Christmas 2009

This year we spent Christmas with my parents and grandparents in Medford Oregon. We had great weather driving there and driving home. Only a little snow on the side of the roads, so it was somewhat of a white Christmas. We did get a chance to go skiing at Mt. Ashland. This was a fun trip; however, my boots were killing my feet so I only got an hour in. Andy skied a little longer. We are looking for new boots for me and then we will hit the trails in Tahoe this season. I got to talk to a nice young couple with a 3 1/2 year old and 6 year old. I was amazed that a child can learn to ski so young...and sooooo excited! I can't wait to take our kids out on the slopes. My hope is that we will help them try as many things as possible while they are young so their fear is less and then as they grow they can gravitate to their favorite activities. Okay, so that means we need to have kids first...haha. I am sure it won't be long before we get to share the excitement of parenthood. Nothing to announce yet though. We went to the dining room for Christmas eve dinner and Christmas day dinner. My grandparents live in a retirement community and it is beautiful. They can go to the dining room to eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner. There are so many amenities for them as well. Their cottage is the cutest and grandma decorates so well for Christmas. We just loved being there and spending time with them. The best part of this Christmas was that we all went in on purchasing gifts and food for a Christmas meal for two families in need this year. This is my favorite thing to do during the holidays. However, we usually ring the door bell and run so the family doesn't know who brought them the gifts/food. Because we don't live there, we were able to deliver the items and see the shock in their faces. It was a beautiful moment. At first, when they opened the door they were a little weary when we told them we were their secret Santa...but then we told them we were from their ward at church and they opened the door wide open...it was so beautiful to feel such faith, love, trust, and a family like feeling just by saying we were from their church. Of course it is my grandparents who are from their ward, so they will never know who we really are. And the least favorite part of the trip was that my mom and I both got sick with colds and my dad ended up with it too...ugh! We are home now and enjoying the time we have off together before the holidays are over. Happy Holidays to everyone!