Christmas 2023

Christmas was really lovely this year!  I was so happy that both Sean and Tashena were home and that we could spend the day together!  We woke up early to open presents with the traditional breakfast of cinnamon rolls and orange juice.  I got some new Doc Martens boots, some of my favorite perfume (which made me very happy because I was almost out of it), and physical copies of Barbie and Oppenheimer.  We all took naps in the afternoon and then had a wonderful dinner consisting of honey baked ham, cheesy potatoes, yams, stuffing, asparagus, pomegranate salad, vegetables and dip, and rolls.  After dinner we took a poinsettia to my parents' grave and then played Shanghai Rummy while eating dessert and treats.  We worried that Tashena's fiance Tucker would get overwhelmed with how crazy we get when we play cards but he ended up winning!

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday with the people you love! 

Thanksgiving 2023

I spent Thanksgiving with my family (Sean came home from college but we were missing Tashena and her fiance Tucker who live in Washington) and it was a wonderful day.  We had a somewhat non-traditional dinner because we had ham instead of turkey but we did have all of the other side dishes including potatoes, yams, stuffing, asparagus, pomegranate salad (a family favorite), a relish tray, and rolls.  Everything was delicious!  In the evening we had pie and lots of other treats (my sisters are very good bakers) and then we played Shanghai rummy (an absolutely crazy card game that really gets going).  I am so grateful for my family and that I am able to spend so much time with them.  I hope that you had a happy Thanksgiving with the people you love!

Fourth of July at the Property

I joined my sister Kristine and my brother-in-law Trent at the property for the long Fourth of July weekend and it was an amazing trip!  I love staying at the property and it was so nice to have several days to relax this time!

When we got to the property we drove around to all of our favorite places nearby (my favorite is this formation that looks like the face of a Native American chief).  Then we came back and grilled brats and sat by the fire.

The next morning we took a day trip to Moon Lake on the back end of the Uinta Mountains.  It was a bit overcast but it was beautiful (I made a reservation to stay in one of the cabins in August).

Ebony was living her best life fetching the world's biggest stick from the lake (we brought it with us when we left and she played with it later that night).

On our way to Rock Creek we saw the Upper Stillwater Dam (the water is at historic levels!).

We had a picnic at a site in the Rock Creek campground at it was so beautiful (it started raining as soon as we finished).

When we came back to the property we barbecued burgers and I made a flag cake (I make it every year even when I am camping!).  After dinner we built another epic fire and sat outside until really late.  It was such a perfect evening because it was cool and overcast but only rained for a few minutes after we went to bed!  It was the best trip!  I hope you had a wonderful holiday with family and friends!

Christmas 2022

Last year Christmas was a blur.  My sisters and I had just lost our father and we were the sole caregivers for our mother who was deteriorating rapidly from dementia.  We opened the few presents we were able to buy and ordered dinner from Olive Garden for the sake of Sean and Tashena but our hearts were not in it.

This year things were much different!  We miss our parents but we know that they would be so happy that we have spent so much time together this holiday season.  Christmas Eve we played cards and ate way too many treats and then we had a lot of fun opening presents Christmas morning.  I got a few movies, another Colorado Avalanche jersey, and some new snowshoes (I am very excited about this because I wore my old pair out and have missed my excursions).

We had a wonderful dinner consisting of Trent's famous spare ribs, potato casserole, stuffing, asparagus, rolls, vegetables and dip, pomegranate salad, and pie for dessert.  In the evening we played Shanghai rummy and it descended into madness (but was so much fun).  I have really enjoyed this holiday season and I am looking forward to spending more time relaxing with my family this week!

Thanksgiving 2022

My family was able to have a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday.  This was our first Thanksgiving without our parents so it was really bittersweet but I know that they would both be so happy to see us all together and enjoying ourselves.  We had the traditional dinner with turkey, ham, potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, pomegranate salad (a family tradition), vegetables and dip, and rolls.  We had pie for dessert and lots of treats when we played Shanghai rummy later that night.  We ended up laughing all night and that felt really nice after the year we have all had!

I hope you were all able to spend Thanksgiving with the people you love!

Memorial Day Weekend 2022

My whole family (Marilyn, Kristine, Trent, Tashena, Sean, and I) went up to the property over the long Memorial Day weekend and we had so much fun together.  Friday was Marilyn's birthday so we celebrated with cake and yesterday Sean convinced me to go with him into town to get ice cream and then we went off-roading a little bit but the temperatures were a lot cooler than expected (we even had hail at one point) so we spent a lot of time around the fire pit making s'mores and in the trailer playing games and watching movies.  It was so nice to be able to relax!  The dogs were in heaven!

I hope to spend a lot more time at the property this summer!