2008 in a glance

We have had a great year with lots of interesting things.

In March We went to Kauai for a week. Just the two of us walking around looking at stuff, snorkeling, relaxing. We camped inches from the beach and then rented a cottage for a few nights with a screened in jetted tub. In fact we have had many little outings this year. Weekend trips, holidays away. Fun times.

One of my favorite outings was over the 4th of July holiday. We went to Zion, leaving super early in the morning and got there to blistering heat. We however stayed up at Lava Point campground-cooler & quieter. Did some hiking up there and eventually made our way down to the valley and the river-we had a swim day up into the narrows.

Another great trip was to JE's aunt and uncle's house in Allyn Washington and then on down to Portland for Labor Day. We spent a couple days with my sisters in Portland and saw the Portland Zoo. That is a great place to visit polar bears!

John E works still designing cars and loving it. We went to the LA auto show last month in November. In the beginning of December we went to a convention in Las Vegas. The weekend before we headed up to Zion again and did a bit of hiking and freezing in our sleep. Zion is such a beautiful place in Autumn and winter. We hiked Angels Landing and completed it for the first time in years-always some reasonable excuse. (To the lady who was taking her toddler up the mountain as we were coming down--I hope your kid lives to be old enough to enjoy his next birthday! Use smarts with your child, your job is to protect him! That still makes me mad) On Monday we traveled on to Vegas and the convention. We stayed in the MGM Signature. Oh so beautiful! the room was beautiful and had a huge jetted tub- our favorite! While JE was at the convention I made dolls for Ocean's kids and looked for work and played with a new friend-Nichole.

JE is a cub master for our ward--since the stake was redivided we have 1 cub.

In May I was made “head cutter” for the Opera and cut the Marriage of Figaro . It was so fun and Challenging. However that was a last hurrah for the Opera Company, it went under the week after the show closed. So now I am busy making Christmas Pressies and looking for work/networking. I am very hopeful and excited for the endless possibilities before me. I am the Enrichment Leader for our ward.

I had an interesting adventure recently. As I was coming out of our neighborhood market I passed a woman who was talking to her two little boys and said something to the effect of "I just need to figure out what to do." Somehow this phrase made me stop in my tracks and I asked if I could help with anything. To my surprise she said yes. She had locked her keys and cell phone in the car. I loaned her my cell phone and stayed with her and her kids while we waited for AAA. We talked and talked. She is a member of the church and lives just on the other side of the freeway. Funny that this happened so soon after my prayer for friends. Thanks God, I needed that!

For Christmas this year we go on a grand adventure A huge road trip Starting from Southern CA we will travel up the 5 to Portland to visit my family for Christmas. From there we will visit friends in ID and then down to JE’s family in UT for New Years. Then back home. We really look forward to this trip

Holidays and the afterward

Just came back from the periodontists with a mouthful of silly-puddy. Just a minor surgery, but feeling a bit loopy. Giant Cat is curled on my lap and purring--think he likes my new cashmere sweater!

The weekend before Christmas JE and I traveled to Portland to be with family. We had a great , easy ride only seeing a tiny snow flurry outside of Mt Shasta (which is an amazing area). As we swung down into the Willamette valley, the snow started to fly-really fly! So many people were off to the side of the road putting on chains-or trying to figure out how to put on chains. We drove past all that, swerving to avoid accidents as people reemerged from the side of the road having left the rules of the road brains addled in their chains. 60 miles of snow and freezing rain in 2.5 hours!!! I love our Subaru! We got to Tia's and didn't move the car for 2 days. When we did, there was 1.5 feet of snow & over a quarter inch of freezing rain. That was a giant adventure.

Portland in snow is a wonderful place. Chains were required in the city because the city owns perhaps 3 snow plows and had a tough time keeping things clear. The City shut down, no one could get to work and no one cared! Everyone was out, at the park sledding on cardboard boxes, skiing in the streets, walking chilly mutts, and so determinedly joyful! There was very little consumerism and it was 4 days before Christmas!

One night we went for a very very long walk and made snow angels in a bunch of peoples yards and admired the Christmas lights buried in the snow. I love that...

Christmas was Joyous and a bit sad. My parents were unable to join us from WA as the trains were waylaid on the east coast because of snow. Tia and Matt went to his parent's in the Tri-City area and took their much loved dog. Who was left? JE, Lisa and I. At least we ate very well.
JE and I share a wee garden here courtesy of a friend in "leisure world." We brought a huge bag of root veg and greens. Turnips the size of my fists (which are not small) Beets, and lettuce and salad greens up the wazoo (is that really how to spell wazoo?). We roasted beets in salt with lavender, sauteed the greens with garlic and onions, made a potato galette (extra yum!) and roasted a turkey-cut the back open and splayed it out to look like it was doing the funky chicken-but it cooked really fast and evenly!

It is strange going from a place that winter requires a sweater and perhaps an umbrella to a place that forces you to wear as many layers you can without loosing mobility.

The rain washed away the snow by Saturday and we were ready to rock and roll to our next destination. I-84 was closed down forcing us to delay our adventure for a day. We didn't mind, we were warm, safe and mostly dry. But on Sunday it was wonderful to be on the road again with my knitting and the ability to finish up our book on CD adventures. (Lisa taught me to knit over the phone before we left for our journey-grateful for something to keep my hands occupied!) The country between Portland and Salt Lake City is unparalleled in winter. Gushing plains covered with snow and gold grasses peeping out occasionally- and cows, pines, waterfalls and mountains.

We stopped in Fruitland to see our friends Ocean and Martin and their brood of 6 kids-5 of which are girls--poor Jake!we watched the first of the Horatio Hornblowers (my favorite show right now and my Christmas Pressie!--Good Job Sweetie! Thanks) and stayed up talking to 2 am then got up around 8:30 goofed around and talked and made waffles. Oh so yummy. Most excellent time.

We left @ noon to travel to JE's mom's house and visit family and friends there. We stopped by Temple Square for a visit and to see the lights and the JS building which is where we both committed to marry each other just over 10 years ago. Sweet!

Provo is a strange and wonderful place. I love it. I love the familial feelings I have when I am in Provo. I love JE's sisters and all of our nieces and nephews, they are just really neat people.

We had a great time visiting friends Bruce and Jamie, Ben and Amy and all their kids.
For New Years Ben invited us to a dinner and dancing @ P712-the all time best restaurant in Provo. Dinner was completely amazing--5 courses with Kobe beef tenderloin as the main course. After dinner they moved all the tables to the side to create a dance floor and then we danced into the new year. Great company, great food and fun music. Does a welcome or farewell get any better?

Now what? I have so much hope for the new year, Things I want to make happen in my life.
Last October my company gave its last heave ho and succumbed to this recession. I am currently seeking what next! What an adventure, an open book! What an amazing time to be alive!