Christmas morning is one of the most anticipated mornings of the entire year. I am so glad that even the older girls were excited for Christmas morning. Everyone slept in until a little after 7am. It gave me the chance to shower and get everything ready before we opened up gifts. The girls sat at the top of the stairs and posed for a quick photo. This is the smallest we’ve been in numbers ever since Madeline was born. One of my favorite things is watching the kids run down the stairs to see what Santa brought them. Everyone was so excited about their gifts this year. Madeline got a pink American girl doll remote controlled car equipped with a look alike doll. She was beyond excited. Abby got a white turntable and several vinyl records from her favorite artists. Emma got an iPad Pro for digital drawing and for college. Mike got an indoor Aerogarden equipped to be able to grow our own lettuce, and I got new mats for my Tesla as well as a ski rack and tire repair kit. We took turns opening up the other gifts under the tree. There were many fun things given to each other this year. The older girls mostly got clothes and Madeline mostly got accessories for her American dolls and a brand-new special edition doll from Grandpa Al. Mike got his traditional Lego which was a motorized lighthouse. One of the most cherished gifts this year were the albums my parents had put together of some of their history. A few years ago, we gave them a subscription to Storyworth where they answered questions about their earlier years. They assembled all of those questions and photos into a book. It was amazing and something we will all treasure for years to come. At long last, we finally got to talk with both the boys at the same time. Peter was able to call us even though it was not his p-day since it was a holiday that he celebrated. For that short period of time, it felt like we were all in the same room celebrating with each other. It made my heart so incredibly happy!
This year Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday. We spent the morning working on our Christmas dinner and then got a quick family photo while we were all dressed up before heading off to church. The Christmas program during Sacrament meeting was fabulous and the spirit was really strong. I wish Christmas Eve could fall on Sunday every year. It really helped us get into the right mindset for the day. We were all smiles as we came home and got in our Christmas pajamas and stayed in those for the remainder of the day. We even ate our nice dinner in our pajamas this year. After dinner we got to talk with Peter which was amazing. He even saved his presents until the call and opened them up in front of us. It was so great to see his reaction to some of his gifts. He loved the wooden ocarina that he had asked for and laughed at the tiny violin gag gift we got him. When the call was over, Emma and Abby helped Madeline decorate sugar cookies before we read from the scriptures. It was a super low-key Christmas Eve which was nice, but I am looking forward to having the boys in our home next year for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. It was a little sad to not have them with us in person this year.
Today’s ski day was the best! Mike and I skied on demo skis. We tried the Nordica Santa Ana 93 for me and the Enforcer 94 for Mike. All I can say is I skied so well today. These skis were 100 times better than my decade old Vokls. That coupled with my new Nordica Speed machine boots and today was a dream even on the mountain that desperately needs more snow. We spent most of our time on Northwoods and Northstar and we even taught Madeline to parallel turn on the easier runs. We did make our way down the backside of the mountain on the Poppyfields run but it was not that great. I forgot how angled the bottom of that run gets. There were also some bare patches near the bottom. It’s no wonder why Blue-Sky Basin was closed. In all, it was another great day skiing with the family and when we were done I headed back to Christy's to purchase the Nordica Santa Ana 93 skis.
It was another great day on the slopes. It felt like there were even less people skiing today. We ventured to some of the black runs today off the Timberline Face. Northstar was groomed so we all made our way down that run to the bottom of the Northwoods Express lift. Madeline loved skiing North Star with us so much that she wanted to do it again. We decided to do it a few more times before heading over to the easier runs on Sourdough before lunch. We ate lunch at our normal spot at the Two Elk Lodge. Then we headed down Boomer to the bottom and did another black run off the Timberline Face. This time we all did the Northwoods run. Since Blue Sky Basin was closed we decided to head over to the middle of the mountain where we did the Lodgepole run and then took the Avanti express up and eventually made our way back to the Eagle Bahn gondola to complete our second day of skiing. Mike and I headed back out to the village again in the evening and looked at new boots for me. I ended up getting the same boots as Mike and then we set up to rent demo skis for our last day of skiing.
We were so excited to try out a new to us condo that we found on VRBO. The place ended up being better than we could’ve expected with updated furnishings, indoor garage parking where we plugged in Mike’s truck, and ski lockers and boot warmers with an exit right out the back of the building. It was only a short 800m walk to the Eagle Bahn gondola. Our first morning was great with pretty good snow for the early season. There were plenty of good runs and fairly light crowds which made for a fun first day. Madeline graduated to bigger skis this year and figured them out fairly quickly. We headed over to the eastern side of the mountain where we spent most of our time on some of the easier runs off the Sourdough Express Lift. We also did Flapjack several times all the way to the Northwoods Express lift. We decided to finish early to save our legs for the next few days. After getting the girls all settled back at the condo Mike and I headed back to the village to look at boots at Christy's sports. Mike found some new boots and both of us got some new inserts for our boots. On our way out we saw the lamp from the Christmas Story movie. It was hilarious!
It is not uncommon to get a good snow storm in December. The girls were actually thrilled when school got cancelled and wouldn’t you know it, Emma and Abby got all ready to go out and play in the snow with Madeline. Emma even offered to drive everyone over to the elementary school to go sledding on the hill. It was a nice surprise and gave me the chance to do some errands. Of course, I stopped over to watch them have a little fun on my way out. It is so great having older kids to play with the littlest one. I hope one day Madeline remembers all the fun things her sisters did with her while they were still living at home.
Emma and I toured the United States Air Force Academy to get a feel for what it would be like for her to be a student athlete at the academy. It was intriguing to see what her schedule would be like and to see a little what it would be like to be a cadet. After the tour Emma ran with the team and had a really good time. She really liked the coaches and the team, and she didn’t seem to be nervous about the cadet life. Although I was trying to stay positive, I had my doubts that this was the right path for Emma. However, I tried to embrace what we have been telling her which is to keep all her options open.
Every year the kids look forward to our North Pole Breakfast to celebrate the welcoming in of the Christmas season. Madeline, of course, looks forward to the arrival of our Elves, Jack, and Jill. Luckily the first of December landed on a 2 hour late start for the girls which gave us plenty of time to enjoy our pancake breakfast which included the best buttermilk pancakes, bacon, fruit, and our traditional donut holes. This year we opted for sour cream donut holes instead of the powdered sugar ones we usually get. That was definitely an added upgrade!
VEGAS WEEKEND DAY 1 . DINNER & ADELE CONCERT (NOV 3)
VEGAS WEEKEND DAY 2 . SHOPPING AND U2 CONCERT (NOV 4) NIKE REGIONALS (NOV 17-18) PETER'S MISSION WEEKS 49-54 (OCT 9-NOV 20) CACTUS, CACTUS, EVERYWHERE (NOV 20) THANKSGIVING (NOV 23) DECORATING THE CHRISTMAS TREE (NOV 25) EXERCISE IN NOVEMBER SLICES OF LIFE Madeline has been playing cello for over a year now and is still loving it. | With the new fiber optic cable install in the city, we are one of many homes that had damage to our property. They finally came and replaced our cracked driveway. | We enjoyed going to Emma's XC Banquet and hearing all the amazing things that were said about her and the awesome season that she had. | Mike had his first experience with kidney stones, and it was truly awful. Madeline wrote him the sweetest little note as we were leaving for the hospital. | We love talking to Peter on Sundays. It is usually the highlight of my week. | The cabinets for the basement closet finally arrived. | Madeline's new big girl bed arrived, and I had fun putting all of her stuffies in the trundle. | We started putting together the cabinets for the basement and it has been quite the project. | Mike made homemade pasta noodles and sauce and it was out of this world delicious. He even used the basil from our AeroGarden for the sauce. The AeroGarden has been one of the best purchases we have made lately.
After quite a big year of racing and endurance events, I took 9 days off of any real running or biking. Once I was ready I slowly started adding back in Peloton rides and running with the Striders during the weekdays. I was amazed at how strong I was during my first two running days back with the group. The first workout was fartleks on the Shooks Run loop and I was able to hold a pretty good pace. The next workout was the Bear Creek tempo loop where I think I actually hit one of my best times, but I will never for sure know because my watch started the segment before I even started. After training mostly uphill on trails, it was good to know that my fast, flat pace wasn't all that bad. The following week we hit 4 min tempos on the MVP mile loop which turned out to be harder than expected. It was a relief to have a fun run the next meeting up Section 16 and the Palmer trail. I'm not sure Section 16 is ever that much fun since it is a grueling 3/4 mile up some pretty narly steep sections. However, the group was pretty big that morning and I enjoyed keeping up with people that I deem pretty fast. The first 3 weeks of this month were pretty awesome but then I got sick and was forced to take 11 days off all exercise. My first run back was the last day of this month, and it was only 3 miles, but it felt good to be back on my feet again doing what I love.
It has become our tradition the last several years to decorate the Christmas tree over Thanksgiving break. This is usually the time we allow ourselves to start listening to Christmas music (we may have cheated and started listening to Christmas music earlier in the month). The kids usually get on their Christmas pajamas from the previous year, however, this year I decided to try something new by giving everyone their Christmas pajamas early. Everyone always has their favorite ornaments that they like to put on the tree. Madeline is usually the one who asks to put the star on top of the tree. I love watching Mike put her on his shoulders so that she can reach the top. We missed having the boys this year, but the girls kept the spirit of decorating the tree alive. There was still plenty of smiles, giggles, and a little bit of teasing along the way. The best part of everyone else putting on the ornaments is I get to sit back, take photos and enjoy the evening!
Thanksgiving this year was a little different than most since both of the boys would not be joining us. We decided to do Thanksgiving with our good friends, the Murdock family. We split the menu in half which was amazing. I don't know why we haven't done this before with friends. The day was much more relaxing since I only had to make 2 pies, rolls, sweet potatoes, and stuffing. Chad smoked the turkey, and it turned out so well. Chad and Adri also made the best cranberry sauce ever. It was so good that even my kids liked it. I will definitely be using that recipe for Christmas dinner to eat with our ham. The food was delicious, and the company was excellent. I was really touched by our friend's thoughtfulness as they gave us a grateful letter that had several things that each member of their family was grateful for concerning our family. It was one of the nicest things any of our friends has ever done for us and something I will never forget! I am grateful for good friends who can step in and be like family when all our immediate family couldn't be here for Thanksgiving. There is nothing sweeter than kindness shared around the dinner table!
Maupay nga aga ha iyong tanan, I'm sorry I have not written in a long time. The past month has been pretty hectic to say the least. I don't present that as an excuse for not writing, it is just a good way to describe the past month. From tearing down a house to having lunch with a general authority, it really had it all. I got sick in multiple fun and different ways in the past few weeks. I got a nasty cold twice, which knocked a good week and a half of work away, and I also was bit by some random animal and got five rabies shots. In addition, I also got athletes foot, which was not the most enjoyable experience I might add. Even though it sounds like a lot, I was blessed enough to catch all of my illness early so none of them became too intense. I really received many blessings in the way of being healed. Another fun experience that I had in the past few weeks was the ability to be a part of what is called a "cottage meeting". A cottage meeting is where leaders from a nearby ward or branch hold a meeting for members or interested parties in a more remote area without access to a church. This one was especially fun because we drove into the middle of nowhere in the jungle to host the meeting. The waray waray that was spoken became very deep there, and they said words that I had never heard before. It felt like I was a part of some secret meeting in a movie, but it was really about helping members in the area. The spirit was exceedingly strong as they talked about opening up a way for the members to partake of the sacrament. It seems that my visits to the more remote part of the jungle are not over but are simply beginning. One of the common themes over the past few weeks have been trusting in the Lord more than you trust in yourself. Sometimes it can become very easy to trust our own judgment rather than the Lords, but in doing so we sacrifice opportunities to serve Him and others. We also sacrifice opportunities to grow. Alma 37:37 states to "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good." From the scriptures we learn that the Lord's purpose is to "Bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man"(Moses 1:39) and the only way to do that is to help us grow. When I first arrived in my area, I had a prompting to go proselyting around an elementary school. We had already been to that area and talked to everyone there, and so I quickly put off the prompting and proceeded to go somewhere else. Week after week would go by and I would continue to feel the pressing prompting to visit that area. One day, I decided to finally listen to that prompting. At first, it seemed hopeless, and all the houses were closed and there was no one to talk to. However, before turning around, I noticed a small broken pathway leading into the mountains. Following the path, we were led to a small community that was built in a clearing. Following a strong prompting to talk to an old man, I was eventually introduced to a family who readily accepted our message. All members of the family, some skeptical at first, each received answers to their prayers that our message was true. They have all, including the father, accepted baptism, and are striving to keep the commandments of God. Even with amazing experiences like the one described, it can become easy to doubt promptings or not to follow them out of fear. It is important to remember, however, that the Lord trusts us as we put our trust in Him. The Lord knows all of us very personally, and only gives promptings He knows we can complete. Your reaction to a prompting shows the amount of trust you have in your relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you trust that the Father would give you a prompting to help another? Do you trust that He will help you grow as you follow Him? The closer we draw to Jesus Christ, the more we will understand the infinite love that He has for us and others. The more we understand that His love can overpower our fear, the more we can readily accept our calls to serve. I know that as we submit to the will of the Father, as did Jesus Christ, our ability to experience joy will grow because he is the only source of true and lasting happiness. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. Sincerely, Elder Wilhelm week 49week 50week 51week 52weeks 53-54On our last day in Arizona, we stopped at the Desert Botanical Gardens and were amazed at all the different kinds of cactus plants. This was definitely a different kind of botanical garden than we are used to visiting. I find cactus plants fascinating but they are not my favorite plant, nor is the desert landscape of Arizona on my list of places I love. I do not vibe with Arizona very much, but I did enjoy exploring something that makes Arizona unique. It was a great reminder that although the weather in the winter months is pleasant, most of the time Arizona is dreadfully hot, dry, and just not that interesting to look at. The mountains of Colorado will forever be my happy place and the place where I feel the most like me!
After an incredible cross-country season in Colorado, Emma was ready to crush one last race at Nike Regionals where she was hoping to PR at sea level. She was fortunate enough to be able to hang with some of the Coronado runners after the course run through. Since she had been training with that team and coach Lisa the last several weeks, they adopted her as one of their own. It was so sweet to see them all surround her with excitement. Everyone's spirits were high the night before the race. Race day was a different story. What are the chances that this year’s course was rained out just like Garmin Running Lane last year? It rained all morning and when we finally got to the course it stopped raining and the sun came out. The problem was that the course was a soggy mess. Emma was in the very last race which was the Championship race for the girls and the course was already in such poor condition from all of the other races that morning. Even with 1-inch spikes the mud was so overwhelming. Even though she didn't get the time she was hoping for, she ran that race with everything she had. I couldn't be prouder of her for the determination and grit I saw on her face every time she passed me on the course. She finished this muddy and somewhat hilly course in 18:44.24. course previewrace dayBEST COACH EVER
Today we slept in, ate breakfast at a French restaurant, and then went shopping at the Stranger Things store and the shops inside the Venetian. There is something so fun and exciting about the indoor shopping area at the Venetian. We found a quaint little Italian restaurant and ate lunch there. After feeling pretty tired from so much walking we headed back to the Bellagio and spent some time lounging around the pool and eating gelato. As day turned to night we got dressed up and walked with the other crowds of people toward the Sphere to see the U2 concert. This is the band I grew up listening to and has been one of my favorites for a long time. I never thought I would be able to see them in person. The venue at the new Sphere in Las Vegas was unreal. The music was nostalgic, the visuals out of this world, and for as old as they are now, they still sounded pretty dang good! The opening was spectacular, but my favorite part of the entire concert was actually the last couple of songs. They sang their classic songs, "Where the Streets Have No Name," "With or Without You," and "Beautiful Day." It was the best closing to any concert I have been to. shopping, shopping, eating, shoppingu2 ConcertMike took me on a weekend getaway to Vegas with surprises around every corner. The only thing I knew coming into this weekend was that we would be going to the U2 concert on Saturday at the Sphere. What I didn’t realize was that Mike arranged for much more than that. With a surprise visit from my parents for dinner at the Lago and then a surprise show to see Adele, Mike really outdid himself this time. We spent the day shopping and eating an amazing brunch before getting ready for a fun evening. When we walked into the Lago I turned the corner and saw my parents and was so surprised. I loved spending time with my parents, celebrating my mom's 75th birthday, and watching the water show at the Bellagio from the restaurant. Afterwards, we said goodbye to my parents and headed to the Adele concert. I had no idea we were seeing Adele until we got there. I thought we were seeing a completely different show. This was hands down the BEST concert I have ever seen and the best surprise ever! Adele is amazing, beautiful, kind, a complete entertainer and so incredibly funny and personable. This was an experience I will never forget. shopping and eatingdinner at the lagobellagio conservatory & botanical gardensadele concertCRESTED BUTTE WEEKEND . DAY 3 (OCT 1)
PETER'S MISSION WEEK 47 (SEPT 25-OCT 2) HIKING THE CRAGS WITH FRIENDS (OCT 4) EMMA'S SENIOR PHOTOS (OCT 8) FAMILY PHOTOS (OCT 8) MADELINE'S XC SEASON (SEPT 12-OCT 9) PETER'S MISSION WEEK 48 (OCT 9) MADELINE'S PUMPKIN PATCH FIELD TRIP (OCT 11) ANDREW AND ALEX GET ENGAGED (OCT 11) RIM TO RIM TO RIM ADVENTURE (OCT 14) EXERCISE IN OCTOBER (OCT 3-24) EMMA'S XC SEASON (AUG 14-OCT 28) SLICES OF LIFE (OCT 3-29) MADELINE'S SCHOOL HALLOWEEN PARTY (OCT 30) HALLOWEEN (OCT 31) This year was a very German Halloween. We borrowed dirndls from a friend so that Madeline and I could dress up as German girls and we put something together for Mike to coordinate with us. Madeline looked like the cutest little German girl ever. I had to really suck it in to fit into my dirndl but once it was on it all came together. Abby was Max from Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas movie. Emma wasn't able to join us this year as she was out on a date. Such is life when you are 17 years old. We took our photos at our traditional section behind our house. Then we came home and grabbed a quick dinner before heading out to go trick or treating with Easton and his family. Madeline and Easton loved being together and we made it to most of the houses in our neighborhood. It was cold like every year, but we managed to stay warm. The kids wanted to go to the house down the street to do the haunted house but once we got there Madeline got really scared and started to cry. That was our cue to head home and call it a night. After Easton finished with the haunted house he came out and gave Madeline the biggest hug. It was so sweet. Family Photostrick or treating |
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