Soldier Hollow

Tuesday we went tubing at Soldier Hollow with the Blacks and the Dastrups. Funny but we didn't even see either of those families the whole 2-hour window! It was really fun though. The lines were a little long so we didn't get as many rides as we would have liked. But we all had a great time!

Ranch Activities

Life at the ranch is always a flurry of activity. Something is always going on---like shooting guns,

dressing up,

arranging picture walls,

watching movies,

and always, always, always lots of activity in the kitchen!

Christmas morning

Christmas morning went pretty much like usual. We had our own corner of the kitchen for our family. Now that the kids are older, opening presents is a pretty calm process. I think they were all pretty happy with the presents Santa brought.

Christmas Eve Program

Christmas eve at the ranch was a busy evening filled with lots of food, lots (almost 90) of people and lots of good entertainment! We had a musical number by little kids, by big kids, a perfectly-directed nativity by Perry and, of course, a visit from Santa!

Over the river....

and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go! I think it would have been better had I taken a sleigh on the way to the ranch Tuesday night! I left way too late in the day so I ended up travelling in the dark the whole way. From Scipio to Loa I don't think I drove faster than 40 miles per hour! Most of the roads were unplowed, the snow was blowing and drifting and I don't think we saw more than a dozen other cars on the road. I was convinced that we were going to end up in a snowbank overnight. I kept telling the kids that we would be okay if that did happen considering all the food we had packed in the car! But we made it safe and sound albeit an hour and a half later than we would have in normal road conditions.

Christmas Card 2009

Anniversary

19 years ago yesterday Kurt and I were married. I don't feel old enough to have been married that long! Time has certainly flown by. How lucky I am to be married to my best friend. I am looking forward to the next 19! Love you Kurt.

Happy Day

Despite the fact that I woke up at 3:30 am for no apparent reason, this day is going to be a good one! (Thank heavens for 5-hour energy!) One-we will be turning in the Pilot later this afternoon. And that means a new car! Two-Kurt and I are going to St. George for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary. Sleeping in, eating out, shopping and alone time with Kurt. Sounds great!

My Favorite Things

Okay, so I'm no Oprah (which is fairly obvious) but I have a few favorite things of my own. 1. Uggs!!! What did I do before I had a pair of these babies? Come about September or October my feet do not hit the floor when I get out of bed in the morning! Instead they slip into a pair of these. I know they have slipper versions which are great. But I prefer the Classic shorts.

2. Shaka Laka Lip Blaka. This is actually one of Montana's favorite things. I think she goes through at least 2 tubes a month. Luckily we can buy them at Harmon's (your neighborhood grocer) for about $1.29 a piece. I'm normally not a big fan of lip balm. I would rather wear lip gloss or lipstick but I really do like this stuff. It's tingly on your lips and they come in great flavors like Classic Coconut, Exotic Berry, Island Ice and Maui Mint (my fav).

3. V Chocolates. At Christmas time my favorite are the milk chocolate thin mints! Heaven. But my second favorite thing is the almond toffee. And how convenient that you can buy these chocolates at Tai-Pan.

Whew....

This week has been a busy one! Some or all of our family has had something going on every night this week. Sounds like Christmas. We still haven't made it to Temple Square to see the lights and we are quickly running out of time. I love that we are going to spend Christmas at the ranch but doing that takes away 2-3 days of precious preparation time! I hope I can get it all done.

Brian Ranch

Here is a little tour of some of the new house in Grover. The dining area that seats 14!

The game table. Many games of Take Two have already been played here. And, hopefully at Christmas, we'll be doing a couple puzzles on this table.

The really cool spiral staircase up to the loft.

The loft. That's as neat as it gets at any given moment.

The sitting area just off the kitchen.

The kitchen.

Our bathroom that we share with Peter and Darin. We got the biggest shower in the house! I don't know how that happened!

Our bedroom. It still needs lots of work-----like blinds, a dresser, nightstands and a rug. But the bed is pretty comfortable and that's the important part!

The siblings all gave Pat & Sherry a new bell for the house. It is so cool! It says Brian Ranch Grover, Utah est. 2009. They love it. Many thanks to Peter for getting that taken care of.

It's going to be so nice to have our own room with our own things at this new house. We are looking forward to spending many weekends, holidays and vacations at this wonderful place.

The Aftermath

This Thanksgiving weekend involved a lot more work than a normal holiday at the ranch. There were (and still are) many jobs to be done to make a new house complete. So although we weren't lounging around like we normally do, there was still time to catch a quick cat-nap or sit down for a few minutes!