A great Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas!!!  Yeah, I know it already happened, but what a fun time of year!  Reid and I spent this Christmas in Colorado with my parents and siblings.  We had a progressive dinner Christmas eve and it turned out really fun.  Lots of good food and conversation.  Everyone got to see the great decorations at the different houses, which is always a treat.

 Christmas gifts under our tree.  One of our first Christmas mornings all alone.  It was delightful.

 Decorations at my mom's house (with her camera too, which really does make all the difference).  On my Christmas list for 2011

 The entry way to my parent's home.  Love, love, LOVE the "Joy" at the top of the tree.

 Love the mantle decor

 Christmas morning was Ugly Sweater party at it's finest.  Unfortunately, Levi and Kels, we didn't win.  During the judging, my brother whipped off his shirt to reveal a star he'd shaved into his personal sweater vest of chest hair....uhhhh hilarious.  And, who can top that?!

 Cute kissing angels

One of the funniest gifts of the day.  The superman snuggie.  Who doesn't want to be warm AND be a superhero at the same time!?! 

All in all, a wonderful time with family and friends and remembering our dear Savior.  It truly is an amazing blessing to feel of the love Christ has for each of us.  I couldn't help but steal this adorable youtube video from a friend's blog.  It captures the sweetness of the Christmas spirit in the little girl's voice. 

Hope everyone had a great holiday and here's to 2011!!! 

Love the mountain

Oh, the weather outside in Denver isn't really frightful, but a few weekends ago in Beaver Creek it was delightful!!  So much snow and it was great to try boarding again.  Our friends had a hotel already, so we jumped at the chance of sleeping over for the night and being on the hill when it opened.

The trip started out great for us, but pretty bad for our friends.  They left at 5pm, hit traffic up the hill, had to wait in Copper while Vail pass was closed....and finally made it to the hotel at 11:45pm.  Reid and I left at 8:15pm, got to Vail pass just as it was opening and made it to the hotel at 11:15pm.  Yikes.  Jenny and Mark barely spoke to us the rest of the trip :) 

 Mark, Jenny, and Reid

 Bryson, Erin, and Cade

 Snowboarding - although when you look at the picture, it seems like I'm just standing in a pile of snow.   

 Holding to Reid's shoulder because my board kept moving but I wanted to stop for the picture.

Chillin' after a long day at the Ritz - what I wish I had a picture of was the crazy good hot chocolate.  Thanks again Reid :)

Starting over

This year has been an interesting one, and I was tired of posting things about life.  Mainly because I was tired of life.  Ha.  Man, so dramatic.  Similar to batteries (inside joke - if you've seen Demetri Martin, you understand)  I guess writing the blog became such a challenge, figuring out how to sound so happy and amazing when things weren't going so happy and amazing.  I got to the point where I was tired of reading about other people who seemed to have darn near everything in order and I was still trying to figure out what to make for dinner.  But, I'm trying to change my ways and just write for the fact that writing does make me happy.  I enjoy looking back and seeing the things that have happened, even if they're not perfect.  So - here's to 2011!  I've made a few goals and I'm keeping them to myself for fear that if I don't achieve any of them, I don't get mocked via blogger...but - I'll tell you about my favorite goal...next post..

Life here in Lowther-ville is just fine.  We have our daily excitement of work and getting the mail, and then enjoy our evenings watching DVD's (we don't have cable right now, and honestly, I find it isn't that bad).  Reid has gotten a good laugh out of how many movies we have watched in the last two months, and how few I can actually remember the ending.  These are movies we purchased because I liked them so much and I can't, for the life of me, remember a dang thing of the actual movie.  How is that possible?  So, I've picked up sudoku as a nightly activity to ward off early Alzheimer's.  I fear it might already be present, but why not be proactive about trying to reverse it?  

We got season passes for snowboarding again this year and man am I glad Reid pushed me into learning how to board.  I don't fall nearly as often and I'm doing a lot better at keeping up with him.  I haven't hit any trees in years (keep those fingers crossed it wont happen again) and this year I'm going to jump something - be it a rail or a big bump in the snow, but it's going to be awesome!  Here's to not breaking something while attempting that goal!

Last weekend we spent in Beaver Creek with a friend from work.  We had a great time with the 12+ inches of snow, and not to mention the great company.  I missed boarding so much, and thankfully the work schedule this next year will permit Reid and I to make it up to the mountain almost every week.  Oh, one little benefit of infertility I suppose.  I have to look at it that way or I cry too much :) 

This is Reid's last year of applying to dental school - and if anyone reading this is on the board of any of the dental schools, YOU BETTER ACCEPT HIM THIS YEAR.  Boy has it been a trying time of getting in.  He's stayed way more positive than me, but this year is going to happen!  I just know it.

I'm still working at Children's in Denver.  It's been really fun.  The kids there are SO amazing.  I love their cute little faces and how brave they are to stay so stinkin' positive through their numerous treatments and tests.  I love when the little person I scan cries through the ENTIRE ultrasound and by the end, when I ask if they want sticker, we become best friends.  Who knew a sticker could make everything instantaneously better?  So far, my all-time favorite was a darling little girl that downright hated the ultrasound gel, screamed full-blast for the entire procedure, and when it was over, her mom told her to say thank you. So, she got down, said thank you and ran over and gave me a big hug through her tears.  I wanted to cry right along with her.  It was the sweetest little gesture.  I guess it taught me that even when we have to endure things we never wanted, we can always do it with a handful of gratitude.  Oh, little one, what a great teacher you were to me that day...

Well, other than that, those are the most recent happenings around here.  Since my camera isn't close by, here's a little pic of Reid and me in Arizona, taken by his lovely sister Alyson.  It's a nice - "looking to the future" - picture.