun.

That whole week at work could be described as a high school Spirit Week. There were games, food, prizes, Minute to Win-it, our own version of Wipe Out (which left many participants vomiting in the bathrooms...quite intense). There was a company kick-off and closing party, including our own rap theme song performed by our very own Customer Marketing rep, Prince Simpson (laser lighting and fog machines included). It was awesome! The closing party delivered Papa Johns for everyone and lots of grand prize give-aways. Two employees were drawn for a $5,000 shopping spree/trip, and one lucky employee won a $10,000 spree. Vivint sure knows how to treat their people right!

On the last day of Vivint week they had a professional photo booth take free pictures for everyone. My team and I jumped on the chance and came away with this shot (sadly, we were missing a few people...and we have added and lost some people since):

Mike, Zach, Stephen, Jaclyn, Christian, me, Ian, Casey, Richelle

Katalina, Micah, Renae

Also, if you would like to check out the Vivint rap, here is the YouTube link:

All in all, a fun week and proud to be a part of the Vivint family!

Another big event from February was my trip to the dentist! So somehow Jason and I went our whole marriage up to this point without visiting the dentist. Gross, I know! I finally got it done and have since returned to take care of a couple cavities and sealants. Before the year is over, I'm going to have to get my wisdom teeth pulled (apparently, I have two teeth that are impacted...so that means I'll have to go to an oral surgeon rather than just my dentist). I'm so mad I didn't get that taken care of while living with my parents. This just goes to show that procrastination definitely comes with a price! Any recommendations on where to get it done?

Ever heard of Nordic Valley or Wolf Creek? If not, your probably not alone. It's a ways north of Salt Lake in a small city called Eden. I compare the small country-like town to the feel of Midway. Anywho, in Bryan's new craze for skiing, Jason and I took Bryan, Tyson, and Kim to the Wolf Mountain Ski Resort (used to be Nordic Valley). It is a tiny resort, but one that holds a lot of memories for me and my family. Since the resort is so small and the terrain is so easy, I figured this would be a perfect time to actually try skiing. Jason ended up being the instructor for all four of us Arbon kids (poor Jason). He was very hesitant at first (given his recent experience with Bryan)...but luckily, things went a lot better than he could have hoped! To my complete surprise, I totally loved skiing! There wasn't as much stress or tension in my body as there usually is when I'm snowboarding. I quickly realized that all of my tension was focused in my hands...while tightly gripping to the poles :). I must say, I'm still better at snowboarding, but after this experience, I haven't completely counted skiing out. I'll be returning to it each season (is the plan).

A look at the resort...very small. Pretty much one large lift.

Here are some videos if you want in on the action:

Jason's dreams come true (minus me falling in the beginning)....

 Mom, Dad, and Camry met up with us to bring us lunch and to check in to 

Wolf Creek (where we spent the night hot tubing and playing games).

I had my second shot of skiing the very next weekend. Jason and I spent the day at Sundance (again, courtesy of my boss)! This time, my skiing wasn't as solid, but I still had a blast. Enjoy the phone pics:

Now we come to Valentine's Day! Jason and I had to work during the day, so Jason surprised me with a night of fine dining. He took me to a new restaurant in the Riverwoods called La Jolla Groves. It was so dang good and a very elegant and classy place. Thanks again Jason!

As if we hadn't already been skiing enough, Jason was able to go two more times that month...once with his high school buddies, Richard and Nate, and again on President's Day (taking advantage of the newly fallen snow at Snowbird). Here's a glimpse at the powder he was able to experience (again, phones pics):

Well, one thing's for sure, we weren't lacking snow or excitement in February.