Family Fun and Cougar Wins!

Thought I'd catch up my blog with everything that's happened this last month. This is a long one, just to warn you. Thanksgiving this year was a little more low key than normal. My little brother and his family couldn't make it up so we didn't have any little kids to play with but it was still a bunch of fun. My big brother Jason made the long drive up and it was so much fun to see him! He came up a week early to go to the BYU/AirForce game with me and he was a good luck charm because they won! We lucked out with getting a win but it turned out to be the coldest game day of the year! It was FREEZING!!!! We all had on about 5 layers of clothing then we wrapped up in blankets, hats scarves and gloves. That worked until the sun went down then it just got colder and colder by the second. We stuck it out for most of the game but did end up leaving early so we could thaw out. We still had a really great time. We ended the day by eating dinner at Famous Dave's. They have the best BBQ! It was a great day! My Mom treated me and my sister to a girls night out and bought us tickets to Bravo Broadway, that played at the Utah Symphony. It had three Broadway singers that took turns singing well known Broadway hits. It was one of the best nights ever! We had so much fun! It was over 2 1/2 hours long but the time seemed to fly by! We really hope they do put it on again next year so we can make this a girls' family tradition. Thanks Mom!!! Dad turned 66 and we had a little party for him. I love that his birthday is always around Thanksgiving so I get to spend it with him every year! Love ya Dad! The morning of Thanksgiving was our wards annual Turkey Trot around the neighborhood. We had a few more people show up this year than last, which was still not as big as we'd like but I'm sure we'll get more each year we do it. It was freezing cold that morning also but we all had a great time. For as much food as I ate later that day, I'm really glad I got some exercise that morning. :) Jason got sick the day before Thanksgiving and ended up not even eating anything the whole day. Poor Jason! Fortunately he felt better in time for the biggest rivalry in college football, the BYU vs. Utah game! But unfortunately, by Dad caught his bug, so my sister went in Dad's place. Poor Dad! This was only the 3rd BYU vs. Utah game he has ever missed since he started getting tickets in the '60's. But Michelle had fun in his place. Michelle ended up sitting with me and Jason was with Mom. You couldn't have asked for a better game! The Coogs were sleeping for most of the first quarter. It was pretty scary there for a bit. They got their first, first down with 6 minutes in the first quarter!!! Thankfully they woke up and put a bunch of points on the board. Then they fell asleep again and let the Utes slowly chip away at the lead until they ended up tying it at the end of regulation play and they had to decide it in overtime!!! Talk about a nail biter!!! The Utes got the ball first and the Coogs held them to a field goal. Then it was the Coogs turn!!!! The Utes were all over the Coogs and it was third down. We needed this play to work or we'd have to settle for a field goal to tie. Max Hall found Andrew George in double coverage, he hit him right in the hands. George grabbed it and held on for dear life expecting to get creamed from both sides, as the two Utes were running at him from opposite directions, but they missed him! They went for the ball instead for going for the tackle and the two Utes ended up crashing into each other and George ran it in for the touchdown and the win!! I still get goosebumps thinking of that play!!! Tons of people stormed the field, I was too chicken and up too high, but everyone went crazy including my sister and I! We were jumping up and down and screaming like little girls! My Cougar Tail I'd bought to bring home was trampled in the excitement. We cracked up over finding it smashed on the floor. (That's a really long maple bar for those not in the know.) What a great game!!!! I love it when the Coogs smash those wimpy Utes!!! Bragging rights until next year are ours!!! You gotta love it! A few days later we went over to Winder Dairy for our annual tradition of eating hot yummy scones with honey butter! I love Winder Dairy! I love that you can still have milk delivered to your house by a Milk Man if you want! I just love it! The Winders had all decorated their houses with cute cow lights. It just isn't December without a drive down Winder Lane. A few week ago we got our first big snow storm and man oh man did it dump on us. We had over a foot of snow that day. We're supposed to get another big storm like that starting tonight. I'm happy about the storm because the snow had almost melted away. You gotta have a white Christmas! My dear friend Shelley found out that she had uterine cancer and had a complete hysterectomy the first week of December. She is a wonderful and amazing woman! As the day of her operation approached she decided to have a "Farewell to my uterus" party. It was packed with her friends and family that love her and we all had a blast. She found out a few days ago that they got to her cancer before it had spread! Thank you Heavenly Father for watching out for my friend! I love you Shelley! My friend from work and I send out Christmas Cards every year as a joke to everyone in our office and a bunch of random people too. Here is this year's picture. Anita is the best! Last but not least this weekend was a time to fit in as many get together as I possibly could before leaving for Phoenix. We had our Relief Society Christmas dinner, a get together with some old mission companions and a "Chocolate and Cheese" party at my place with some wonderful friends from the neighborhood. I didn't get any pictures of the last parties but rest assured we had a blast! I'm so grateful to have such amazing and wonderful friends and family in my life to share the holidays with. You all bless my life more than you'll know! I wish you all much love and happiness and a very Merry Christmas!