Thursday, December 24, 2009

TWO THINGS COME TO MIND

When I hear this poem. The first is Christmas Eve at Steve and Ingunn's. Espen or Christian would recite the entire thing from memory. I thought that was pretty impressive. The second thing that comes to memory is this movie. We used to watch it every year.
















I miss the old movies we used to watch as kids. They were so simple! I'd love to get copies of all these movies some day.

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there.

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tinny reindeer.

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment it must be St Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name!

"Now Dasher! now, Dancer! now, Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! On, Cupid! on, on Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky.
So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,
With the sleigh full of Toys, and St Nicholas too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle of Toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath.
He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly!

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself!
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread.

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ‘ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

Monday, December 21, 2009

COMING UP...

I CAN'T WAIT FOR CHRISTMAS IN SALT LAKE

Salmon dinner at Steve and Ingunn's!
Christmas breakfast at Mom and Dad's!
Watching Scott open his Christmas present (I know... singular)
Hearing all about the Christmas highlights from my cousins at breakfast!
Watching Ben and Andrew open their gifts (especially their gift from Uncle Johnny)!
Chaos
Talking to Johnny on the phone!
Jim and Paula visiting
New Christmas pajamas!
My first Christmas with Scott in our own home!
Wondering if my dad hid a present for Mom in the tree.
Doug visiting from London (and a lengthy discussion between Kirsten and Doug about turnips)
Watching our family open their gifts
Virginia Stevens' jam
Spending the day with family
Going to the cabin with family(and playing penny train until our crabbiness comes out)
Snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and skiing at the cabin!
Christmas night at Grandma and Grandpa's
Our WASHER AND DRYER to be installed (TOMORROW!)
SNOW (Please!?)













I CAN'T WAIT FOR NEW YEARS IN SANTA BARBARA

Spending time with family!
Spending time on the beach!
Learning new recipes from Lynne and Margy
Watching Rick walk the cat in a bag
getting a list of book recommendations from the Hannays and the Elliotts
Getting to know the Harmons
Trying all of the delicious treats Lynne makes (that Scott talks about constantly)
Letting Scotty show me around Santa Barbara some more
Blenders and Trader Joe's
Sunshine (as much as I love snow... sunshine sounds pretty good too)
Hopefully another winner-of-a-dress while Thrift Storing (last year there was a puke green and hot pink puffed-sleeved wood-nymph gown that I seriously considered for my sisters as bridesmaid dresses...)
Cafe Baghdad?
Watching our family open their gifts
In & Out
Beading with Lynne
Wearing my chacos
Perfecting (Yes, I plan on PERFECTING) the art of surf (HA!)

















Things I CAN wait for:

I don't particularly want Christmas to end because we'll never be further from next year's Christmas than we will be on this year's Christmas.

Sorry, Kirst... I can wait for the arrival of baby girl! At least until the 4th! If she's born before the 4th I'll miss it! But after the 4th, I can't wait for baby girl.

WELL, WHAT ABOUT THESE?

A few weeks ago I was wondering, "Will I die if I eat too many red and green M&Ms from the holiday mix?"

Now I'd like to know, "Will I die if I eat too many clementines?"















I don't know how to be fancy, or else I'd put the video right on my blog, but click on this link and hopefully it'll take you to my favorite music video of my favorite Christmas song! If not, youtube "Put the Lights on the Tree" by Sufjan

AT THE HEART OF THINGS

(For Thich Nhat Hanh)

I go through the simplest tasks
of the day lightened
as the Buddhist spirit of
mindfulness expresses itself
in folding clothes
one warm linen sleeve
lying against another,
the cut grass
in full fragrance around me
as I gather peonies
for the table.
Their tall green stems
languish in the water,
heads resting heavily
against the bowl's rim
as if under the weight
of a long remembered sorrow.

On the kitchen counter
basil for tonight's pesto,
garlic and walnut's sharp woody smell
still on the cutting board,
the boiling water's steam
condenses on the window glass
and I realized how surely
these are nothing
compared to the abundant task
of gathering all this love

Susan Jackson

Monday, December 14, 2009

ROB AND HEIDI (and the weekend a bit)

Friday was the night of the Christmas Concert with the Mormon Tab Choir and Natalie Cole as the guest singer. It was a bit of a traumatic experience (after arriving late I had to fight with the ushers... jolly seventy year-old men and women... to finally obtain my cozy and not embarrassing seat in a wheelchair. Scott sat a row ahead of me... and there I was... in a wheelchair). After my parents had to give up the two seats they were saving for Scott and me, I walked past eight seats being reserved with coats. I boiled up inside a bit... and about twenty minutes later Scott and I finally sat down to enjoy the concert. Scott probably enjoyed the fact that he didn't have to sit by me that night. I was a little fired up. Sitting in a wheelchair is actually not as comfortable as you'd think. It was precarious too... I never wanted to participate in a standing ovation because I worried my seat would roll out from under me and I'd fall to the ground when I tried to sit back down. All in all, though, the concert was wonderful, and I was so happy to have seen in from any seat. It's always one of the highlights of the season for me.

It was so fun to spend our Saturday up Big Cottonwood snowshoeing with Rob and Heidi. We don't see Rob nearly enough (even though we have a hobbit closet reserved for him at our house), and we loved getting to know Heidi a lot more. Hopefully this will happen again and again...



It was a beautiful day. I have waited and waited (not so patiently) for this snow, and I loved it. It snowed the entire time we were snowshoeing. We went on Saturday, so one day before the big storm on Sunday, but it was still great to be outside in the snow. After the Sunday storm, however, I am ready to head to the hills (for some skiing)!

Oh, don't mind the four-eyes. I am officially out of contacts. Sure, I like my glasses, but this particular pair is a little out-dated prescription-wise, and it's a little stretched out so it doesn't exactly fit over my left ear. But it gets the job done. Snowshoeing was a little interesting because the snow kept sticking to my lenses and blocking my view. Also, when I'd breathe heavily, they'd kind of fog up!

We're climbing tonight... so hopefully they'll stay put while I'm up on the wall! I could totally see my face getting sweaty, causing my glasses to slip right off my face and down to the unknown below. It might be kind of fun to climb blind.

Good news though.... new insurance is in line! Scott and I have eye appointments for tomorrow!

Afterwards Scott and I took a shot at Christmas shopping. We were able to get most of it done in an hour... but there's still a little more to do.

Sunday was great, because after a power outage at church and a long YM/YW meeting (apparently Scott is the scout master for our stake!), we were able to go to Sue and Thayer's for our Christmas dinner to initiate the beginning of all the other Christmas traditions to come. I love this dinner because it really gets me thinking about what I am grateful for. And I love all this time spent with family. This year we get the best out of both worlds! We get to spend the holiday season with both the Petersens/Earls and the Hannays!!! There's so much coming up!














Friday, December 11, 2009

TODAY I HAD THE THOUGHT...

(I actually have this thought often). But if I had gone out with Scott when he asked me to go climbing in 2007, we could have been together for almost three years by now! To clarify, it's not that I didn't want to go out with him... it was just bad timing (I unfortunately wasn't single)! We both could have cut back on some unneeded dating relationships... he could have been a river guide WITH me... we could have graduated together. As Scott pointed out today, we both love the way it happened... I love that it took the Rogue River to finally get us together (what a BEAUTIFUL place to fall in love) after wanting to date for so long. But sometimes I wish I hadn't wasted all that time.

Scott and I have so much fun together. We are a lot alike, and we are truly one of those couples that just love being each other's best friend. I have been known to have a lot of "best friends" throughout my life. Friendship is important to me, and I have been blessed to have some amazing friends that I love spending time with today. Scott jumped to the top of my list pretty quick.

There were so many little things that I first noticed about Scott that impressed me... going clear back to before we were dating when we lived next to each other on Condo Row. My first memory of Scott (I didn't realize I was feeling reminiscent!) was before I even met him (that's right I had HEARD about him before I met him in person. The fall semester of 2006 was the semester I'd be going to London, and several of my closest friends moved into a building on Condo Row. Before leaving for London, I was visiting these friends, and thumbing through their directory of everyone who lived in their building and the building next door, I saw Scott. I thought he was cute; but I was told that everyone had a crush on Scott Hannay. Of course now I can totally see why that was the case, but my dorky sophomore self thought it was pretty funny and that this guy probably thought a lot of himself. I don't know why I resorted to being judgmental. For some dumb reason, I decided in my head that I wouldn't have a crush on this guy because everyone else did. Non-conformism?? I don't know. Not that it mattered anyway... I'd probably never actually meet the guy. I went off to London after that and had a lovely London time.

While in London, I got an email from a friend telling me that a friend of mine was dating Scott, so I immediately reversed my petty little judgment and decided that he was probably an awesome guy because I respected his girlfriend so much. I didn't think anything of it after that until I came back from London just in time for winter semester 2007. Scott was still dating my friend, and I met him through her shortly after I had moved back. From that semester until I left BYU, I basically moved in and out of Scott's ward boundaries every semester, but if I didn't have a bed at Condo Row, I'd sleep on the couch. I spent most of my time in that area. I met Scott on Condo Row when he pulled up in his truck and I was attempting to long board on the sidewalk. I thought he was nice and cute (but unavailable) and again, didn't think much of it after that.

I started seeing Scott around campus, and we were now acquaintances who could say hi to each other when we bumped into each other in the terrace, the quad, or the LRC. We were both LRC studiers, and I saw him there nearly every day at the same time each day (I later found out that after Scott and my friend broke up, Scott would sometimes take advantage of my predictable schedule and fabricate some of these accidental meetings). We always noticed each other, we always were excited to see each other, and we always enjoyed talking when we could. I remember walking home from campus one day when we started walking together. I was on a literary overload and for some reason decided that discussing "The Book of Disquiet" with the poor guy who didn't even know me very well would be a good course of action. What's even stranger is that he liked that. Our conversation impressed me, and I really started having a lot of respect for Scott, even if it was from a distance. We didn't hang out, though we had so many mutual friends, but I had a high opinion of him. I knew he enjoyed the outdoors like I did, and always thought he'd be a lot of fun to hang out with.

Lucky for me, Scott felt the same way. When he was in between girlfriends he would say to his friends that he was looking to date a girl like Lindsey Petersen (isn't that cute!). It's pretty lame that we lived next door to each other for a year by this time, and we hadn't ever gone out. Why? Because Scott and I were NEVER single at the same time. In the Fall of 07, Scott came to the Law School where I worked, walked right up to my desk, told me he'd like to get into climbing, and asked me to go climbing with him that next week. I wasn't exactly single... I was kind of getting into a relationship, and we were just past the point where I could say to the guy that I had a date with someone else. Had he asked me one week earlier though, and... (herein lies that psychological anguish... the "if only" feeling). I wasn't very upfront with Scott. I didn't feel comfortable saying "I'm dating someone" because I wasn't sure if that was really the right way to say it. Lindsey made a bad move, and Scott ended up thinking Lindsey was pretty flaky.

The next year consisted of Scott, me, and our terrible timing! By the time he was single, I wasn't... by the time I was single, he wasn't... I moved to Moab to be a riverguide. He talked to friends about coming to Moab to ask me out (cute huh?)... and then was surprised to hear that I had opened my mission call on the river and was leaving for my mission to Texas that Fall. Scott, in my head, was one of those guys I would have always liked to date, but I kind of missed my shot (or blew my shot!) while we were in college.

Luckily Scott's buddy invited me to join them on the Rogue River in Oregon. I admitted to Scott later that I was really excited he would be there. After a summer of river rafting romance gone bad (especially while trying hard to focus on my upcoming mission), I was excited to have a laid-back-last-time-just-for-fun-random-college-friend-trip before I left. I had a good time with everyone. I laugh at how dumb I can be, though. Remember when I was a sophomore and decided I didn't like Scott just cause everyone else did? I got the feeling when we were in Tahoe that maybe Scott wasn't interested in me any more than the other girls on the trip... so I decided I wasn't interested in him! Clearly I was, or I wouldn't have been thinking any of this. I kind of made a special effort to give Scott less attention than the other guys. I think the professional term for this is "playing hard to get" which I wasn't at all! If Scott didn't have me by the day we left Tahoe, he had me by the last day of the Rogue. Scott won me over in Tahoe at first by being interested in everything I was doing. I found a mandolin in Jim Gribble's basement and started playing around with it in a corner to see if I could play anything that sounded decent enough to justify bringing it with us on the river. Scott had brought his guitar and joined me with my mandolin, and we spent that night looking up chord charts and songs we could learn to play together. I remember thinking how easy-going he was, and he made me feel easy-going (which I sometimes am not), and I got a good feeling as I sat with him and played music. This is something we still love to do together, and we especially loved playing songs together on fiddle and guitar when we tackled the Grand together last summer. I felt like Scott was mature and kind. He was very inclusive and just impressed me all around as I watched him with other people.

He won me over on the river because he is so adventurous. This river trip was just FUN. After a summer of being a commercial guide, I felt a little shaky on a private trip. But I loved not being the guide! I loved spending time with old friends and new friends, engaging in conversation, taking time to write and appreciate nature, and just slow down and contemplate my upcoming decisions and life. I didn't have to entertain! I didn't have to tell river guide tall tales about the legend of Castle Rock or what exactly did happen to poor old Larry who thought he skipped the gap when he really drove his car right in to the river. Even cooking was fun because it wasn't for a hundred-something people, I knew I wouldn't be doing ALL the dishes myself, and there was such a gorgeous variety of food (as opposed to 1st day... burgers; 2nd day... spaghetti; 3rd day... chili.... repeat)!

K... that was an irrelevant tangent about the joy of a private river trip. I was just so happy to be on the river and to feel like I was most myself. I was in a good place in terms of my physical health, sense of self, and spiritually, and I felt that this time on the river opened me up more to God's beauty in creation. It was one of those times in life where I had come home to myself.

Also... this post is getting to point where it's too long for me to read through after I write it. Hopefully everything I'm writing is making sense.







But this is the part where I fell in love with Scott... so I'll write about that. Anyone who knows Scott knows that he is adventurous and capable. I loved watching him tackle rolling his kayak in the rapids (I had never hard-shell kayaked... so I was impressed and a little jealous).

Since then, though, I've learned how to roll, and as soon as a Lindsey-sized kayak of decent price comes around, Scott and I will hit the kayaking hobby hard.

There were just so many fun moments that we shared that added up to create a fast and fulfilling friendship.



I loved when we picked blackberries off the side of the river. There were thousands! I got up on Scott's back to reach some of the prime spots, and we used some of the sub-par berries as war paint in anticipation of the accomplishment of our goal that day to take Nelson Trichler to the water, as he had never been pushed out of a boat he has captained. Sam, Scott, Nelson, and I fastened a torpedo raft out of two duckies. I remember rowing hard as Nelson called the shots, and I loved trying to show Scott how tough I was... in reality, I was really lucky I kept up!

And we did end up taking Nelson down... but of course he took ALL three of us down with him. So I don't know if we'll chalk that one up to a victory.

I fell for Scott more and more as I began to realize that he was always aware of me, and I could tell. If I dropped something, he picked it up before I realized it was missing. He'd get extra treats from the snack cooler and hand them to me throughout the day (Scott learned early on that my happiness depends on a steady and constant dispersal of treats, and that he should always keep treats on hand to whip out at a moments noticed. And what a smart guy! He figured that one out on his own! I didn't even have to tell him). In water fights, he'd never take me down. I appreciated that. I never could stand it when guys thought the best way to flirt with you was to smash your head into something and then pull you by your hair underwater, pushing your head down, kinking your neck, and grinding your chin into your shoulders until you could no longer breathe. Guys physically hurting me in a pool never exactly left me wanting more interaction with them. I appreciated that Scott was attentive to me, but kept his distance at the same time. I thought it was a sign of maturity. And I had been done with the immature factor in guys for quite a while.

Scott would paddle his kayak near my boat as I rowed, or near my duckie, always game for a good conversation. I had so many talks with Scott that also facilitated our fast friendship. I kept thinking, "I have wanted to be friends with this guy for so long! Why have we wasted so much time!" After hikes, long, high-energy river days, and conversational nights, I felt like Scott and I started making up for the time. The foundation for an awesome relationship was already there, and we built it up from the day we left Provo to the day Scott dropped me off in Sacramento.

The last night of the trip was the night Scott and I really sat down to talk about this friendship that had formed and how we both felt about what should come next. I remember having the distinct feeling that while I had to be cautious since everything had happened so quickly, I knew that Scott was supposed to be in my life at that time. He wasn't a distraction. I knew that we were building something that the Lord wanted us to have and develop. In the months to come as we approached the difficult choices to come, we did so as partners who knew that we were both acting on the impressions and guidance we got from our Heavenly Father. I remember thinking that there couldn't be a better way to start a relationship and a better test for us as a couple (especially if this was going to turn into a marriage).

Which it did! Six months later! And as we come up on one year of marriage, I am so grateful that I have married someone who still treats me the way he did when we were dating, who is still just as exciting to talk to as our first conversation, who is up for any adventure any time, who loves my family and appreciates them as his own, who tells me he loves me constantly throughout the day , who is aware of me constantly, who will add to my long list of things I want to do and help me check them off, and who has made my life a part of his just as much as he has opened and shared his life with me.

This ended up sounding so lovey dovey... but I do love Scott, and I've really enjoyed thinking today about how this fantastic life of ours started. We have a wonderful friendship and a wonderful life together! I seriously have so much fun with him. He handles being married to a sometimes-acts-like-she's-five-years-old spaz who (let's be honest) never stops moving her mouth (or in this case, my fingers on the keyboard). It means so much to me to know that I get to share everything in my life from this point on with Scott, as we still try to catch each other up on the the 25 years and 22 years that came before. I'd hate it if I had a ton more adventures I had to tell him about... it's so nice to know that he'll just be there having the adventure alongside me!

WILL I DIE...

...if I eat too many red and green M&Ms from the holiday mix? Can I get chocolate poisoning? Anyone know?

Thursday, December 10, 2009

THIS WEEK and ELEVEN!!!

I came across this quote yesterday, and I enjoyed thinking about it throughout the day. "You don't have a soul. You are a Soul. You have a body (C.S. Lewis)."

On a different note, Scott and I are already hooked on climbing again. We missed going last night since I had to go to Young Womens.

On a different note from that... I can't wait to get up in the mountains this weekend. Depending on the snow, we'll either use one of our ski passes or we'll just play around on snowshoes or our skis. It's hard to find the time these days, but this is what winter is all about! I have heard so many people complain about how cold Utah is in the winter. And it is cold... yes... but there is a trade off. The reason to put up with zero degree Wednesdays is the Saturday ski. The reason to put up with 5 mile-per-hour freeways is the Saturday ski. The reason for keeping spare socks in your car for when you step in snowbanks trying to get in it is the Saturday ski. (The reason to waste away your Friday night doing homework at the Law Library was for the Saturday ski.) I had a lot of wonderful friends at the Y who would gripe as soon as winter rolled around but refuse to set foot on the slopes! That's what makes winter worth it!

This past week all I can think of (besides the necessary Modern Poetry) is Christmas...



climbing...







skiing...









...and how I get to share all of these things with my wonderful husband (eleven months as of today!!!) and best friend! I am such a lucky girl. I have so much fun with Scott, and I know I always will!!!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

WAHOO!

Here are some pictures of Scott and me doing what we love to do in the summer. Eventually we'll complete our collection of climbing gear and be able to climb all summer long without a lot of planning ahead of time.

(Lindsey - Englestead Hollow)


(Scotty - Big Cottonwood Canyon)


And now... thanks to a gym incentive from our insurance company... we don't have to wait for summer. We can afford to climb all WINTER at Momentum!!



Scott and I got the passes on Monday. We went Monday night to warm up our climbing muscles after our little climbing hiatus, and we went last night to hit a yoga class and then do a few routes afterwards. It was Scott's first yoga class, and hopefully not his last. Though he was a natural, it was pretty funny to see him all twisty in these weird positions. It's amazing how your body has such amazing muscle memory. It is going to be a blast to get back into yoga and climbing and get my skill level up to what it was a year ago. It was the best decision for us. With Scott's new job, we don't have a ton of time to spend together. So this is great for us because not only do we get to spend time together, but we get to spend it doing something active that we love (As a little side note, the first date Scott ever asked me on three years ago was to go climbing. I wasn't able to make it... so I'm glad we're finally climbing together now). This climbing pass is actually way overdue for us.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

NOAH AND THE WHALE

Give A Little Love

Well I know my death will not come
'Til I breathe all the air out my lungs
'Til my final tune is sung
That all is fleeting
Yeah, but all is good
And my love is my whole being
And I've shared what I could
But if you give a little love, you can get a little love of your own...

...Well if you are (what you love)
And you do (what you love)
I will always be the sun and moon to you
And if you share (with your heart)
Yeah, you give (with your heart)
What you share with the world is what it keeps of you

(some wisdom for the Christmas season... from an unlikely source)

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS...

Johnny and I used to make our Christmas lists a month early. I remember how excited he'd get when the Toys R Us catalog came. I'd help him pick out which lego set he wanted because I loved to build the lego space ship or lego pirate ship, and then Johnny loved to play with it after I was finished. My favorite Christmas gift as a kid was when I was eight. My mom and dad got me a desk for my bedroom. An aspiring author, already sharing my pieces during reading time with my fellow second graders, I was thrilled to have my very own desk. That honestly was my favorite gift. I might have been more excited about my desk than I was about getting Pepper the following year. Of course I bonded with both of them over the years, and by the time I was in high school, I liked spending time with my dog much more than my desk. My favorite Christmas gift as an adult... if that's what I'm calling myself was the Yurt trip Scott gave me last year. I love that he knew me well enough to know that I'd much rather share the memory with my siblings than with friends.

I originally started this post, however to talk about what a weakling I am. I am a weakling of a wife.

I found out about this book from a friend. Click on the link and take a look on Amazon. You can preview the pages. I think it looks really great! I think what appeals to me most are the tips to stocking your pantry with different kinds of flour and things you need. Also, the sections about cooking by color and using natural sweeteners.



I have gone on record saying that the best gift for any occasion is always a book (although I'm trying to think of more creative gifts to give people for Christmas this year since everyone probably expects a book from me), and it got me thinking... I need all the help I can get with this cooking thing. I love cooking, but I don't know WHAT to cook! Even with cookbooks though, I find myself completely lost in the kitchen. I was talking to Laura this morning (my dear friend who knows how to do EVERYTHING I can't do), trying to brainstorm about easy delicious dinners to make. I'm out of ideas (I didn't have many to begin with).

Does anyone have any favorites?


All I want for Christmas is an amazing list of new recipes I can try...
And some advice about how to stock my pantry so I have the essentials on hand.

Am I boring?

DEAR DECEMBER

Welcome. I'm very excited you're here. Do you think you could ask your friend Snow to join us for the holidays this year? No offense, but I don't think you are much fun without Snow.


Scott and I have been talking about this winter and how we hope to spend our time. We've realized that Scott comes alive in the summer. Summertime is the time to get outside... mountain bike... hike... climb... surf... swim... camp... river raft...wash the car. I love all these things too, but we've learned that I embrace winter so much more. For me, winter is the time to get outside... ski... snowshoe... sled... ice skate... play in the snow... camp. For some reason, I am so much more motivated to get outside when it's FREEZING outside. I don't know why, because it really doesn't make sense. Maybe it's just my unnatural love for Utah. I love winter. Most people are probably loving the sunshine and t shirt weather we're having now... but I want a blizzard! Christmas music just isn't the same if you're not listening to it as you sit and wait for your car windshield to thaw enough so you an see through it.

We went up to John and Jana's last night for dinner and to help Sarah with her BYU application. It was so nice of them to have us up! We loved helping Sarah and spending time with the whole Bilton family. It's nice to see them more often, so hopefully we'll be better about paying them some visits. For Christmas morning I want to head up to Farmington so we can see my nephews open their gifts and head to the Bilton's to see Tanner and Blake open theirs.

Jana was so nice and sent me home with a HUGE bin of Christmas decorations for my tree that my mom is letting me borrow from her. It made me so happy! It's fun to have something festive to put in my house. For Halloween my mom gave me Halloween placemats and it made the whole holiday so much better! My mom does a wonderful job decorating for Christmas, and for me, it's a big part of the holidays. So hopefully our tree, a wreath on our door, and maybe some Christmas lights in the window will make our apartment feel very homey and festive. So thanks to my mom and Jana, we will be having a snowman tree this year.

Friday, November 27, 2009

Thanksgiving Oh Nine!

This Thanksgiving Scott and I drove up to Eden to spend some time with Scott's Uncle John and Aunt Jana, their kids, and all of Jana's extended family. It was great to spend my favorite holiday with a huge, chaotic family! I felt right at home!!! Eden was gorgeous, the food was delicious, and Jana's family was so nice to us. They made us feel right at home, and I was comfortable the whole time. We had a great time getting to know the extended family better, and especially spending time with our Bilton cousins. I love spending time with Sarah, and Scott loves messing around with Tanner and Blake. A bunch of us woke up and went for a morning turkey trot. Everyone who didn't go was in their pj's till one or two. Jana, Sarah, all of the girl cousins, and I went to the gym to work out while Scott went running outside (it was a beautiful beautiful day... perfect weather!). I've never had a Thanksgiving so full of exercise! Ha ha... I guess it did make the pigging out a little bit more enjoyable. Scott went with John, Blake, and Tanner after dinner to go shooting. He said it was a lot of fun, but shooting isn't quite his thing! That makes me happy... I'm not big on shooting. It was a really laid-back Thanksgiving Day, and we really enjoyed ourselves.

One of the things I look forward to around Christmas and Thanksgiving is my friends coming home from college! This year Em came into town, and I was so excited to see her! Scott and I went up to the Kerns to spend a night with John, Sharon, Tucker (for a bit), and Em. It was SO GREAT to be back in this house and just have fun laughing and talking. One of the things I love about getting together with Em is that we don't have "catch up" conversations. I feel like with some friends I spend a lot of time catching each other up on our lives, which is important, but I love when we can just dive in like we haven't missed a beat. It brings me back to that natural and easy feeling of friendship that we've shared for years. Em and I have been best friends since seventh grade... since we were twelve or thirteen. That is incredible to me. I've been so blessed in this friendship, and I know it will last forever. I have very few memories that don't include Emily. She's always been my other hip!

And I have to say that I am so grateful for Scott. It's great to be married to someone who makes the people who are important to me just as important to him. I'm so thrilled that my two best friends get along so well! I really lucked out there. Scott was so sweet to come with me to the Kerns and just fit in as if he grew up there too! You know when girls get together they take a million pictures of themselves, holding the camera out themselves while they make ridiculous faces? It's the classic shot. I love being married because my fantastic husband takes those pictures for us! I love him because he knows I'm ridiculous, and he loves me anyway... and even better, he joins in! He's even been searching flights lately to send me up to Colorado to visit Em on her turf.

Hopefully we'll all get to do some climbing before Emmy heads back (slash skiing if we can get some more snow).











We need to get Amelia and Sydney back here in December, and then I will have the merriest Christmas ever!


And guess who comes home tomorrow, who is on a plane to return to the homeland as we speak? MY MOM!!!!!!! I can't wait to welcome her back! Scabies and all!

Monday, November 23, 2009

WEIRD-BIRD

Salt Lake can't make up its mind. Emily went to Snowbird today and said it was "scrapey" but decent. But outside I'm wearing slippers and a windbreaker. It's hardly winter, but I'm so ready for it. I always get frustrated this time of year. It seems like when I'm ready for winter, It takes its time, and when I want to hang onto Fall a little longer, the snow falls in October. Last year I was in sunny Santa Barbara for Thanksgiving. I thought it strange to have a Thanksgiving without snow, one where I could wear shorts and go surfing. Snow-less Thanksgiving is fantastic in Santa Barbara, but I will not tolerate a snow-less Salt Lake Thanksgiving. The weather gods better kick into gear.

I complain about the weather not being able to make up its mind every year. I've spent 21 of my 22 winters in Utah. I should probably let it go and get used to it.

Birds are flyin' south for the winter.
Here's the weird-bird headin' north,
Wings a-flappin', beak a-chatterin',
Cold head bobbin' back n' forth.
He says, "It's not that I like ice
Or freezin' winds and snowy ground.
It's just sometimes its kind of nice
To be the only bird in town.

Shel Silverstein

This poem is not relevant. I just liked it.




















And this weird bird just makes me think of Doug.

Okay... that bird has taken me on an extremely unexpected journey (thank you google...isn't it about time google be part of the spell check dictionary) and break from my day to gaze upon a website filled with Doug-like drawings. This BreadWigGuy might be related to me.