Back Home for New Years

Our trip home from Wyoming took a record 19 hours.  But we ate our way through four states, listened to some good tunes and took in all of the sights along the way.  It was good to get back home and see our house, yard, and eventually our friends.  We’ll spend the next week or so in ‘quarantine’, just to make sure we didn’t bring any COVID-19 home with us.  The garden went crazy while we were gone.  We’re pretty excited to enjoy some greens as soon as we can!

The Chinese cabbage and boc choy even decided it was time to bloom.  The bees are super happy about that!  A hard freeze is expected at our house tonight, so fingers crossed that the garden and avocados will pull through. 

Wyoming Christmas

After leaving North Carolina, we had a day of rest in Denver, then we were off to Wyoming for Christmas number two!  Wyoming always gets us in the Christmas spirit with the chill in the air and usually snow on the ground, although there was very little this year, it is so dry!  Steve’s parents joined us for a day in Wyoming, before heading back home and leaving us there for a little more time.

No matter the weather, Wyoming is always outdoorsy and low key.  One of our first activities was antler shed hunting near our daughter and her fiancé’s house.  We didn’t have any luck, but it was a fun way to enjoy the grasslands and get some exercise.

We had a wonderful elk roast Christmas dinner.  Our daughter has a knack for cooking wild game meat and making it taste absolutely amazing!  Unfortunately, I didn’t get any pictures of our fabulous meal, but none the less, it was a huge hit!

We enjoyed several gift exchanges as family members came and went from their house. It was so nice to get to see everyone, although our time together was much too short.

Our daughter’s fiancé is a pilot, and has been so busy lately that he hasn’t had time to let his plane stretch it’s wings, so one calm morning he took the plane out for a quick flight, and we met him out on a country road to see him fly.

We spent a little time at the newly opened Black Tooth Brewery in town.  It has by far the best small batch beer I have ever tasted, and the atmosphere is spot on.  Right now it is indoors only, but by summer they should have their outdoor space complete.  I can’t wait for that.

We also tried a Thai restaurant that was new to us, I think it was called Thai Bistro.  It was just a few blocks from the brewery, and was super good!  We’ll definitely be back there as well!

Most of our time was spent hanging out, cooking, doing small projects together and enjoying each other’s company.  It seems like winter in Wyoming is made for that

Before we knew it, the sun was setting on our Wyoming Christmas.  We had been watching the weather, and there were winter weather advisories coming up for the whole next week, so we found our weather window and headed south.  We would have to take the long route to avoid the storms, but were happy to do it, and just appreciated our time here so much!

North Carolina for an Early Christmas

We drove from Phoenix to Denver, where we picked up Steve’s parents and caught a flight from Denver to Raleigh-Durham, NC.  Steve’s parents talk to both of our girls daily, but have never had a chance to see either of their new homes, communities or lives.  So we decided it would be fun to take them along on our trip.  We enjoyed quality family time, music, dancing, Christmas gifts, great food  and lots of playing and toddler cuddles. 

My favorite picture from our trip!  Grandpa and our 18 month old grandson. So precious!

Christmas lunch while we opened presents.

Gift time!

Baby Einstein books!  Mom said he would love them, but we were skeptical.  She was right, and we were wrong!  He thought they were great!

From his great grandparents he got all kinds of big brother gifts to help him welcome a new baby brother or sister.

We had a great time playing with big brother toys!

 

He quickly figured out that his new baby bed could double as a baby backpack, and once he put it on, we couldn’t take it off.  It’s just like the backpack his daddy carries him in, and he loves it!  And if you take a picture of him, he’ll show you his ‘cheese’ face.

Our main gift to our grandson this year was a strider bike.  He was a huge help putting it together and couldn’t wait to ride it.

Riding in the street is fine, but when you can ride on a balance beam, it’s even better!

We enjoyed an adventure in the woods behind their house.

 

When we came out from the woods, he couldn’t find his new strider bike.  I asked him where it was and he said ‘I don’t know’ as clear as could be.

So grandpa helped him find it.

Christmas dinner was ribs.  You can’t go wrong with that!

This little man is very fond of ribs.

We all spent some time just relaxing and enjoying.

Making Christmas nuts for neighbors…

Watching a Broncos game…

And more playing!

Before we left, we enjoyed a tour around their area!  So beautiful, and it has a great southern feel!

Our time in North Carolina has come to an end, but we still have more Christmas festivities to enjoy!

Estrella Mountain, Golfing With Old Friends

One of Steve’s former colleagues, Steve, lives in the Phoenix area, and another one from Denver, Dave, was coming into town, so we set up a golf date at Estrella Mountain. It has been about 15 years since Steve has seen Dave, and about 8 years since he has seen Steve.  It was quite a reunion over a game of golf.  Dave and Steve were on their 4th day of golf in as many days and played incredibly well compared to Steve and I who were nice and fresh. 

It was a beautiful golf course, and a gorgeous day, and so much fun seeing these two again.  When we finished our game, we all went over to Steve and Nancy’s beautiful home for appetizers and drinks, and then we all enjoyed a great meal at one of their favorite Italian restaurants.  What a fun day with old friends!