Ahem...Attention Please

I would like to announce that I am officially domestic.  I spend my weeknights scrapbooking and crocheting while Landon studies, ha.  But the crochet skill is new.  My good mother taught me to sew while I was growing up--though my talents still leave something to be desired.  But I have always looked in envy as my older sisters could knit and crochet cute things for babies and I never acquired that skill.  We keep saying we should get together and teach each other, because I used to be the only one who really sewed and used a surger, and they could work the needles.  Together we could make a whole Grandma :) But over the last couple of holidays, both Tami and Angie took some time to show me the basics.  Bless their hearts.  I still didn't really know what I was doing until I tried making something.  So, when I saw Janet and Heidi making headbands at the cabin, I was determined to learn.  They tolerated my numerous questions and slowly I am getting the hang of it.  My first finished product was not amazing, but I started another one now that I know what I did wrong :)  So yes, that's my announcement.  I can kind of crochet.  Someday maybe I will try the whole knitting thing, but right now one needle is complex enough.

There's a Lesson to Everything

Landon is convinced that every event in life has a gospel lesson in it.  So, during last weekend's snowshoeing experience, we were coming up with all kinds of good parallels to the gospel.  Maybe I will use it in one of my sunday lessons, :) . We decided to try out our new Christmas present--nice new snowshoes.  We were going to go to Stewart Falls.  But, when we got up to Aspen Grove, finding the trail proved more difficult than planned.  You can't see any trails in snow!  So we decided to just follow someone else's tracks, and what do ya know, they were going to Stewart Falls too.  They didn't stay on the trail very well though, we later came to find as we trekked up steep mountain sides and through trees to follow their trail.  We then came to where their trail ended, and we could either follow a cat-track, which seemed a little easier, or trudge through new snow where we thought there might be the real trail (with marks on the trees).  We ended up taking the more convenient cat-track because it seemed to go in the right direction toward the top of the falls.  After about 3 miles, the waterfall was just over the next ridge, but we were stopped by a man who said the cat-track we were on was a private road.  They sent us back without having seen the waterfall.  What a bummer, eh. Had we continued on the other trail I think we would have gotten there, but by that time it would have been too dark, so we just turned back.  On the way back we had some races in the snowshoes, sang some crazy songs, and made snow angels looking like skiers, ha.  As we got closer to the cabins, we did some trail blazing, which was pretty fun.  It was a great free Saturday date, and a good workout.
  So, we learned that just like in the gospel, it doesn't always pay to take the trail that is more convenient or more fun.  You should stay to the trail that has been marked for you and you will get to where you want to go in the end.

Somewhere between Aspen Grove and Sundance.  

Surprise!

So, on Monday I was a little bummed because even though my hubby had a day off from school, I still had to work.  I got up with the detested alarm and started getting ready.  Guess what Landon decided to do on his one day off. He got up early with me and made breakfast.  I came out of the bathroom to a table all set, and pancakes shaped to say "i love u".  He even prepared them just like I like them--one with whipped cream and fruit and the other with peanut butter and syrup.  I'm a pretty lucky wife, what can I say.  Sadly, I ate them so fast I neglected to take a picture.

Epiphany

Recently I have made a very important discovery. So, my dearest gave me a sweet hat for Christmas. It’s one of those that are like a beanie with the ear flaps and crocheted strings and a fun ball at the end of the strings. It’s like the one in this picture - sweet hat huh!  On the mission you always learned that when you bent over to wash your hands or to pick up your scriptures that you should cover your pocket. If you didn’t, just about every time you would have a pocket vomit. Yea not a very good thing, right, but it’s really funny when it happens to somebody else.  Anyway, naturally afterward and still I catch myself doing this, but just whenever I wear a white shirt and lean over I always with one hand cover my tie and hold my pocket- even if there is nothing in there. Ha. My recent discovery has to do with these natural bodily mannerisms. I have decided that those stringy balls on my hat are sweet but they always get in the way. Whenever I am putting on my shoes or trying to find my zipper to put on my coat or simply just eat a bowl of cereal I am constantly trying to push them back out of the way. Annoying right! So, I told Britney I don’t know how girls do it with long hair cause it would just drive me nuts to always be pulling my hair out of the way. She said I know huh and especially when you are eating a bowl of cereal and you just did your hair and somehow you get one of your hairs falling down into the milk. Yea I agree it’s a pain. Oh well I guess. I think my hat's sweet and I wouldn’t trade long hair or my hat for it, but just love it when it happens. So here is my shout out for all you girls who have long hair- I now feel for you and have a little more sympathy. But your beautiful long hair is worth it.

Happy New Year!!!

NEW YEARS 2011 

So this is my first time blogging, so just to warn you I'm no professional, yet... After cousin Theo's reception and a grueling game of bowling (that we don't need to talk about) we got to spend this new years up at our cabin. We spent lots of time goofing around without any worries about school, work or anything of the sort, and just having fun. Some of our activities included: ping-pong, shuffle board, volleyball in the lodge with Theo and Trina, Scotty B and J-Burt, Binklemire and Marissa and many other Rowley cousins. B-zo, the master rip-sticker, taught us some sweet moves as we improved our rip-sticking skills. Not to forget, the most fun things were snow-shoeing and snowmobiling up the mountain. Man! Brit was a champ and tamed that beast as we rode on top, and even loosened up a little and had some fun when she gained a better feel for the machine. She did great!! Later we had some mad Wii Dance competitions and Theo, Gurr, B-zo and I shot off some pretty amazing fireworks. Later that night we enjoyed a sweet midnight snowmobile ride to Honeymoon Point at the top of bear mountain to see the fireworks across the valley. It was pretty sweet!     

The Unforgettable train ride.

It started out as a freight train

and turned into a....

.... Train wreck: Michael, our fearless leader, nose-dived into the snow.  Our second in command, Ryan, took over leading most of us the rest of the way down. Somehow our caboose Britney barrel-rolled, face planting Mason and pulling a sweet maneuver to land him on top and save him from a nasty face grind in the compacted snow. Poor Lindee got flipped over and crashed in the snow also. But all those involved were champs, and like in Cool Runnings finished the race.They kept going strong afterward, maybe a little beat up and bruised, but all for the better.

As you can see this is no ordinary sledding hill. Constantly pushing for new records or sweet tricks, when we finally reached the bottom we were all smiles cause then we got to get a ride to the top via snowmobiles or 4-wheelers for another run at it. 

 

 Our day was not complete without some nasty crashes though. Sometimes that jump was a doozee, too much speed, wait there is no such thing -just ask Mason--our air-born flight manager. Later some crazy thought he could do a barrel roll, ha it was so much fun! Even baby drew loved it! 

At the end of the day it was great fun. Mom cooked a good dunch. For you who don't know what that means its lingo for lunch and dinner. Sometimes when you have too much fun you forget about the essentials like food, but not for too long (just long enough for the tummy to start growl'n :)

It was lots of fun! I think everyone enjoyed a good time and it was the perfect way to kick off the new year having fun with those you love. It couldn't have been better.

PS. for all you English fanatics forgive my grammar errors.
                                                 Thanks.

Christmas Vacation

I Love Vacations!  Especially at holidays where you get to be with family.  We started off our Christmas with a walk through temple square this year.  I was pretty proud of this picture, but I will admit that Landon told me to take it.  He's the artistic one of the family. 

We both actually had lots of opportunities to show the artistic side.  We tried some architecture with gingerbread houses.  This is an interesting procedure when you get two people going at it.  I am all for just getting four walls up and taking time on decorating with candy.  But Landon likes to have an interesting structure, so we compromised a little.  We struggle to keep up with Michael and Anita though, who made Chichen Itza last year and were going to either do the Pentagon or the Colosseum this year. They finally decided on the Colosseum and were both adamant about having a trapdoor where the lions come out.  :) We joked with Michael that the best one would win and he got so stressed out!  "Since when is this a competition?! I can't handle the stress!"

 

We also made the annual ornament, which Angie did a great job at picking this year.  It was fun, and at our skill level, ha.  Landon also decided that we must start our family with the tradition of new matching pajamas at Christmas.  After searching in the stores, we were lucky to find that the Rowley's had fun BYU fabric and we just made them in the week before Christmas.  Yes, it was WE--Landon did all of the cutting and tying.

We have been working on our Annie Oakley skills by going shooting with both families.  I got a practice run before going with the in-laws, and Landon doesn't really need practice in that category, so it was great.  He did ask afterwards though, "Do you think I impressed them?" Ha.  We went with Uncle Alan and the cousins, and then with the Rowleys.

With the amazing snow in Basin City we built pretty much the awesomest snowmen ever.  The boys had to use a ramp to get the middle on.  Lucky we have enough brothers, right.  Ryan, Brent, and Landon did most of the heavy lifting, but Kaden, Megan and I helped.  To be fair, they made both a man and woman.  Sadly, the snowman was not as sturdy as he was tall and fell over in the wind later.  But the snowwoman was still standing strong holding her tennis racquet.

We also got to see a cool office that has their light show timed to music.  

I'm pretty sure Michael gets sick at every vacation.  This time it was both he and Anita who got it.  But, his obsessive compulsive nature proved useful when he insisted that they both covered their mouths the whole day so that nobody else would get it.  I had to laugh every time he walked up to someone and said "Stick 'em up!"

One of my favorite parts of the holiday was the caroling.  With the Rowleys we made the usual Christmas tree rolls (700 or so!) and had to divide and conquer to deliver them all.  Then the Draneys did their singing on Christmas Eve.  Meta said she had waited up for us because she just couldn't imagine a year where the Draneys didn't come sing.   Overall it was a great holiday.  We had a blast with our family, and it's always so comforting and peaceful to have a time to focus on the Savior when you are surrounded by the people who have taught you the most about Him.