Just Catching Up
The last several weeks have been something of a blur. Here's an update on some of what's been going on during the extended holiday(s) season:
Giving Thanks
Looking back at previous entries, I see that I promised to write more about the trip to Colorado for Thanksgiving. I also see that I never did so. So here's a recap.
Having taken two exams on the Wednesday before T-Day, I made my way back home and started getting stuff ready for the trip. Due to some difficulties with Nancy's car, we took the Dreadnought. Nancy arrived at my house in the early afternoon, and we made our way eastward. The weather was good, if cold and a little windy, and the roads were clear. We made good time. We stopped in Laramie to refuel, and turned south on Highway 287. We rolled into Fort Collins, and I drove us past the headquarters of Ranch-Way Feeds, where my Dad works. We got a little lost from there to the freeway, but eventually we ended up safe and sound at The Homestead in Johnstown.
It's worth noting here that The Homestead isn't what it used to be. Mom and Dad just bought a new house. It's a manufactured home, and it's gorgeous. They actually bought it in July, but what with arranging the financing and actually getting it set up, we were able to help them move in over Thanksgiving weekend. The funniest part of the moving process was Uncle Daryl. Once the furniture and such was set up, he went in search of coaxial cable. He and dad spent the next couple of hours moving the TV from the old house to the new house and running cable to the satellite...all so that Daryl could watch that night's Duke basketball game. That's dedication.
Thanksgiving with the family was a good time. We got to see everyone, though Aaron's schedule prevented us from seeing very much of him. Still, we got to spend an afternoon with the nieces. We took them to see Wallace & Gromit - Curse of the Were-Rabbit. We all loved it, even Nancy, who had some small prejudices against W&G due to a previous roommate. We also got to see Sam and Kendra and spend some time playing games with the whole family. And of course there was good food, and a lot of it. Good times.
The drive back to Utah was a bit more interesting. We went to church in Johnstown on Sunday morning. That fact alone amazes me. When I was in high school, I was the only active member of the Church in the town. Now there's a chapel there. Anyway, we went just for the Sacrament, then turned north to try to beat an incoming storm. We drove through unnaturally strong winds along the front range, then turned west at Cheyenne to be greeted by blowing snow and occasional white-out conditions. We got as far as Laramie. There we found that I-80 was closed all the way to Rawlins due to slippery roads and numerous accidents. There were rumors flying around about when the road might open, but about 3:00 we gave up hope. We managed to find appropriate lodging before all the rooms in town were rented out.
From there we went about trying to make the best of the situation. Nancy had brought along a portable DVD player and a few DVDs. The picture was fine, but the sound was just too low. So we went in search of cables to hook the unit up to a hotel room TV. We started at K-Mart, which was a complete waste of time. We were thinking next of Wal-Mart, but on the way there we spotted Radio Shack. Problem solved. They set us up with the appropriate cables, as well as letting me use one of their computers to e-mail my lab partners and let them know I wouldn't be there for lab the next day. We picked up some cocoa and other necessaries, and settled in for a cozy if unanticipated evening together.
One of the DVDs we watched was Shallow Hal. I was amazed at how much I liked it. I'm usually not a big fan of romantic comedies, because they tend to be filled with fluff. This one actually has some substance (no pun intended). And Jack Black was fantastic. There's been some small talk of anti-heroes over at Rhetorical Imprints. Jack Black makes a great one. He was fantastic in King Kong, too. What a slimeball.
We left Laramie on Monday morning around 9:00. The road was slick in places on the way to Rawlins, and we had some snow flurries outside Evanston, but otherwise the journey back was without unnecessary complications. Safe and sound back in Utah, I prepared for the coming of Finals, about which I've already written at length.
Christmas Festivities
I managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done in time to send a package off to Colorado by December 19th. The one exception was Aaron's present. When I was in Colorado for Mom's surprise retirement party in June, Aaron had talked about a certain tape he liked when we were back in high school. I made a mental note and looked for the CD on Amazon.com. I found it and ordered it in early December, but got an e-mail back a week or so later saying they were out of stock. They did have another edition of the CD they could substitute, if that was okay with me. I let them know it was okay, and they processed the order. I got another e-mail from them on December 16th, stating that the CD had shipped—from England. So I sent everything else off, and called Aaron to tell him his present would be delayed. He was fine with that.
I spent Christmas with Nancy and her family. Nancy's father passed away last April, so this was their first Christmas without him. Nancy and I decided it would be best for us to be with her Mom for the holiday. I'm glad we did.
The holiday actually started for us on the 24th. I had received a card in the mail the day before with some Chili's gift cards. So I took Nancy out for Christmas Eve dinner. It was wonderful. We called Mom in the middle of the meal to thank her. She said that's what she'd sent the cards for, so that we could have a night on the town on the folks. My parents rock.
Nancy drove up on Christmas morning and we went to my ward for the Christmas service. Then we went to her Mom's ward and sat with her for that service. It was interesting to see how the two wards chose to celebrate the day. In my ward, we had a program where the ward choir, the Primary, a soloist, and the congregation all got involved in the singing. We also had several speakers, mostly the older people in the ward. In Nancy's Mom's ward, the program featured a narrator, one hymn from the ward choir, and a talk by the Bishop. Everything else was congregational singing. Both services were inspirational and thought-provoking.
We spent the rest of Christmas day with Nancy's family. We traded presents, of course. I impressed Nancy with some of my choices—the "100% Funk CD", particularly. And she got me some fun stuff, too: a book called "The Way Things Work", the "National Treasure" DVD, and as previously mentioned, "Firefly". It struck me as a good sign how well we were getting to know each other's tastes in music, movies, and so on.
Christmas dinner was shared with Nancy's Mom, her brother Ben, her sister Laurie, and her sister Jennifer and her family. All told, I believe there were eight of us there. We ate a good and plentiful meal, then shared some stories and experiences. We also played games, including "The Price Is Right" DVD game. I won a Chevy pickup truck and $1000 in the spin-off, but I overbid on my showcase. So Nancy won instead. I was okay with that.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Eve wend by quickly. Plans were made, then altered, then unmade. But by the end of 2005, we had plans to bring in the new year in style.
In With the New
We went to Salt Lake's First Night celebration with my roommate and his not-really-girlfriend, the two people who are responsible for introducing Nancy and me in the first place. It was a lot of fun, even for being way past my normal bedtime and all.
We drove to the nearest train station and took light rail into downtown. We got to the Salt Palace around 8:00 that night. A large stage was set up outside, where a band called Soul Survivors was playing. We got there, and we were trying to decide whether to go inside or stay out and listen to the band. I said, "Let's listen to these guys. They have saxophones." I felt a little sorry for their lead singer, though. She had to have been cold. Spaghetti-strap top + Utah in late December = not the best idea you might have for staying warm.
We watched the concert in the wind and rain for a while. Then the sky just opened up, and by the time we made it to shelter, we were all soaked. We made our way through the Salt Palace up towards Temple Square. We caught an LDS comedy sketch at the Assembly hall and some Celtic Dancers at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Then we went back to the Salt Palace, where we spent an hour learning the basics of salsa dancing. Nancy LOVES to dance, and I actually had a ballroom dance class once upon a time. By the end of the hour, I seem to have discovered a little rhythm left in these legs. There may be hope for me yet.
By this time it was approaching midnight, so we made our way back outside to the stage area. We were greeted by a light rain and the music of Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Chas. The band had great energy, but to be perfectly honest, all their songs sounded pretty much the same to me. Maybe I just don't have a proper understanding of zydeco music yet.
We greeted the New Year in the traditional manner, with fireworks and such. There were some women throwing beads into the crowd, and Nancy wanted some. So I waved to one of them, and they threw the beads in my direction. I reached up nonchalantly and caught them. Nancy was impressed. So was I, for that matter.
From there the four of us went back to the house and made breakfast. We had hot cocoa and herbal tea, pancakes (or was it waffles?), eggs, and sausage. Between the trip back, the cooking, and the conversation, it was about 3:30 in the morning when everyone went their separate ways.
And thus the busy holiday season came to an end, six weeks of pure chaos and great moments. I hope the season was good to all you loyal readers, too. Have a great 2006!
Giving Thanks
Looking back at previous entries, I see that I promised to write more about the trip to Colorado for Thanksgiving. I also see that I never did so. So here's a recap.
Having taken two exams on the Wednesday before T-Day, I made my way back home and started getting stuff ready for the trip. Due to some difficulties with Nancy's car, we took the Dreadnought. Nancy arrived at my house in the early afternoon, and we made our way eastward. The weather was good, if cold and a little windy, and the roads were clear. We made good time. We stopped in Laramie to refuel, and turned south on Highway 287. We rolled into Fort Collins, and I drove us past the headquarters of Ranch-Way Feeds, where my Dad works. We got a little lost from there to the freeway, but eventually we ended up safe and sound at The Homestead in Johnstown.
It's worth noting here that The Homestead isn't what it used to be. Mom and Dad just bought a new house. It's a manufactured home, and it's gorgeous. They actually bought it in July, but what with arranging the financing and actually getting it set up, we were able to help them move in over Thanksgiving weekend. The funniest part of the moving process was Uncle Daryl. Once the furniture and such was set up, he went in search of coaxial cable. He and dad spent the next couple of hours moving the TV from the old house to the new house and running cable to the satellite...all so that Daryl could watch that night's Duke basketball game. That's dedication.
Thanksgiving with the family was a good time. We got to see everyone, though Aaron's schedule prevented us from seeing very much of him. Still, we got to spend an afternoon with the nieces. We took them to see Wallace & Gromit - Curse of the Were-Rabbit. We all loved it, even Nancy, who had some small prejudices against W&G due to a previous roommate. We also got to see Sam and Kendra and spend some time playing games with the whole family. And of course there was good food, and a lot of it. Good times.
The drive back to Utah was a bit more interesting. We went to church in Johnstown on Sunday morning. That fact alone amazes me. When I was in high school, I was the only active member of the Church in the town. Now there's a chapel there. Anyway, we went just for the Sacrament, then turned north to try to beat an incoming storm. We drove through unnaturally strong winds along the front range, then turned west at Cheyenne to be greeted by blowing snow and occasional white-out conditions. We got as far as Laramie. There we found that I-80 was closed all the way to Rawlins due to slippery roads and numerous accidents. There were rumors flying around about when the road might open, but about 3:00 we gave up hope. We managed to find appropriate lodging before all the rooms in town were rented out.
From there we went about trying to make the best of the situation. Nancy had brought along a portable DVD player and a few DVDs. The picture was fine, but the sound was just too low. So we went in search of cables to hook the unit up to a hotel room TV. We started at K-Mart, which was a complete waste of time. We were thinking next of Wal-Mart, but on the way there we spotted Radio Shack. Problem solved. They set us up with the appropriate cables, as well as letting me use one of their computers to e-mail my lab partners and let them know I wouldn't be there for lab the next day. We picked up some cocoa and other necessaries, and settled in for a cozy if unanticipated evening together.
One of the DVDs we watched was Shallow Hal. I was amazed at how much I liked it. I'm usually not a big fan of romantic comedies, because they tend to be filled with fluff. This one actually has some substance (no pun intended). And Jack Black was fantastic. There's been some small talk of anti-heroes over at Rhetorical Imprints. Jack Black makes a great one. He was fantastic in King Kong, too. What a slimeball.
We left Laramie on Monday morning around 9:00. The road was slick in places on the way to Rawlins, and we had some snow flurries outside Evanston, but otherwise the journey back was without unnecessary complications. Safe and sound back in Utah, I prepared for the coming of Finals, about which I've already written at length.
Christmas Festivities
I managed to get most of my Christmas shopping done in time to send a package off to Colorado by December 19th. The one exception was Aaron's present. When I was in Colorado for Mom's surprise retirement party in June, Aaron had talked about a certain tape he liked when we were back in high school. I made a mental note and looked for the CD on Amazon.com. I found it and ordered it in early December, but got an e-mail back a week or so later saying they were out of stock. They did have another edition of the CD they could substitute, if that was okay with me. I let them know it was okay, and they processed the order. I got another e-mail from them on December 16th, stating that the CD had shipped—from England. So I sent everything else off, and called Aaron to tell him his present would be delayed. He was fine with that.
I spent Christmas with Nancy and her family. Nancy's father passed away last April, so this was their first Christmas without him. Nancy and I decided it would be best for us to be with her Mom for the holiday. I'm glad we did.
The holiday actually started for us on the 24th. I had received a card in the mail the day before with some Chili's gift cards. So I took Nancy out for Christmas Eve dinner. It was wonderful. We called Mom in the middle of the meal to thank her. She said that's what she'd sent the cards for, so that we could have a night on the town on the folks. My parents rock.
Nancy drove up on Christmas morning and we went to my ward for the Christmas service. Then we went to her Mom's ward and sat with her for that service. It was interesting to see how the two wards chose to celebrate the day. In my ward, we had a program where the ward choir, the Primary, a soloist, and the congregation all got involved in the singing. We also had several speakers, mostly the older people in the ward. In Nancy's Mom's ward, the program featured a narrator, one hymn from the ward choir, and a talk by the Bishop. Everything else was congregational singing. Both services were inspirational and thought-provoking.
We spent the rest of Christmas day with Nancy's family. We traded presents, of course. I impressed Nancy with some of my choices—the "100% Funk CD", particularly. And she got me some fun stuff, too: a book called "The Way Things Work", the "National Treasure" DVD, and as previously mentioned, "Firefly". It struck me as a good sign how well we were getting to know each other's tastes in music, movies, and so on.
Christmas dinner was shared with Nancy's Mom, her brother Ben, her sister Laurie, and her sister Jennifer and her family. All told, I believe there were eight of us there. We ate a good and plentiful meal, then shared some stories and experiences. We also played games, including "The Price Is Right" DVD game. I won a Chevy pickup truck and $1000 in the spin-off, but I overbid on my showcase. So Nancy won instead. I was okay with that.
The week between Christmas and New Year's Eve wend by quickly. Plans were made, then altered, then unmade. But by the end of 2005, we had plans to bring in the new year in style.
In With the New
We went to Salt Lake's First Night celebration with my roommate and his not-really-girlfriend, the two people who are responsible for introducing Nancy and me in the first place. It was a lot of fun, even for being way past my normal bedtime and all.
We drove to the nearest train station and took light rail into downtown. We got to the Salt Palace around 8:00 that night. A large stage was set up outside, where a band called Soul Survivors was playing. We got there, and we were trying to decide whether to go inside or stay out and listen to the band. I said, "Let's listen to these guys. They have saxophones." I felt a little sorry for their lead singer, though. She had to have been cold. Spaghetti-strap top + Utah in late December = not the best idea you might have for staying warm.
We watched the concert in the wind and rain for a while. Then the sky just opened up, and by the time we made it to shelter, we were all soaked. We made our way through the Salt Palace up towards Temple Square. We caught an LDS comedy sketch at the Assembly hall and some Celtic Dancers at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. Then we went back to the Salt Palace, where we spent an hour learning the basics of salsa dancing. Nancy LOVES to dance, and I actually had a ballroom dance class once upon a time. By the end of the hour, I seem to have discovered a little rhythm left in these legs. There may be hope for me yet.
By this time it was approaching midnight, so we made our way back outside to the stage area. We were greeted by a light rain and the music of Nathan Williams & The Zydeco Cha Chas. The band had great energy, but to be perfectly honest, all their songs sounded pretty much the same to me. Maybe I just don't have a proper understanding of zydeco music yet.
We greeted the New Year in the traditional manner, with fireworks and such. There were some women throwing beads into the crowd, and Nancy wanted some. So I waved to one of them, and they threw the beads in my direction. I reached up nonchalantly and caught them. Nancy was impressed. So was I, for that matter.
From there the four of us went back to the house and made breakfast. We had hot cocoa and herbal tea, pancakes (or was it waffles?), eggs, and sausage. Between the trip back, the cooking, and the conversation, it was about 3:30 in the morning when everyone went their separate ways.
And thus the busy holiday season came to an end, six weeks of pure chaos and great moments. I hope the season was good to all you loyal readers, too. Have a great 2006!
posted by Michael at
3:53 PM
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