A quick rundown

2014 has flown by for me!  What is the deal??  I feel like I am still back in January, but my calendar says it is March, so I guess I better catch up.  Here is a quick rundown of what is going on around here the last little while...

Trevor and John have been working like mad men getting this ready.  (If you have no idea what it is, just know I wouldn't either if it weren't for the fact that they are working on it in our shop.)  This is the pheasant brooder that Trev will use when he raises pheasant chicks.  He has been working with some men from the Idaho Wilderness Foundation (don't quote me on that organization, it's something along that line) to get ready for the little chicks to arrive.  After they have grown a little, he will take them across the draw and release them into the wild.  At this point, I have no idea how many he will get, but we'll soon find out as they will be here next week.  This isn't just something to keep Trevor busy, he is doing it for his Eagle Scout project.  

So far, the hardest part of the project has been getting a hold of the man who could give his okay to the whole thing.  That hurdle was crossed Saturday, and it is full-steam ahead.  I'll keep you posted on things... 

Tennis season is in full-swing (corny pun intended)  for Kristin.  She has played girls doubles once, but the rest of her matches have been girls singles.  This past weekend was the Lewiston Invite and she played some great tennis.  The first day she won 2 matches and lost one, which put her into the winner's bracket for the next day.  She won the first match Saturday and knew she was in for a workout her second match.  Her opponent was a Freshman from Ferris High School.  Kristin lost 2-6, 1-6, but...she set a goal for herself to get 3 games on the girl, and that is exactly what she did.  She was very pleased with things, and as an observer, I am here to tell you that she got inside that girl's head.  Kristin remained calm and cool, yet her opponent was visibly flustered when she got behind!  Way to go, girl!  Today, she played a Sr. from Sandpoint and beat her 6-3, 6-3.  (Just a sidenote on the above picture.  This is from the first match Kristin played in Friday.  The girl she beat had a huge red bow in her hair.  My friend and I decided that if you are going to sport something like a big red bow, you better back it up with some stellar tennis!  :) and see that blue sky?  It was beautiful tennis weather, and I have the rosy nose to prove it!!  Keep on a comin', Spring!!)

 Recognize the girl in the black pants?  I know you can't see her face, but it is our own Amber!  She showed up on our driveway Friday afternoon!  What a great surprise.  She was the beneficiary of a friend's parents generosity, and we enjoyed every minute she was home.  It, of course, went much too fast, and this is sadly the only picture I took to prove she was home, but it was wonderful to have her here if only for a few days.  Speaking of days, just in case you are keeping track, there are less than 60 until her big day!!  It will go by much too quickly, I already know!!

 Finally, two books that have captured my attention lately.  The Happines Project is a record of what the author did for one year to increase her happiness.  It wasn't anything earth-shattering, but it was a good nudge to examine my life and see where I could step things up a little and increase my own happiness. I wonder if the author saw this article which I rambled on about a few months ago.  It is interesting to think about your own happiness, and also to know that being LDS gives me the inside scoop on "The Great Plan of Happiness".  The author has a blog, that interestingly enough, came out of her year-long quest.  I have enjoyed reading it, especially the quotes she posts every Saturday.  I am always happy to find a new quote to embrace.
I heard about The Power of Habit on two different podcasts in the last few months, so my interest was piqued and I had it sent to our library and have been reading it whenever I can.  In fact, I'm a little annoyed that I had to try to get the book for book club read (the meeting is tomorrow, and no I'm not going to get the book read) and couldn't keep moving forward with this one.  There is a lot of research that is referenced in this book, but it is interesting and easy to follow, so in this case, makes for compelling reading.  (Knowing how Starbucks trains their employees makes me glad I support them occasionally with a hot chocolate.)    We'll see if any of it sticks and I change some of my more annoying habits!!

Yellowstone take 2

 In 2011, John and I went to Yellowstone National Park to snowmobile with the Vision Source group from Southern Idaho.  They have adopted us, and invite us each year, so we left Thursday and made our way to West Yellowstone, Montana to begin this year's adventure.  Here are a few pictures to document our weekend.  The weather was perfect the day we went snowmobiling.  It was also pretty nice the day we went into the park - not freezing but just cold enough to remind a person why there is still snow on the ground.

On top of the mountain.  When I saw this picture, I caught a glimpse of my little girl self in my face.  That was kind of a weird moment.

I love this picture of the snow giants.  See that brilliant blue sky?  Beautiful!!  When I see this picture, the phrase "I think to myself, what a wonderful world" immediately comes to mind.

This was the picture hanging above our bed in the hotel.  It cracked me up!  The caption reads, "Always willing to help".  I'm so glad I didn't have to wear hose and a hat to see the attractions of Yellowstone!!

We saw more than our share of bison.  It is really hard to believe they were so close to being wiped out at one point.  Its also hard to imagine them covering the plains prior to their near-extinction.  

This coyote had his chance to have goose for dinner, but seemed more interested in just exploring the land.  The geese were pretty worried though.

Our destination was Old Faithful.  We pulled into the parking lot of the visitor's center about 10 minutes before it was supposed to erupt.  It kept us guessing and was even a few minutes past its 10 minute +/- time frame.  I got a kick out of the snowmen welcoming us to the geyser.  I only thought of the "song" (you know which one I mean) for a few minutes and was grateful it didn't stick in my head.  

Our guide told us it usually tops out at about 135 feet, and the eruption we saw went up to 140 feet.  I guess that extra time helped build up the pressure.

I think my favorite part of the tour was seeing the geothermic features. Part of our tour included the Fountain Paint Pot tour.   This picture is of Silex Spring.  Its beautiful color is a result of the minerals found in the spring, namely Silica.

Red Spouter is a bubbling mud pot.  

The Fountain Paint Pots

The Firehole River Falls.  This was another favorite spot.  The river never freezes because of the hot water from the geothermal features that feed it.

John and I took advantage of a popular photo spot in front of the falls.  (Here is a funny thing.  As you can see from the other Yellowstone blog post John and I are wearing the same coats in it!  I guess we both really like our winter coats!!)

And because we seldom take a really good picture together, I included this one.  Not the best picture, but look how much fun we are having!!  ;)

In other family news, congrats to Kristin who qualified for Deca Nationals this weekend.  She has decided she won't go this year, but what a great thing to qualify your first year!  Congrats to her!!

A baby blessing and a long drive home

 Earlier this month, Chelsie had her tonsils out.  Yep, just a month after having a baby!!  She came home for a week so we could take care of her and Carter and Dallin could get caught up on things in his life.  At the end of the week, we took them back to Seattle, and were able to be present for Carter's blessing.  What a treat.  Even though we couldn't hear what Dallin was saying because they didn't turn on the mic, it was great to be there.  The really exciting moment came when we weren't sure we were actually going to make it in time.  Being a pro-baby, Carter decided to be very unpredictable and some of us, including the guest of honor were very late to Sacrament Meeting.  In the end, we made it and it was lovely.  After church, we headed to Jeff's (one of Dallin's brothers) house and enjoyed a meal and lots of conversation with lots of Dallin's family.  It was really nice to catch up with some of them who we hadn't seen since Chelsie and Dallin got married.

I do not know why this is such a poor quality picture!!

The real excitement, though, came on Monday when it was time to head home.  We knew the night before that the weather could possibly close the pass , but we were hoping for the best.  As it happened, it was closed when we got up so Trevor, Dallin and John headed to the bike store, Kristin and I headed for a shopping center and Chelsie and the baby stayed home for some quiet.  After a few hours, when I was very tired of shopping, I checked my phone and yes! the pass was open! We rushed back to the apartment, got our lunch made, packed the car and headed out.  Much to our dismay, in an effort to avoid some traffic delays, we took a different interstate than usual, and yes, we got lost!  We missed the turn, and ended up backtracking and losing at least 20 minutes, maybe a little more!!  Shoot!!

By the time we got a little over a mile before the summit, the pass was closed again!  They had to clean up some cars that had spun out, and also do some avalanche control.  The picture below is the view we got to look at for TWO + hours!!  We couldn't believe it.  TWO + hours of just sitting, occasionally listening to the AM radio station that broadcasts the traffic report.  Listening to it tell us it would be at least two hours before they would open the pass again!  What could we do but sit?  So we did.

We were ever so grateful when the traffic started to move, slow but sure!  Seeing the Exit sign below let us know we were making progress.  

You can see that the road is just slushy and wet.  It would have been fine had there not been cars to clear out!!

We got a huge laugh out of this sight as we went by.  Someone used their time to have a little fun!  I wonder if they sang "Do you wanna build a snowman?" the whole time they were building it.  Sadly, although that is a great song, my mind can't stop playing it once I hear it, even if hearing it means I just started singing it in my head, which is exactly what happens whenever I now see a snowman!  (And, yes, it is playing in my head even as I type!!  Stupid earworm!!)

What began as a 5 hour trip ended up taking 8 1/2 ish hours!  So long, but what can you do?  If the pass is closed, the pass is closed.  We were grateful to make it home safe and sound.

We did think of a few positives while we were sitting there

- Had we not gotten lost, we may have been in the spin outs and/or an avalanche

-The pass opened eventually (it was closed much of Tuesday)

- We had food, water and electronic devices to keep us busy

And unrelated to our very long car trip is this picture.  Trevor has been shopping for a bike (with much research and advice from Dallin) and found this at the bike store in Seattle.  He took it for a test run on Friday to some jumps off the walking path.  He only crashed once (over the handlebars, thank you very much) but came out of it unharmed.  He is a happy boy!  (He took it on a small ride up the street earlier in the week and a puncture weed found its way into his tire!  Liners and slime seem like a really good idea!)

And in other unrelated news, Amber informed me tonight that there are only 88 days until she leaves for her mission!!

This week's recap

Friday I was finally able to donate blood.  I tried 2 weeks ago - my iron was too low.  I didn't make it back the next week to try again.  The Monday after that, I went to the donation center and tried to be a walk-in.  They were busy and it would have been a long wait.  I signed up for the LCSC blood drive the next day.  I found a parking spot, no small feat, found the SUB, another big accomplishment, found the donation location, and was told the computers were really slow, and would I be able to wait?  I could for a bit, so I settled in with my book on my iPhone.  15 minutes later, they shut down the drive.  It was just going too slow!!  Arrrgghhh!  So...I went to the donation center yesterday as a walk-in again.  They had a spot for me, and they took my blood sample.  The first one was low, but they tried the other hand.  Success!!  I was in the range, and soon was hooked up to a bag collecting my blood!  Yay!  I have set a goal to donate 6 times this year, and I was running out of chances!!  So glad it worked out.

Its been snowing!  Thursday night it started, and we woke up to a blanket of white.  It stopped during the day, but this morning, we woke up to a fresh layer of snow.  John and Trev went to the Klondike Derby (winter campout with competition built in) and they had plenty of snow at the campground.  They got home safely with all of their fingers, toes and ears.  I knew they would be okay, but I was a bit worried they might get a little frostbite. In the end, all the scouts made it home, safe and sound.  Kristin has had some good driving in snow experience.  The sad thing for this mama is that in the past, we have dropped everything to make sure we take advantage of the snow, and get ourselves out to sled down the hill.  You can see from the picture that there is not a track to be found in our snow!  Sigh!!  Trevor was gone, and Kristin wasn't going to go without him.  Yet another sign that my kids are growing up!!

Speaking of which, it was Kristin's birthday this week.  Sweet sixteen!!  We had her family dinner Thursday.  The usual for her - Bulgogi, potatoes (two kinds), corn, crescent rolls from a can, jello and green pie (two this year)!!  Friday, I threw her a surprise party!  She said she was a little suspicious, but I think the girls popping out from behind the dining room table and out of the kitchen still surprised her.  Pizza + the Frozen soundtrack + a lot of noise + cell phones = a good time.  They didn't even want the hot fudge sundaes I had ready to go, they were enjoying themselves too much.

Guess who was Student of the Month for January?  So proud of him!  He is keeping up the tradition of being a great kid at the Jr. High.  You will note the name of the Jr. High.  Their mascot is the Braves.  Someone from the tribe proposed that the mascot should be changed, so it went before the school board.  Don't know how that went, I will be interested to see.  Apparently the mascot used to be the Savages, which I can see might be negative in some people's opinion.  I actually think Braves is pretty positive and not derogatory in any way.  It is surely not as un-politically correct as the Orofino Maniacs, so named because the Idaho State Mental hospital was located there for many years.  No one has ever complained about that???  Hmm...

Our son-in-law, Brandon is in Dubai for a training meeting sponsored by his employer.  Kristin knew about this man made island off the coast so we told Brandon to get a picture of it.  Little did we know he would actually be staying on it!  What other adventures are in store for him?  Who knows???

This little guy just keeps growing.  We are looking forward to him and his mom visiting for a week.  Chelsie got her tonsils out, so she'll be here with Carter while she recuperates for a  few days.  Such a sweetie!!

An experiment in dough...

We love the ciabatta rolls from our favorite warehouse club!  LOVE LOVE them.  (Well, I think most of us do anyway.  Some among my group my just really like them.)  Anyway...
Imagine my glee when I found this recipe in the King Arthur Flour catalog!!!

Of course, the name is different, but they look enough like the real thing to draw my attention.  I knew I had to try them.  The recipe starts with a biga, which is defined as the following...Biga is a type of pre-ferment used in Italian baking. Many popular Italian breads, such as ciabatta, are made using a biga. Using a biga adds complexity to the bread's flavour and is often used in breads which need a light, open texture with holes. .

My pre-ferment for Italian baking so my bread will have complex flavor and a light open texture with holes

You have to make it 12-20 hours in advance, so mine sat on my counter from about 4:30 yesterday afternoon until about 2:30 this afternoon, which appears to be 2 hours over the required time.  Oops.  Not off to a good start.  

I mixed up the rest of the ingredients (I thought) but my dough was very stiff and I ended up adding more water which was good, because I realized I left out the 1/2 tsp of yeast.  Hmm, is this project doomed?? 

The rising ciabatta

 After I added a little more water, with the yeast dissolved in it, it seemed more like it was supposed to be.  I let it proof for about 2 hours and then formed the rolls.  I thought I should make them smaller than was specified in the recipe, so I did.  Mistake #3.  (I am on a roll!  Ha, pun intended!!!)

They rose again, although, I wouldn't say they really got puffy.  But into the pre-heated oven on the pre-heated pizza stone they went.  

After they were done baking, I let them cool for a few minutes, and sliced one in half and tasted it.  They may not be pretty on the outside...

The finished product

but glory be, the inside looked just like I wanted it to.  The crust was a little too crisp on the bottom, but I am hoping that it will soften after they cool.  They were also a bit salty, but they tasted like they were supposed to!!  O happy day!!!  We'll have them with soup tomorrow for dinner!!  Soup seems appropriate since it is only supposed to get to 19 deg tomorrow, and the low will be 6!!!  Brr!

There is hope!!!

Will I make them again??  YES
Will I follow the directions more closely?  YES
Will I decrease the salt to about 1 1/2 tsp? YES
Will the recipe work better if I actually use 1/4 cup wheat flour in the biga?  MAYBE
Will any major characters on Downton Abbey die this season?  Oops, got off topic there. :)

Final analysis.  I doubt my ciabatta will ever look like Costco's, but these are easy enough and they turned out well enough, I will make them at least as many times as I would buy them.

Here is the recipe if anyone is interested in trying them.  (Courtesy King Arthur Flour Company)
Chewy Italian Rolls
BIGA
1 1/2 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all purpose flour
1/4 cup (1 oz) white whole wheat flour
1 cup (8 oz) water
1/8 tsp instant yeast

Mix all of the ingredients until well blended.  Cover the bowl, and let rest at room temperature for 12 to 20 hours, until the biga is very bubbly.

DOUGH
biga (See above)
2 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz) all purpose flour
1/2 cup (4 oz) water
2 tsp salt (I will cut it down next time)
1/2 tsp instant yeast

Mix the biga with the remaining ingredients for 2 to 4 minutes, using an electric mixer set on slow speed.  Increase the mixer speed to medium, and mix for about 4 minutes; the dough will be soft and slightly sticky.  Add additional water or flour if necessary.
Let the dough rise, in a greased, covered bowl, for 1 to 2 hours, until very puffy.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface, and shape it into a 6 x 12 square.  Cut out 8 - 3 in. square rolls.  Place the rolls, floured side up, onto parchment paper.
Cover the rolls, and allow them to rise for 45 mins or until puffy.
Place a baking steel or stone in the top third of your oven, and preheat the oven to 450 deg.
Bake the rolls for 13 to 15 mins, until they are golden brow.  Remove them from the oven, and cool on a wire rack.
Yield - 8 rolls.

Ciao and Buon Appetito!!!  (Just a little nod to my Italian heritage!!)

The Happiness Choice

I was perusing facebook the other day and came across a post with a link to this article about happiness.

(Just a side note about facebook...I am more of a facebook stalker than a facebook participant.  I think I have posted 2 things on my wall in the last 3 years.  One was a notice to those in our Relief Society that our activity was cancelled a few Januarys ago due to really bad weather.  The other was just about 2 weeks ago to announce Amber's mission call.  I am trying to at least wish people happy birthday when it comes up on my news feed, and I may make a comment occasionally or like something, but for the most part, I'm just there to see what others have posted.  I really never used to go on it until we got the iPad, mostly because I never wanted to bother with looking up my password, but now that I have the app, it is cake to get on.  Hence, my habit of checking it daily to see what my "friends" are posting. Just felt the need to state my Facebook philosophy.  Oh, and the Downton character I most am like is Anna. :) and I am an Idaho Mormon, which seems appropriate although I would have guessed Pacific Northwest Mormon.  Probably because I didn't choose a cabin to live in.  I rarely check out stuff like that, but for some reason this week, both of those sucked me in.  :)  Moving on...)

Anyway, I took a look at this article and a few things struck me.

Fifth from the bottom of the list is this..."You have a sister"  I have 3 sisters.  Yay for me.  My kids all have at least 4 sisters, Trev has 5.  Yay for them.  My husband has 2, and my sons-in-law all have at least one sister.  Yay for them.  We are all on the road to happiness!  :)  I actually found that one a bit amusing because as anyone with a sibling, not just a sister, knows, we often let them be a vehicle for unhappiness.  Which brings me to another thing that struck me...

as scientific research has discovered, happiness, to some extent, is a choice --

This stuck out to me as I was doing my Book of Mormon reading one day this week. (By the way, I am loving the bofm365 instagram posts I get everyday.  I have been a daily scripture reader for years, but I appreciate the questions that come with each day's scriptures.  It has enhanced my studying experience.  I also started reading in the Book of Mormon commentary book as I read the assignment.  I love pondering on the question and also the added insights from the commentary book.)  But again, I digress...

We are in the section of the Book of Mormon where Lehi's family has been in the wilderness for 8 years, and Nephi broke his bow, and of course, Laman and Lemuel murmured.  Several of the comments brought out that happiness is a choice and that L & L chose not to be happy.  By contrast, Nephi did.

I have never equated their murmuring with unhappiness.  Disobedience? Yes.  Rebellion? Yes.  Jealousy?  Yes.  Never unhappiness.  But it does make sense.  It was a real light bulb moment for me.

I don't consider myself an unhappy person, but I know there have been times when I have chosen to be unhappy by the mere act of not choosing to be happy.

There were a few things in this article that I find I am pretty good at - I try to appreciate the little things in life and I think I am getting better at the glass half-full philosophy.  I also find things that I could work on to be happier - more goals go right on by than are actually achieved (although I do set them), and as much as I try to laugh at myself when I do something stupid, the small stuff does get me down at times and knowing how to calm down when I'm stressing...yeah, that is a work in progress.

Overall though, I am here to tell you that the happiness choice is just that, a choice.  If we aren't choosing happiness, as I said before, we are choosing unhappiness by default.  I'm not sure there is any middle ground.

I choose happiness though, and invite you to do the same.  I have so many things to be grateful for, how could I choose anything else?

Have a HAPPY day!  :)

December top ten or fifteen or twenty

Christmas came, Christmas went.  Amber, Allison and Ryan came then they went too.

There were MANY things going on during the holidays, and I didn't take time to blog.  I was having too much fun with my family.

Here is a quick rundown in picture form since it will be nigh unto impossible to catch up any other way.  (It is taking me forever to get them in order, so I'm just going with how they are.  Sorry for any confusion that may cause)
So here goes...

The kids in their matching Christmas Eve jammies.  Kristin was good to demonstrate the flap in the back!  :)

Welcom to the world, Carter Joseph Dance.  Born on January 5th.  Here he is the floor model for the the quilt I made him (top) and the one Grandma Sollenbarger made (bottom) Such a cutie!!

Google hangout waiting for Amber to open her mission call.  I love that all the girls, near and far were able to participate!  Technology is wonderful!!!  Couldn't have done it without Ashley.  She knew just how to get it done.  She received her call on January 15th.  Just 11 days after she turned in her papers.

Last year, John and the kids had fun putting together a puzzle.  This was John's Christmas present from Chelsie and Dallin.  A very fun puzzle!!  It went together pretty quickly, so John and a few of the kids went out and bought another one to work on.

Amber's first day home was a SNOW DAY!!  The kids made a VERY tall snowman, Tiki style, you may notice.  So good to have her home.

If you are wondering where Amber is going, here is the answer.  California, Rancho Cucamonga Mission, reporting May 21st.  She will speak English.  She is excited and we are thrilled for her!!  (Here is a funny RC side story...As you may or may not know, Payton Manning calls out "Omaha" many times during a football game.  The other day, John saw an interview with him about that subject.  To paraphrase, Manning alluded to the fact that Omaha is a lot easier to say than Walla Walla or Rancho Cucamonga!  Two cities that are very meaningful to our family!)

I promised Trev I would take him to the walking path today so he could take his bike on the jumps out there.  Kristin came and ran the trail, I walked.  It was good to get out even though it was cold, and as you can see, foggy.  Sadly, Trev's jumping experience was cut short when his rear tire came apart from the frame.  He had to walk his muddy bike all the way back to the car.  :(  A happy thing - as we were walking back, we saw this Christmas ornament hanging on one of the trees with a dedication stone at the base.  It is not very clear on the picture, but there were little bits of ice hanging from the star.  It was COLD!!!

We took a quick trip to Seattle the day after Christmas.  We went to the Seattle Center and spent a long time looking at this train village!  It was very pretty and Trev especially loved it as the train is the same kind as the one Grandpa Rietz handed down to him a few years ago.  

You would not believe how many times I had to re-take this to get everyone jumping at the same time!  I'm sure people walking thought we were a little weird!! I think Alli and Ryan won the highest jump award, and Chelsie gets high marks for effort as she was a day over her due date!!!

We are on the steps of the Experience Music Project.  As I was getting ready to snap this picture, a woman asked me if I wanted to be in the picture, so I jumped at the chance.  John and I get the boring award.  No one told us we were supposed to pose!!!

This is one of my favorite places to take a family shot in Seattle.  I love the water and the island in the background.  A very nice man with an English accent offered to take this for me.  He didn't know how to change the focus on my camera and was pretty much shooting blind. :)

This was Ryan's first trip to Seattle, so of course, we had to take him to Pike's Place Market.  He is clearly amazed by the gum wall!  :)  It was our first experience with the gum wall as well.  Not sure we need to go back!!  Disgusting!!

This has to be a favorite shot of Carter.  He is reminiscent of a sloth, hanging off his dad's arm like he is!  Look at that head of hair!!  I thought that Carter favored Dallin when I first saw him, but that was confirmed to me when Chelsie showed me a picture of Dallin as a baby!  Except for the nose, he is the spitting image of his dad!!!

One evening while I was in Seattle after Carter was born, his other Grandma, Julienne, came to visit.  Chelsie took advantage of a photo-op and snapped a few pictures with both of us, Carter, and the quilts we made for him!  What a great moment!

A quick picture with Carter the day I was going home!  It didn't take long for me to wish I could turn around and head back!!

Their first family picture!  Sadly the quality is not very good.  Totally my fault because I don't know how to use my iPhone camera very well yet!!!

The winners of the New Year's ping pong tournament!  Amber attributed her success to that fuzzy cape!  :)  

Another shot by the water in Seattle.

We loved this building in the Train Village.  Especially appropo with a future dentist in our family!!

Of course, I love this picture because Chelsie and Dallin are in it, but I also love the fishermen on the top of the restaurant.  I find them enchanting, well maybe not enchanting, but fascinating.

It was a busy, fun Christmas break.  Some of the other things we did that aren't represented by a picture were...
-Frozen at the movie theater.  Do you wanna build a snowman?
-Gym time at the church to burn off some extra energy.
-Grandma and Grandpa Rietz visiting right before everyone left.
-Ryan getting to Skype with his missionary brother from Peru on Christmas day.
-Yummy authentic Mexican food made by Allison and Ryan.
-Several family movie nights - Despicable Me 2, Ephraim's Rescue, Man of Steel, The Great Gatsby
-Our now traditional Aloha Chicken Quesadillas while we watched BYU get beat in their bowl game
-Allison and I worked to make a dent in the thank you notes from their wedding.  I think they still have miles to go.

 Of course, we missed our Aussie family a lot and if it weren't for them having some great experiences themselves, we might feel really bad!!  
-Ashley and Brandon spent a few days before Christmas on a holiday a few hours south of Perth.  They had a great time.
-Talmage celebrated his 5th birthday at an animal park in Perth, complete with koalas and all animals Australian.  A more perfect day couldn't have been had for an animal lover like him.
-Ashley and Brandon are wrapping up a weekend in Melbourne after attending the Australian Open.  They were able to watch Serena live!  An opportunity of a lifetime.
We can't begrudge them for not being with us.  

And now everyone is back in school, I am home from Seattle, and we are back to real life. I did have to remind myself of Dr. Suess's quote about smiling because it happened, not crying because its over.  I was pretty sorry to see everyone go back to school.  Carter was a very good distraction!!!
But of course, all in all, Life is good!!!