New Year's Eve was pretty quiet during the day. I cleaned house some. Bill, Helena, and I all weeded out our closets and fill several bags for the DI.
New Year's Eve is all about the evening celebrations, however.
Will went off to Dallan's house to hang out for a while. Then they both went to the multi-stake New Year's Eve dance, which was held at our church building this year. They both stayed for the whole dance, and Will danced each slow song with a different girl. I am proud of him for that! My son was not the slacker who stood by and did nothing while girls wanted to dance. After the dance ended at 12:15, they went back to Dallan's house to spend the night.
Helena and her friends, Megan and Dallan (a different one), also went to the multi-stake dance. First, though, Megan and Helena bought margarita mix and went to Megan's house to make a bunch of virgin margaritas. I think they both wanted to see what it was like to 'pre-game' without actually doing it. Helena said the margaritas were pretty good at first, but got nasty after a while because of all the salt. While they were at the dance, Helena did her best to harass Will and his friends, even dragging Will's friend, Dallan, out on the dance floor for a dance.
After about an hour, though, they got bored and went to Dallan's house (Helena's friend, Dallan) to watch movies and the NYC New Year's ball drop. Then she and Megan went back to Megan's house to spend the night.
Meanwhile, Bill and I went to Kirsten and Paul's house. We watched two movies and actually missed the New Year by two minutes. We ended up home and in bed by 2 am. Both kids were instructed to be home by 10 am so we could go skiing.
Blizzards and a Change of Plans
The whole time my parents and my sister, Trina, and her family were in town, the weather was mild. We had a brown Christmas. I know Trina and her family were disappointed, but Mom and Dad were relieved. Especially Dad, who can't handle extreme cold.
They all left town on Tuesday, the 28th.
The blizzard arrived on Wednesday, the 29th.
Peder and his family are still in town. He, Erik, and I had scheduled to take our kids skiing/snowboarding on Thursday the 30th. However, Sundance closed early on Wednesday due to the terrible conditions, so I wasn't sure if we would be able to go.
We weren't. Sundance and that entire canyon remained closed all day Thursday because of downed power lines across the road. Drat!
So we did the next best thing. We took them to the sledding hill.
OH MAN WAS IT COLD!!!!
It was still storming and the temperature was frigid! The kids had a great time, though!
Helena in her cute new snowboarder gear! She looks ready to rip it up on the slopes. This was her first time on a snowboard, though, so it was good to try it out on the sledding hill, first! In the background you can see Kirsten and Erik.
Little Tori in her cute snow bunny gear and Peder in his Iraqi head scarf turned balaclava!
Kirsten talking her her snow bunny, Tori, and Erik on a sled. The cold proved to be too much for Tori, so after a bit Kirsten took her back to my house where Bill and Deanna were waiting in the warmth and watching a movie.
Little Annie, Peder's youngest (for now!). The cold was definitely NOT too much for this little go getter! She wanted to keep sledding and snowboarding even after her mom and Grandma Gowdy told her to come get warm in the car. She had to be dragged off kicking and screaming because she 'wasn't done practicing, yet!' Look at those rosy cheeks!
This is Grandpa Gowdy. He is Jody's dad and Peder's father-in-law. He came for a few minutes to see all the fun, but ended up being snowplowed onto a sled and down the hill by Peder, who jumped on top of him and rode down with him. What a good sport!
Both Peder and Erik worked with Helena on the snowboards. Erik especially was very patient and spent lots of time helping her to figure out what to do. She and I were very impressed and grateful for the time he took to help her.
Will and his best friend, Dallan Baker, came to the sledding hill with their skis. You might think there isn't much to do with skis on a sledding hill. Nope! The boys spent the first half of their time improving their going-off-of-jumps skills, then disappeared off into the stands of trees to play around in the untouched powder and work on their weaving-between-the-stands-of-trees skills. This is Will going off the jump. You know how hard it is to time a shot of someone going off a jump?!
This is Dallan, the boy who was practically born on skis.
Here is Helena looking like a pro, carving up some snow!
At the end, right before Simone and Annie (the latter kicking and screaming, remember) were dragged to the car to warm up. We have had a little fake kiddie snowboard for years that Helena and Will have both outgrown. We brought it anyways and Annie fell in LOVE with it! She is only 3, but she managed to stay standing and balanced the whole way down the gentlest sled slope on it! That is what she wanted to keep doing when we all decided it was time to go thaw out. In the shot above, she wasn't willing to wait for her daddy to help (who was talking to Helena and Erik about snowboarder stuff), so she just started going on her own. Simone decided to step in and be a helpful big sister. So cute!
I realized as we headed home that my new snow gear worked great, but that my exposed chin was literally numb with cold.
We decided to reschedule the mountain adventure for Saturday... New Year's Day!
They all left town on Tuesday, the 28th.
The blizzard arrived on Wednesday, the 29th.
Peder and his family are still in town. He, Erik, and I had scheduled to take our kids skiing/snowboarding on Thursday the 30th. However, Sundance closed early on Wednesday due to the terrible conditions, so I wasn't sure if we would be able to go.
We weren't. Sundance and that entire canyon remained closed all day Thursday because of downed power lines across the road. Drat!
So we did the next best thing. We took them to the sledding hill.
OH MAN WAS IT COLD!!!!
It was still storming and the temperature was frigid! The kids had a great time, though!
I realized as we headed home that my new snow gear worked great, but that my exposed chin was literally numb with cold.
We decided to reschedule the mountain adventure for Saturday... New Year's Day!
Dad's Christmas Present
I have wanted to write about this for some time, but since it was a Christmas present, I had to keep it under wraps. I decided that it was time to make an artwork for my parents. I had some pretty good photo reference shots from our trip to visit them last June, so I chose a shot of Will and his Grandpa prepping the sailboat for an outing. The original photo has all the other boats in the marina as a background, which I felt was just too busy and detracted from the simple message of grandfather/grandson bonding. I used some artistic license and replaced the marina full of masts with a serene forest.
I started this project before Halloween and finished it on December 23rd! None too soon! I didn't frame it because Mom and Dad flew into town for Christmas, and I didn't want to make it too hard to take back home with them. Unfortunately, they'll have to frame it themselves.
"Sailing Lessons"
11" x 14"
Oil Pastel on Paper
2010
Dad seemed happy when he opened it. I hope so! Will wants one, now. I told him that he'd have to wait for Grandpa to give it to him.
unfinished...
Family Pictures and the Asian Buffet
Mom's birthday was on the 27th. Kirsten's gift to Mom was a family portrait session. We were all in on it, even Dad. Each family selected a solid color shirt to wear and everyone wore jeans. That way, we looked unified (jeans), but you could tell individual families apart by the color of their shirt. My family wore black, Trina's family was in charcoal gray, Peder's family was in a fucshia, Erik's family was in tan, Kirsten's family was in red, and Mom and Dad wore navy. It looked really great all together! As a colorist, I approved of the mix of colors.
The photo session was long, but VERY entertaining... especially when it was time to take pictures of just Grandma and Grandpa with the grandkids. Dad said he wished he had a camera to take a picture of all of us behind the camera man, trying to get younger grandkids to look in the right direction and to smile on cue. Now I really wish I had taken that picture, because it would have been priceless!
Another highlight happened after the pictures were over. For some reason best known to themselves, my brothers, Peder and Erik, got in a wrestling match. Two grown men wrangling around on the floor, just like they used to do when they were kids! Oh, it made me laugh! Mom didn't think it was that funny, though, and she quickly stepped between them and made them stop. That was pretty funny looking, too! This short grandmotherly lady stepping between her strapping adult sons and making them stop behaving like children.
Great times!
After pictures were finally all done, it was time for lunch! We all headed back to my town to go to the Asian Buffet. I always eat too much at a buffet and feel sick afterward.
After the Asian Buffet, everybody trekked over to Cabela's for some after Christmas sportsman shopping! Dad went to look at shotguns. Some of the cousins went off to look at the stuffed animals, still others went to look at the aquarium. Will went off to look at whatever his Uncle Peder felt like looking at. Bill, Helena and I went to look at ski clothing. I found a coat that I absolutely LOVED! So, I bought it!
After everyone was all 'funned out' at Cabela's some of the family stopped by my house for a little visit, then went on their way.
We ended the day by stopping by Erik and Deanna's that evening, just Bill and I, so we could say one last goodbye to Mom and Dad since they were leaving in the morning.
The photo session was long, but VERY entertaining... especially when it was time to take pictures of just Grandma and Grandpa with the grandkids. Dad said he wished he had a camera to take a picture of all of us behind the camera man, trying to get younger grandkids to look in the right direction and to smile on cue. Now I really wish I had taken that picture, because it would have been priceless!
Another highlight happened after the pictures were over. For some reason best known to themselves, my brothers, Peder and Erik, got in a wrestling match. Two grown men wrangling around on the floor, just like they used to do when they were kids! Oh, it made me laugh! Mom didn't think it was that funny, though, and she quickly stepped between them and made them stop. That was pretty funny looking, too! This short grandmotherly lady stepping between her strapping adult sons and making them stop behaving like children.
Great times!
After pictures were finally all done, it was time for lunch! We all headed back to my town to go to the Asian Buffet. I always eat too much at a buffet and feel sick afterward.
Everybody loves having their picture taken while they're eating, right?
After everyone was all 'funned out' at Cabela's some of the family stopped by my house for a little visit, then went on their way.
We ended the day by stopping by Erik and Deanna's that evening, just Bill and I, so we could say one last goodbye to Mom and Dad since they were leaving in the morning.
Christmas Day 2010
The days when the kids were bouncing out of bed at some unholy hour and begging to open presents are long gone. We all had a decent sleep and got up around 8:00 to celebrate. Stockings were perused and presents opened. This was a scaled down year, so there weren't any huge gifts waiting under the tree. Still, I think everybody was happy.
The kids found their 'Santa gifts' hidden behind the tree this year. They are usually sitting out somewhere more obvious, but Helena got a guitar this year, and 'Santa' was worried the cats would mess around with it, so the gifts had to go where the cats couldn't reach them.
Will is technically in high school now, so the Lego's might seem a bit odd. We have discovered that you are NEVER too old for Lego's!
The most unique gifts of this year, I think, were the finger-toe running shoes Bill gave me (I had wanted a pair!)...
... and the wooden practice swords that Helena gave to Will. There are two of them, so he and his best friend can have sword fights and bash at each other (hopefully outside!).
After the presents, Will and I got ready for a Christmas Day Adventure! Most of Will's presents from us were ski related. He needed and received his snow pants, his helmet, his goggles, and his balaclava. Of course, all that stuff called for a trip to the slopes! Bill couldn't go, for reasons I'll mention in another post, and Helena decided to stay home with her Dad. So, it was just Will and me!
First of all, can I tell you how foggy, brown, and ugly it was down in the valley? Then, look at that!!!
It was a GORGEOUS, sunny day on the slopes! There was hardly anyone there... oh, except for Santa!
Okay. So. We got on the mountain and I rented myself some skis. I told Will to take me to the bunny hill because I am a RAW BEGINNER. I know. Scandalous. Here I am, literally HALF Norwegian (my Dad is a full blooded Norseman)... and I have never skied before. Criminal. Shocking!
Here's a little secret... learning to ski is pretty high on my bucket list.
Anyways, back to the mountain.
Will told me that when Dallan and he had tried to walk up to the bunny hill, they had been yelled at. He told me we should ride the lift, then just ski down to it. Here is where the red warning lights and loud sirens should have gone off to warn me. But they didn't. Stupid malfunctioning advance warning system!
We got on the lift just fine and I admired the excellent view as we passed the bunny hill and kept going...
and going...
and going...
AND GOING!!!!
AHHHHH!
Suddenly, I was super nervous! Um. That is a LONG way down the mountain, dude!
We got off at the first opportunity. I should amend that and say that Will got off... I fell off. Right on my face. I am sure everyone else on the lift got a kick out of that. And here is where I first realized just how much trouble I was in.
I couldn't get back up. Those blasted skis are IMPOSSIBLE! I ended up having to remove them in order to stand back up again before putting them back on. I know. Graceful as a ballerina. That's me.
We started down. I couldn't do it! The skis were uncontrollable. I couldn't steer. I couldn't stop.
I WAS TERRIFIED!
I will confess now that all the swear words came out as I attempted to NOT kill myself. We made it half way down the first run.
Now here is the part I am ashamed to admit.
I gave up.
I took off the skis and HIKED back down the mountain to the bunny hill. That is no mean feat, by the way. I tried my best to stay off the groomed snow, which often meant sinking down to my thighs in the snow. Ski boots really weren't meant for walking in, either. It took about an hour, after which I was really over heated and tired.
And Will? Poor Will! He felt SO BAD! He was mentally beating himself up for it and calling himself the worst teacher ever! But really, he stayed with me every step of the way and was so kind, patient, and helpful. When we finally made it to the bottom of the bunny hill and made it to flat ground again, I told him to go ahead and ski down once on his own while I headed straight for the cafe. I needed a drink!
No! Not that kind of drink. I was just so worn out from being scared and hiking that I was parched!
Will thought that was THE END. He thought I'd want to leave; that I was done.
No way! When he got back, we both went back to the bunny hill (walking up to it this time... it turns out the reason they had been yelled at for it last time was that they were walking up the middle of the groomed ski slope instead of the side, grrr!) and he was finally able to teach me a few things about skiing.
By the time I had gone down the bunny hill a dozen times, I began to feel like maybe I could figure out this skiing thing, after all. I told Will that if I could handle the (rather steep) slope from the bunny hill to the lifts, that I would go back up the lift with him and try again.
NOPE! Ahhh! That slope was STEEP! It was FAST! I couldn't control the skis on it.
I was done.
But, when I got home, I felt so ALIVE!!! Turns out, I loved it! Well, except for the terrifying, swear your pants off part.
I'm gonna have to go again.
Christmas Eve 2010
We spent the evening of Christmas Eve at Erik and Deanna's house. We munched on all sorts of bad for you kinds of food, then opened the gifts we had gotten for one another. Since all my siblings are married, we do a couples rotation so that we only buy a gift for one sibling and his/her spouse each year. This year it was our turn to give gifts to Erik and Deanna, and receive gifts from Kirsten and Paul. We have always each bought gifts for every niece and nephew, though there was some talk this year of including nieces and nephews in the rotation, as well. I don't know how I feel about that. On the one hand, it would simplify matters and save money. Some of my siblings are struggling with gift ideas for the older nieces and nephews.
But, really, Christmas is a magical time for kids and I remember being so excited to see packages arrive at our house from far away relatives. I also remember feeling so happy that they remembered me! Their gifts weren't always spot on (exhibit A: the Barbie cologne from a distant aunt when I was 15), but at least they tried! Nowadays we have so many more ways to stay in touch with each other that we should know what our younger relatives would appreciate! If we don't, we haven't kept in touch well enough.
So, I guess you can see which way I feel about it. I still want to send each and every niece/nephew something. However, we don't get gifts for the 55+ nieces and nephews on Bill's side of the family. But that is a topic for another day.
Trina and Jeff
I didn't get a chance to take a picture of Mom opening her gift. Drat! We (meaning 'I') got her some of the Lehi Roller Mills muffin mix she likes so much and some hair product. Last time she was in town she asked me how I managed to get both my wavy hair and Helena's curly hair to be so natural looking and manageable (aka. not frizzy) without using gels or mousse that leaves hair crunchy. Here's my secret, I stumbled across an amazing product a while ago from a company called CHI. However, I knew Mom would never buy it. It's on the pricier end. She simply won't spend on herself! So I got it for her. Ooooh! I hope it works for her and that she likes it!
The only problem with that was that I hadn't planned on spending any money on him. His gift was a gift from the heart. There is another post on here about his gift, so I won't go into lots of detail. If you want to see it, just click HERE.
I hope he liked it. I thought he did, but I couldn't be sure. I know that Will loved it and wants it, but I told him I wouldn't make a second one, so he'd have to hope that Grandpa will give it to him, someday.
Once we got home from the party, we had our quick little Christmas Eve at home... Luke 2 and the opening of the Christmas pajamas. Then we sent the kids to bed, stuffed the stockings, and made sure that Santa had 'visited' before going to bed ourselves.
A much better Christmas Eve than last year!
The Gang's All Here!
The whole family is in town this year. Trina, Jeff, and their kids Kai, Leilani and Malia are staying with Kirsten and Paul in Eagle Mountain. Mom and Dad are staying with Erik and Deanna in Saratoga Springs. Peder and Jody, with their two girls, Simone and Annie, stayed with Jody's parents in Alpine. No one is staying with me, because I don't have a guest room. This will probably be the last time we are able to get the entire group together like this, because the oldest cousins, Helena and Kai, are nearly adults and will be going off on their own adventures soon.
One of the highlights of the evening, other than catching up on each other and reminiscing about the past, was the decorating of the tree. Kirsten hadn't decorated it in advance, because Trina's crew didn't get the opportunity to decorate one at home due to the fact that they would be here for the holidays. It was fun to watch the older cousins helping their younger cousins place ornaments on the tree! Kai and Helena lifted up the youngest so they could place ornaments up high.
Paco was also there that night. Paco is Paul's dad. I am not sure what his reaction was to all the family and the noise! He had two children, that he mainly left to the nanny and his wife to raise. That house full of kids and laughter must have been a very different scene for him. I hope he enjoyed it!
First Time on the Slopes
Last Saturday we drove Will up to Sundance Ski Resort to pick up his first ever season pass! We took his friend, Dallan, too. Dallan is a lifetime skier, whose dad used to be a member of the ski patrol at Sun Valley. Dallan also had a season pass to Sundance. That was one of the deciding factors for us when choosing Sundance for his first season pass. There were also two other boys Will knows who have Sundance passes. It was important to us that he not ski alone, but no one else in the family skis. Other factors that influenced our decision were 1) Sundance is the closest resort to home, making it easier to drive the boys up; 2) the Sundance season pass includes the UTA ski bus pass. The only other resorts that have bus routes are Snowbird and Alta, and those season passes don't include the bus pass, which has to be purchased separately... and finally, 3) Sundance is the cheapest student season pass.
It was raining pretty heavily in the valley that morning, but by the time we reached the resort, the rain had morphed into a heavy, wet snowfall. It didn't take very long to get Will's pass processed and before you know it, we were watching Will and Dallan get on the lift for their first time down the slopes. I wanted to watch him coming down the mountain, but standing in the cold and heavy, wet snow was just no fun at all. Bill waited for the boys to make it back to the bottom while Helena and I went into the cafe and had some hot cocoa. Before we finished them, Bill had joined us with the news that the boys had made it down and got right back on the lift, and, no, they didn't want to come see us in the cafe, thanks.
We drove back down the mountain, seeing a police car flashing its lights to mark the spot where a car had slid off the road into the stream. It was pretty nasty road conditions! In fact, at the Provo Canyon/Alpine Loop turn off, we saw that now the police were stopping anyone who didn't have four wheel drive and either insisting they put on chains, or they turn around. I was very glad for our four wheel drive that day!
Now, the plan was to have the boys try out the UTA ski bus for their trip home. I arranged to meet them at the parking lot of the Harmons in Orem, where the ski bus has a stop. They planned to catch the 3:36 bus. They were in line for the bus early and seemed to be in good shape to ride. When the bus arrived, the driver stepped out and told skiers to attach their skis to the rack on the outside of the bus before entering, but told snowboarders that they could carry their boards directly onto the bus. Will and Dallan struggled to figure out the straps on the rack, and by the time they had their skis securely stowed and presented themselves at the bus door, the driver told them that the bus was now full and they couldn't ride!
He made them take their skis back off the rack, then he drove away leaving two 14 year old boys stranded on the mountain until the next bus, more than an hour later!
I was very frustrated, to say the least!
I ended up driving up to the resort to pick them up, since there was no guarantee that the boys would be successful in getting a seat on the next bus, either.
I made sure to tell UTA exactly what I thought about our experience of their service.
It was raining pretty heavily in the valley that morning, but by the time we reached the resort, the rain had morphed into a heavy, wet snowfall. It didn't take very long to get Will's pass processed and before you know it, we were watching Will and Dallan get on the lift for their first time down the slopes. I wanted to watch him coming down the mountain, but standing in the cold and heavy, wet snow was just no fun at all. Bill waited for the boys to make it back to the bottom while Helena and I went into the cafe and had some hot cocoa. Before we finished them, Bill had joined us with the news that the boys had made it down and got right back on the lift, and, no, they didn't want to come see us in the cafe, thanks.
We drove back down the mountain, seeing a police car flashing its lights to mark the spot where a car had slid off the road into the stream. It was pretty nasty road conditions! In fact, at the Provo Canyon/Alpine Loop turn off, we saw that now the police were stopping anyone who didn't have four wheel drive and either insisting they put on chains, or they turn around. I was very glad for our four wheel drive that day!
Now, the plan was to have the boys try out the UTA ski bus for their trip home. I arranged to meet them at the parking lot of the Harmons in Orem, where the ski bus has a stop. They planned to catch the 3:36 bus. They were in line for the bus early and seemed to be in good shape to ride. When the bus arrived, the driver stepped out and told skiers to attach their skis to the rack on the outside of the bus before entering, but told snowboarders that they could carry their boards directly onto the bus. Will and Dallan struggled to figure out the straps on the rack, and by the time they had their skis securely stowed and presented themselves at the bus door, the driver told them that the bus was now full and they couldn't ride!
He made them take their skis back off the rack, then he drove away leaving two 14 year old boys stranded on the mountain until the next bus, more than an hour later!
I was very frustrated, to say the least!
I ended up driving up to the resort to pick them up, since there was no guarantee that the boys would be successful in getting a seat on the next bus, either.
I made sure to tell UTA exactly what I thought about our experience of their service.
Christmas 2010 Band Concert
The American Fork Junior High has a lot of bands. The whole band program starts in 5th grade. There are so many bands, that the current director has decided to split up the bands into two different concert nights; the younger bands played on a Tuesday night, and the older bands played on a Thursday night.
Will is in the Symphonic Band, one of the older bands. They played 3 pieces, but I realized as soon as I started to record the first piece that my battery was nearly dead. Drat!
So I stopped recording mid-song in order to save what remained of the battery to try to record the last piece in its entirety, since it was Will's favorite of the songs they played that night.
Here is the clip of the first song, entitled Jubilations.
And here is the entire last piece his band played, The Polar Express!
This is Will's last Christmas concert, since he does not intend to continue with musical studies next year at the high school.
Will is in the Symphonic Band, one of the older bands. They played 3 pieces, but I realized as soon as I started to record the first piece that my battery was nearly dead. Drat!
So I stopped recording mid-song in order to save what remained of the battery to try to record the last piece in its entirety, since it was Will's favorite of the songs they played that night.
Here is the clip of the first song, entitled Jubilations.
And here is the entire last piece his band played, The Polar Express!
This is Will's last Christmas concert, since he does not intend to continue with musical studies next year at the high school.
A New Kitty Hiding Spot
Christmas 2010 Orchestra Concert
Hurray! The embed worked! So, here is a compilation of the pieces Helena's orchestra performed for the Christmas concert this year! Merry Christmas!
Carol of the Bells/Greensleeves
Deck the Halls
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Fiddle Like the Dickens!
Sorry for the late start on that last one! I had been saving seats for the boys (who came late to the concert), when a couple asked me for the seats. I decided to give them the seats, because I wasn't sure if the boys were going to make it after all and there were so many people standing. It was a WELL attended concert!
Carol of the Bells/Greensleeves
Carols of Olde
Deck the Halls
A Charlie Brown Christmas
Fiddle Like the Dickens!
Sorry for the late start on that last one! I had been saving seats for the boys (who came late to the concert), when a couple asked me for the seats. I decided to give them the seats, because I wasn't sure if the boys were going to make it after all and there were so many people standing. It was a WELL attended concert!
Testing the YouTube embed feature
I thought I'd try uploading my videos of the kids concerts to YouTube, then placing the embedded code here on my blog, just to see if it works. You see, the blogger video system really doesn't work well, and can't handle videos longer than 5 minutes. Most of the music played by the band and/or orchestra last between 5 and 7 minutes. The piece I am testing this on lasts over 11 minutes! By the way, this is not actually Helena's orchestra. It is the next level up. If this works, I'll post Helena's concert and Will's concert.
This piece is the Symphonic Suite to the Lord of the Rings.
Enjoy!
This piece is the Symphonic Suite to the Lord of the Rings.
Enjoy!
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