darling duckie

the day we took Millie to the winter x games

That's right... we took her to the Winter X Games 2012. She begged us to. "Mother dear and Father dear, please let me go where the air is clear and records are broken. I want to see the superpipe in person."

Let me guess... are you asking "What are the X Games?" We keep getting that response. The Winter X Games is an international competition with snowboarding, skiing, mono skiing, and snowmobiling that is held just outside of Aspen, CO. Pro athletes like Shawn White compete. 

We were there for some crazy stuff. Like this: (if you can't tell, this was a pretty big deal... first ever front flip on a snowmobile.)

 

Millie loved it. Except for the very cold air, the late nights, and the fact that she was not allowed to crawl through the crowd. But my, was she was a hit. Everywhere we turned we had people congratulating her on her first Winter X Games. Some people even wanted pictures of her. Not many babies get to experience such a thing as this.

We stayed about an hour outside of Apsen in Glenwood Springs at the Hotel Colorado: a very old, very interesting hotel that has housed such guests as Teddy Roosevelt, Al Capone, Buffalo Bill, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. We had a huge room (there was actually three rooms, which was perfect for us with Millie) with radiators and big windows and squeeky floor. It was romantic and maybe a little bit haunted.

I spent the first two days of the trip trying to figure out how we could possible move there. Cute little town (very similar to Logan and you know how we love Logan) with very nice people and so much to do (hiking, swimming, skiing and snowboarding, etc.).

We had planned on leaving early so Millie would sleep but of course she just had to wait just before we leave to break out with chicken pox. We survived it though, by stopping along the way and jumping around with her.

christmas card 2011

Photo by Ashley Karras

Card Designed by Amber Bowen

merry christmas from us to you

Are you all ready? We had a few hiccups here and when it was all done, I didn't feel much like celebrating. But now that the house is clean and the parties are underway, it feels like Christmas.

on my nightstand... which is cool since I haven't had a nightstand for a year now

(Billy took apart, sanded, reassembled, painted, and finished my nightstand. I love it. It looks great and it feels great to have a place for my books.)

I have been finishing some books and trying to write my thoughts about them. Jane Eyre. The Hunger Games Trilogy. Now I just need to finish Midwives (last months book club choice) and then get My Life in France (this months book club pick) hopping along. I guess that's a good thing about having to lay low... I can get a lot of reading/movie watching in.

savor

I read this post from the Shutter Sisters today and thought it adequately describes what I am trying desperately to remember. Savoring the moments: the warmth, the love, the fun, the excitement of the holiday season... and really, just savoring life. Last weekend, on Thanksgiving, I was running around the house trying to get things clean. I love having a nice clean home to come home to after a little vacation but I was just stressing out. It was a blessing that we were going out of town, not only to see our family, but to force me into leaving that incessant list that I am forever adding to and so seldom checking off. It forced me to relax and enjoy. We were only gone for a couple of days but upon our return, I exerted much effort in keeping "relaxed Alicia" here. And it was well worth the effort. We slept and ate and played and watched movies and ate and played downtown. I tried not to worry about parking or walking or bothering other people with a baby who had "found her loud voice" as my friend put it. We went to a museum and saw the Christmas lights and ate at a cafe I have been thinking about for months. I tried to take small, slow bites of the lovely strawberry napolean and really let the flavors settle in my mouth. I held Billy's hand and we talked and enjoyed ourselves even though it was cold and crowded and hard to find a parking spot.

And you know what? In the end, we even had time to get somethings done. We finished putting up the new bookcases and put the Christmas decorations up and Billy fixed the vacuum and the computer.

It was worth it to savor the tastes and sights and sounds. I really should try it more often.

So here's to savoring the yummy little moments of life.

blustering billowing bully

I do believe the neighborhood leaves have come to our yard in an attempt to escape the wind today. Not that our yard offers any particular refuge yet still they come. They are huddled together in corners and along the sides of the house. I feel so bad for those leaves and even our trees. They all seem to be taking a beating. I would let them in but we all know what messy house guests leaves can be. So I will let them gather in their corners without any complaint from me.

untitled

(November or December of 2007 in Munich, Germany. I was a missionary for my church. No, the photo has nothing to do with anything, but let's be honest: nothing in this particular post really does.)

rake the leaves

vacuum

laundry

dishes

dinner

call about doctors appointment that I am dreading

take cookies around

finish Christmas decorations

This is the list that I have roaming around in my head. Each little "to do" floats on by and hard as I try, I just can't seem to jump high enough to catch one of them. Maybe because today the sky is dark and gray and I haven't turned on any lights yet. That always makes me lazy. Instead of even trying to do those things, I opted to sit on me bum and cut out paper snowflakes for the Christmas party decorations while watching cheesy made-for-tv Christmas movies.

I have been working on a book review for The Hunger Games Trilogy but to be honest with you, it really stinks (the review, not the books). Which makes me feel pretty bad because I really love the books and didn't want them to be over. This type of thing always begs the question "Do I post something that I know is not the best quality but I am not sure I am going to be able to make it any better?" Maybe I can't get anything to sound right because I keep thinking you have already read that particular series and who cares about a book review of something you have already read. But that is only part of the reason I like reviewing books. I like it because, quite frankly, I just like talking about books. Especially good ones. And those books are uber-good. But I don't like posting things that I don't think is very good work coming from me. Quite the pickle I am in, eh?

Maybe I will go do the dishes while watching the next movie about two lonely people who don't believe in Christmas but find each other and love and holiday cheer all in 78 minutes. I'll let you know how that goes.

yesterday, today, and tomorrow

Yesterday, three people asked me if the baby was coming this week.

I smiled and said no.

Five more weeks.

I am surprised at how bad it made me feel.

Yesterday Billy retaught me to drive a stick shift.

I was not so nice to him.

He was patient.

Somehow we survived it and he still loves me.

Yesterday Billy bought me a book light.

It made me smile.

Today I did things that I have been putting off.

Unfortunately, they are more complicated than I would like.

So no checking them off the list yet.

I dislike that.

Today I tried to do yoga again.

I hope to love it one day.

Today I cleaned the bathrooms.

My body hurts now.

But my shower is clean.

Tomorrow I want to be productive.

Yet I am not sure what I am going to do.

Not a good way to start out, eh?

Tomorrow is another doctor’s appointment.

I think I will ask her what one does when they go into labor.

It would be good to know.

Tomorrow I want to write.

Hopefully it will be interesting.

It's been a while, no?

sundance

 

 

 
 

for today

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want."

~ Ben Stein