heading to Columbia...

The University, that is, not the country.  Kyle applied for, and got into, a 6 month program at Columbia University.  It is a certification program that will teach him something--I am a little fuzzy on the details, so ask him!  I know it's related to the Health Care field and also related to technology, that sounds good right?

He's very excited to be a part of this program at a fabulous school.

What does this mean for him you ask? 
Well, he will travel from SLC to NYC 7 times in the next 6 months for the weekend to study and learn.  Class time will be all day Saturday, with more independent study from home during the weeks he is away. 

He already has plans to meet up with an old mission companion his first weekend there (in Jan. in his spare time--dinner maybe?) and is gearing up to buy books, and figure out his way around a new college campus!  (although it is one we have walked dozens of times and Adam Wilcox will be there to show him the way too.)

Congratulations Kyle...good luck to you in this exciting new opportunity and adventure in your life.

May the force be with you,

Love-
The Fam.

check.

every year for about 15 years (give or take a
few years) we have co-hosted a christmas party
with our friends the Thatchers.

it includes "old friends" from "old walks" of life.  it is pure joy (and a lot of work) to
meet and gather once a year.  but so worth it
to see everyone and catch up on life.

this was my day today.

(last night was kyle's work christmas party too--man, my husband is apparently a rock star
at work.  i guess it's a good thing people like him, right?)

wake up.

head cold--first one of the year.  my head hurts, i can't breath, or talk and my nose
will not stop running.  not a great way to start the day.

if i COULD, i would take cold medicine to ease
my sinuses--for some reason unbeknown to me
my body is completely immune to the healing effects of any and all types of cold medicine.

it literally does nothing to help.

moving on.

looked at condo's for my parents to move in to.  with poor health and complicating issues
we are FINALLY hopefully getting them to the
S.L. VALLY...it has been a lot of years of begging them to be close.  hopefully this
time things work out.

home again, home again, jiggity jig.

lots of hand washing to begin with.
check.

*5 dozen cupcakes (from scratch, of course)
check.

*4 dozen breadsticks (again, home made)
check.

*1 batch of home made spinach artichoke dip.
check.

...and a double batch of chicken
wild rice soup.
check.

made, done, warming, packaged, ready to go.

(and a partridge in a pear tree....)

it is now 4:24 and i have still have not showered--i have one hour to get ready.

with all my whining (and i STILL can't breath)
i LOVE this event, this part of the holidays.

the baking and cooking and cleaning and the gathering of old and dear friends who have been such a great part of my life.  an example, a strength, they have shared heart ache and joy.  children, births, tender
moments, mission farewells, marriages, football games and other spectacular moments in our lives.

for these reasons we celebrate and rejoice!
maybe this year i will remember my camera and post a few pictures.  we are all a little more
wrinkly, the men have a little less hair--but
these are some of the best souls i know in the entire world!

off to spend a few hours remembering how blessed we are to have friends that love and accept us as we are, and share time with us in the journey we call life.

check. check. check.
  

gingerbread houses

annual tradition.

grandma's house.

works of art.

more or less.

sometimes less.

big kids too cool.

this year.

little girls had fun.

houses of ginger.

bread.

edible works of art.

two donated with love.

to brighten anothers day.

all i want for christmas

The year Grace Catherine was 6 going on 7,
there was NOTHING more in the world she wanted
more than a dog. She was consumed by furry
friends, dogs with short tails and long ones,
puppies and the full grown variety.

She promised to clean up dog poop and be nice
for a year. (HA!)

On Christmas Eve that year as we were setting
out cookies and Dt. Coke for Santa (everyone
knows he REALLY drinks Dt. Coke!--the milk
thing is a BIG.FAT.LIE!)

Anyway, that year she brought this hand
written note up from her bedroom and laid it
in front of the fireplace.  She was SURE
Santa would bring her a dog IF ONLY she
wrote a persuasive enough note to him.

It basically says, "All I want for Christmas
is a dog dog dog dog dog dog dog (x100) so
GIVE.ME.A.DOG!"

I am sad to report that after checking with
Grace's mother (the one who would REALLY be
cleaning up dog poop for the rest of her life)
Santa decided to bring a different gift to
her that year.  There were no tears on her
part, she was very brave.

But the note was saved and framed and stands
in a special place of honor each Christmas
season.  It stands as a reminder, a memory, and a glimpse into Christmases past.

It also serves for a good laugh.  It is
the cutest darn thing I think I have ever
seen to boot.

THIS YEAR all the girl wants is an IPOD
TOUCH.  She is on the cusp of turning 14.

Somedays I miss the "dog" letters to Santa--
however, I will say that I am pretty sure
I never missed out on cleaning up all that
poop!

An ITOUCH is so much cleaner than a dog!

we need a little christmas

We are officially "trimmed", lit up, decorated, cleaned up and ready for the big
red guy. 

It's so fun to get out the boxes
of Christmas books and ornaments we have collected over the years.  We certainly don't have the "prettiest" or "most perfect" tree-but it is SO FUN to see the ornaments that we
have gathered for each child.  There are ornaments we have picked out from vacations, the Darth Vaders from year past, snow white, Wicked Witches, Silhouettes,
Lego's, Handmade ones with love from grandparents, etc. 

20 years of memories in the making all hanging
on one pre-lit tree!

happy holidays!

falling off the wagon.

 Every once in a while, we fall down in our 
lives, right?  And what do we do when that 
happens?  We (hopefully) pick ourselves up, stand tall, dust off our knees, pull up our 
bootstraps and keep going.  (I somehow had 
to work in a metaphor of life with this blog
post).


Well, Lizzie and I metaphorically "fell" off 
the wagon on Sunday.  See, here's the thing...
Oh, and it's a "THING" alright!


I had been baking Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Cupcakes for friends, primary workers, and neighbors for 2 straight days.  I had 
batches of homemade cookie dough, bowls full
of buttercream and the smell--oh MY! the smell
was DIVINE!


Grace emailed me this recipe about 2 years ago
(this is how our kids drop "hints" in the
age of technology).  There is no more "mom, 
will you make these for me?"  NOPE! No sirree!


She simply sends a link in an email and knows
she will hook me.


Anyway, we made these for her 12th birthday
party and they were a HUGE hit (in fact all
4 dozen were completely devoured-I found cupcake liners in my basement for days afterward in all sorts of nooks and crannies).


Since then, they have been her (and probably
mine) favorite cupcakes.


This week I went into a baking frenzy so 
that I could beat the holiday rush.  For 2 days straight my oven and mixer ran at full speed.


By about 8 PM last night, the last of these
babies were delivered and I was cleaning up
the kitchen.  Lizzie and I (the "no sugar"
girls) looked at each other.  And I am 
sorry to admit it, but we caved.  We ate
one cupcake each, down to the crumbs. And we licked every last drop of home made frosting too.


So we hang our heads in shame, and decided that
since it's Christmas we can have 2 treats
instead of the usual "ONE" this month.


When asked if it was worth it, we both have
to admit YES!  It was delectable, divine and
delicious in every way.


Today, we are back on the wagon, holding our heads high, sugar buzzing its way lazily through our veins.


Happy Cookie Dough Cupcake to you and many
happy returns.