Our Christmas Desert Drive

For Christmas this year we went down to Yuma, Arizona to visit my in-laws.  We had a really great time while we were there.  One day we decided to take the Jeep out into the desert and see what we could find. 




We saw hundreds of RVers boondocking in their pricey rigs.  They even created "yards" to take care of, which consisted of dirt bordered by rocks.



We ended up by Ferguson Lake in California. 



But best of all, we got to chase some wild ass! 









Paper Flowers

These are some really cool flowers I bought while in Mexico. I saw some on a chandelier in a restaurant we ate in and had to bring some home. Now I'm not sure what to do with them! I bought a dozen. Should I put them on my chandelier? On top of the cabinets somehow? Make them into an arragement to hang ove the door? I'm just not sure!

Farewell to Jim...



Wednesday Jim got promoted to Captain.  He asked us to pin him on (military mumbo-jumbo...) because we are "his Utah family".  Immediately after the ceremony he left for New Mexico.  I didn't cry because we will see him for Christmas, but I expect many tears then.  I'm going to miss our adventure buddy so much!!

Anyone want to volunteer to be his replacement?  Job duties include:
Spontaneous vacations
Wakeboarding (Sundays at 7am)
Snowboarding
Camping
Jeeping
Hiking
Partying
Playing with the dogs
Rockin' out with the band
Being up for anything
Suggesting crazy things to do
Sleeping on our couch at least once per week
Having an excellent sense of humor
Being adopted into both our families

It's a lot to live up to...

Christmas Meme

I am joining Emma over at Not So Usual:

The last time I went caroling - I can't even remember!  I don't generally like to sing (at least where people can hear me).

My favorite Drink in the winter is - Hot chocolate of all kinds, preferably Stephen's: milk, dutch, mint, candycane, hazelnut, it's all good.

My favorite Holiday meal - Classic turkey, ham, roast.  Anything that gives me mashed potatoes and gravy.  And quiche is a requirement for Christmas morning.

I think Fruit Cake - is a mystery.  I've never actually eaten any.

One tradition we had growing up - we got to get out of bed at 6:30 and open our stockings and "Santa gifts" before getting Mom & Dad up at 7:00.

One tradition we have now - Not much - with no kids we bounce around from family gathering to family gathering, without much happening at our own home.

I get my Christmas Tree from - the shelf in the garage.

I decorate - whenever I get around to it.  And sometimes, like this year, hardly at all.

On Christmas Eve I/we usually - hang out with family, stuffing our faces and playing games.  We always get new PJs to open too.

On Christmas morning I/we wake up - whenever we feel like it, unless we have arrangements to be somewhere at a certain time.

One special thing I make at Christmas time is - Pie! Cookies! Quiche!  Mmm....

My Favorite Christmas song is - none of them, really.

Every Christmas - we see family as much as we can, and try to have a family outing of some sort.

I hang my stockings - I used to hang them on the piano, but since I don't have it anymore, I haven't figured out where to put them.

Something I look forward to at Christmas time is - having an excuse to buy lots of stuff, even if it's not for me.

My Favorite Thing about the Holidays - Christmas lights, yummy smelling candles, and getting to wrap presents.

Something I want to start incorporating is - actually sending out Christmas cards.  Sorry to everyone that sends one to us without us reciprocating...

Happy Belated Birthday to Me!

My birthday was a week ago, but I didn't have a birthday dinner until Sunday, and I didn't think a few more days would matter.




My mom made dinner (which was delicious) and my sister made dessert (which was scrumptious).   Thanks guys!

Snowboarding




Sunday we went snowboarding for the first time this season. It was awesome! We went up to Brighton for the first time. It snowed a ton while we were there, and it was all light, fluffy powder. I’d never gotten to board in powder before. It was very different. Better because I didn’t catch edges and fall, and it was softer if you did fall, but worse because it made you much more tired. I think that wakeboarding so much this summer really helped my control. Hopefully I can keep getting better with more practice, as long as I can afford the lift tickets!


Christmas Decorations

We are going to visit Pat's parents in Yuma, Arizona for Christmas this year.  Since we won't even be home, I didn't really feel like dragging out all the Christmas decorations.  I usually add a little bit to our decor every year anyway, so I decided I would decorate the front door this year and call it good.

I got a couple of pre-decorated garlands and a wreath from Tai Pan, and some red & white LED lights from Target.  The lights will match the big lights we usually put up on the house.


Family Outing (Or Ining, As the Case May Be)

After we finished our Citizen's Academy class, my dad decided that we needed to get together more often because we didn't get to see each other often enough.  Since Monday nights were obviously free, we decided to meet one or two Monday nights every month for a family activity.  We started last Monday with a planned outing to This Is the Place State Park to see their Christmas displays.  However, the day arrived and was just too cold and windy to justify standing outside all night.

We decided to still meet at my parents and go out to dinner, then afterwards we went to Target and bought some premade gingerbread house kits.  We took them backto my parents and had a blast decorating them, and dropping candy pieces all over my mom's kitchen floor. 

They turned out pretty cute!



My parents' is on the left, my sister and brother-in-law's is in the middle, and ours is on the right.

Apparently it's my turn to plan the next outing - first Monday in January.  Any ideas?

Jezebel's New Look

Jezebel is what we named the Jeep.  Don't ask me why we name our cars, we just do.  (There's Beast the Landcruiser, and Lola the Mustang.  The truck doesn't have a name yet - we just haven't come up with a good one.)

Anyway, Jezebel got a little makeover after we got home from Moab:



Hopefully we'll be able to keep adding to the list everytime we go down.

The Storm

Living in South Weber usually isn't too bad.  Sure, the trees grow a little sideways, but all in all it's a great place to live.  The wind blows a little every morning, but generally only when we're on our way to work.  It doesn't hamper our lifestyle at all. 

That changes when a storm blows in.  For the last day we have had strong gusty winds blowing all day and night.  It snowed, but the snow won't stay in one spot.  It gets blown across the otherwise plowed roads, making driving hazardous.  It also manages to sneak its way under our closed garage door and under my poor Mustang. 

Here's a picture of the mini snow bank inside the garage.  It was stepped on a little before I could get the picture.  There's a matching one on the opposite side of the Mustang.


Moab Scenery

Wheeling may have been the reason we were in Moab, but that didn't stop us from enjoying some of the most beautiful country anywhere.






































Moab Day 3

We hooked back up with the group for our last day in town to run Hell's Revenge.



Pat only tried to give me a heart attack once - on Hell's Gate.  I finally had to take a walk and not watch what was going on.  They decided to hook up to a winch just in case he started tipping.






We had a really fun time wheeling, but next time we go I think we'll run some easier trails - not just the crazy ones.  I need some time to build up my nervous system.

Moab Day 2

Since the first day with our group was so frustrating, we ditched them the second day in favor of letting Pat's uncle Brent, and cousin Nate show us around.  We drove three trails: Poison Spider Mesa, Golden Spike, and Gold Bar Rim.  We were on the trail for a good 7 hours.


























Moab Day 1

Drove 5 hours to get to Moab.  Stopped before we hit town to find the first trail of the weekend.  Only problem?  Trail can't be found.  End up driving in circles and wasting time with endless banter.  Did see a few cool things though.










Tusher Tunnel:









We finally headed into town.  We were staying with Pat's aunt & uncle, who live there.  The dogs all met each other and Damage and Max were so alike it was scary.  They had a bit of a bromance going on.