Christmas 2009 East

Rich and I flew from Las Vegas to Annapolis on the 23rd. We flew Southwest. I have never flown that far Southwest. No TV's -- very long trip. We had a great time in Annapolis. Ashkii and Brooke are wonderful hosts and took great care of us. I was sick the entire time and so I was able to really enjoy learning how to play the Wii and watching Savannah make sure that our Christmas dinner was "fancy." Daija, Jonathan, and Bridger stayed at Ashkii's and it was fun to have Christmas with the little ones. Brooke got her family matching jamies and they were darling. I had gotten my act together and actually sent presents. Rich and I tended Saturday night while the couples went dancing. I say tended, but the kids went to bed and Rich and I polished our Wii skills. It was also Daija's birthday on the 27th, so Ashkii made yummy cake and we had a great time. We played games and while I had my doubts, Trevor really is capable of being the banker for Monopoly. His math skills are better than mine thanks to some awesome Goldy genes. We went shopping on Monday before we returned home and Rich watched Savannah and Trevor while the parents and I shopped at some outlets. Very fun.

Las Vegas Bowl 2009

December 22, 2009

BYU played in the Las Vegas Bowl. It was a great game and again Mike should have some awesome pictures. Between Mike and Alisa taking pictures -- there should be some great picture memories. We went bowling before the game. It was sooooooo cold, but having a little one on my lap was helpful. It was fun to have James, Sam and Luke with us. They were absolute troopers having to be in that cold wind. The boys stormed the field after the game and had a great time. BYU won. We all found our way back to the car. Rich and I left for Annapolis the next morning.

Christmas 2009 West

I didn't get any pictures. Hopefully Mike did and I will post some later. But we had Christmas early at our house. The Josh Linton Family slept over Friday evening (the 18th) and we had Christmas Saturday morning. Yes it was the whole family and Ginger snuck in and slept with James. It was so cold and she had just had a haircut and even I couldn't banish her to the cold. We watched UP and Luke was the winner at staying awake the longest. I loved having Christmas early. I kept thinking that if I forgot something we could go to the store, and yes Mike had to make a midnight run for us. Thanks Mike for saving the day. We opened presents and had a great time. That afternoon we had our annual friends and family dinner. It was awesome. Everyone brought something and the food was yummy. It is always better when you don't cook it yourself. The highlight for me was my friend Diane being able to attend. Diane had been in ICU for 4 weeks and we didn't know if she would make it to our Christmas dinner. Because of her hard work and the prayers of many, she was able to attend. Thanks Diane for being such an inspiration. I was so thankful for all the friends and family that attended. I feel truly blessed.

Orlando 2009

Rich and Mike had a business meeting in Orlando. I didn't want to be alone, so we had Daija, Jonathan, and Bridger come join us. We stayed at the Shades of Green Resort. It is a resort for the Military right on Disney property. They were having a Childrens Miracle Network golf tournament while we were there, so in the morning we were able to sit on our balcony and watch the golfers tee off. I watched Bridger (sleep) while Jonathan and Daija and Mike took in some of the sights of Disney World. Bridger loved the Animal Kindgom and the Lion King Show almost as much as his mother and grandmother. Daija, Jonathan, and Rich went to the "Blue Man Group" but Daija was so tired, she slept through part of it. It was a very short but sweet trip.

Nauvoo 2009

Rich and I had the opportunity to do a Church History tour to the Nauvoo area. Our visit to Nauvoo started in the Ellis Sanders House Bed and Breakfast. The hosts were wonderful and it proved to be a great experience. We attended the temple and were able to see Joseph Smith's sword and some other church artifacts that are in the temple. We went jogging around the town and the weather was beautiful. Not too hot and not too cold. We then went to Carthage, Liberty and Independence. We went through the Truman Presidential Library and were able to get the last two tickets to go through the Harry and Bess Truman home. While we were in Liberty we also toured the Jesse James Bank museum, the home of the first successful daylight bank robbery in the United States. We loved this Nauvoo trip. The weather was beautiful. It was during an "off" time and there were no crowds. We learned to listen to the Garmin and were able to find our way. We did not have enough time to see any of the Mark Twain exhibits in Hannibal - next time.

Reflections of Nauvoo. I can't imagine being a Latter Day Saint in those times. Life was hard. I can't imagine always being cold, never enough food, and having to cross that river under terrible circumstances. Their faith was unmatched. This trip made me want to study harder and increase my faithfulness.

Yuba Tri 2009

Rich and I are going through a mid life crisis of sorts. Most people buy Harleys or Convertibles. But we instead buy road bikes and think we are young enough to do a Triathlon. These are the pictures of the Yuba Tri. Yes I did beat Rich, only by 50 seconds -- but who is counting? A win is a win. I had swam 2-3 times a week and his one week of pool training just didn't make him fast enough to make up those lost minutes on the run and the bike. A rematch next year? How crazy can two old people be?