Happy New Year

Happy New Year 

Happy 2013

We had a great time of saying goodbye to 2012 and welcoming in 2013 with family at Mike's brothers house  We even danced away our worries of 2012 to help celebrate a new year. My goodbye was to apartments and Michael's was to his old job delivering doors. Look at us being all grown up. I still feel like a young kid but I guess that is even what the older people say hu? Note about the coat even though we are inside, I don't think I have taken that coat off since winter hit. I have even taken a nap wearing it. I don't remember being this cold last year.

To ring in the new year we hit the slopes. 

 

We went to one of Mike's favorite places, Powder Mountain. It is where he learned to ski way back when. We love to go night skiing for the convenience and the price difference. It was a great day with clear weather. We could even see the stars as we were skiing. 

 

 

I love to have adventures and this day was not any different. On the first run of the day we got to the top and my wonderful skier of a husband waited for me to buckle my bindings on my snowboard (I will have to say that this is the most annoying thing about snowboarding). I finished buckling and in a show off manner to my husband, start to go down the trail. I am cruising along and stop to look back for him. He is not there. I see him through the thin line of trees on the next run over asking what I was doing and I responded "waiting for him" and took off thinking that the two trails combined a little further down the hill. Well, I thought wrong. I was over farther then I thought and was on the service road. I guess I should have brushed up my memory of the tails before heading out. I did not realize I was on the service road until I was rather far away from the ski area. I had tried to call Michael on his phone but no answer. He usually leaves his phone in the car when we go skiing. I evaluated my scenario of three options, one, walk back up the hill and get on the right run, two, walk down the hill and then down the road to the ski area, or three, get on my board and take my chances going straight down the hill in a foot and a half of powder. I decided to go with option two but continually looked for a safe place to try option three. In all it took me about 45 minute to complete my first run of the night. 

 

As I was returning I was thinking that Michael would be so worried as to where I was and even debating on whether or not to call the snow patrol (Like an ambulance but on the slopes. It consists of skiers and sleds.). he was not at the car,  he was not at the lodge telling the workers that his wife was lost, he was not in the parking lot wondering where I was. I decide to wait at the lift for him and not two minutes later he shows up, skiing down the hill. I spot him and am ready to tell him about my adventure. I ask, "were you wondering where I was?", but HE KNEW. He knew I was on the road and had tried to tell my I just could not hear him. He knew the road lead up to the houses and then down to the regular road which lead back to the ski area. He had just been skiing watching for me to come back. Haha. Oh my adventures. 

 

 

The rest of the night was fabulous skiing and snowboarding. There was the perfect amount of powder for me. The trails are not all groomed but you don't loose your feet in the snow. The only bad part about the rest of the night was that it was in the single digits. I tried to find the temperature but couldn't. The forecast was to be 17 as a high for the day and -2 for a low. I am guessing that it was around 5 degrees. When I would tuck my chin into my coat after a run it would be all tingly. 

 

Yum Yum

 

Always a after skiing tradition, hot chocolate. I prefer the 7eleven hot chocolate but Mavrick has to do when we go to Powder Mountain, no 7eleven around.

Now its time to back it up a little to before Christmas, we got a new dog.

 

Mac

 

 

This is Mac-a-do, big Mac, Mac-n-chees, Mac daddy or just plane Mac will do. We got him from Michael's brother. He is a 96 pound Gray Labrador. He is a full breed lab but his coloring is similar to that of a blue healer. He is about a a month younger then Fitz and they are always together.

 

 

 

Don't get run over

They both love to run around and be crazy dogs. Mac's eyes are a little crazy in this photo I think but he looks very happy to be out in the snow.

Fitz

Fitz loves anything outdoors. Its loves to lay down in the snow and eat it. Mac is a great addition to our little family

One of my new Christmas decorations

We had a wonderful Christmas party with Mike's family the Saturday before Christmas. His Family is getting so big with all the in-laws and nieces and nephews that we reserved the church this year. The night was full of activities and songs and a wonderful video of photos from the year. We were having so much fun that we had to skip some of the parts just because it was already so late. It was a wonderful night with great food and full of love of family.

We had a great Christmas even with the fact that I had to work Christmas Eve, Christmas night and the night after Christmas (when you work in a hospital someone has to do it). Christmas Eve we stayed at home. We made a nice dinner and ate it in front of the fire. We roasted marshmallows and watched Joy to the World, the LDS video about the Nativity in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon, and then we exchanged one gift.

I painted this

Then Christmas morning came! I did not expect it but still at 27 years old I was excited to see what "Santa" had brought me. Growing up stocking were a hit and miss each year. I don't know if that is the reason or if I just love it on its own but I love stockings, and I can fill a pretty good one if I do say so myself, nothing about five dollars though. You would think that with having to work the night shift that night I would have been more egar to follow my husbands suggestions of sleeping in longer then 7am. I would lay there a little longer then wisper in his ear, "But it Christmas! The presents! Santa came!" This is making it seem like I am all about the presents but I actually love the whole Christmas season and giving presents more then I love getting them. Most of my excitement was for him to open the presents from me but when Christmas morning hits I want to know what I got as well. He managed to keep me laying there for about a half hour more and then he gave in. 

We opened our stockings right away and then made breakfast. French toast with home made bread. Yum yum. It is the BEST! It takes a while though so as it cooked we opened presents. Michael got me what I asked for, a outside thermometer that has a display inside and a craft table. I got him a frame for his diploma, a University of Utah Alumni license plate cover and I made him coasters because he HATES the sound of glass on glass and we have a glass coffee table.

After that we went over to my families for Christmas dinner/lunch and presents. We were able to video chat  with my brother and his family in Georgia (I am so grateful to have this kind of technology available to us). It is always nice to be able to be with family for the holidays even if it is through a computer screen. As my time to go to work came close I had to leave the festivities and go home to change. That was not very fun but I managed to get through it. After I left Michael when up to his families Christmas dinner to end the day. 

We have not yet put away the decorations but the tree is no longer plugged in and as soon as I have a day off of work I will put it all away for next year. I love Christmas and the feeling I get each year that inspires me to be a better me and to love a little more because Jesus Christ came here to Earth because He loved us so much. I know that He loves me and I know that He lives. I love how I feel knowing that.