Maxwell House: Well that was fast . . .

January seemed to cruise on by . . . perhaps because we were all back to our normal routines of work, school, activities, etc.

Here are some pics from our month:

We were heading up to Littleton that first weekend of January for Emmy to receive her patriarchal blessing from Grandpa Max. I had seen that Sunlight Resort (where we often go skiing) was offering "customer appreciation" day tickets for $25. So we decided to ski on our way up to the front range. Well after one run, I was done. Ha. It's just too cold for me these days and I really just don't enjoy it all that much anymore anyways. But it all worked out because Lucy's ski boot literally broke on our first run down the mountain. A big plastic chunk fell off! Then as we were figuring out everything at the lodge area, the boot just complete fell apart. Haha, they could be 20+ years old - who knows. Anyways, Lucy used my boots and the three of them did runs I would not have wanted to do - plus it was cloudy and quite snowy and so I am pretty sure I would have been miserable. Ben, Emmy, and Lucy had a great day and I enjoyed walking around, hiking on a little trail, and meeting them up for lunch. And staying warm. :)

We got up to Littleton that evening and had a nice dinner with Jim and Diana. On Saturday morning Ben and Emmy went on a run - which included a stop inside Ben's high school to check out the day's wrestling meet. Ben even ran into his coach's son (who's also a coach) and had a good visit with him. Ben loved the nostalgic run. He loved it so much that later in the afternoon, he took Lucy to his high school and they caught some more of the wrestling tournament.

I was wanting a longer run and so I headed out on my own on the Highline Canal. I had about a mile or less to go when I came across a mountain lion! It was down in the gulch and definitely saw me. I was heading towards it and wasn't sure exactly what to do. Except to freak out inside my head - I definitely did that. I just decided to keep running - albeit a bit faster ha - and prayed, literally, for the best. I kept checking behind me to make sure the coast was clear. And it was. As I neared an intersection, a lady called out to me to warn me there was a mountain lion on the trail. It had followed her and she didn't realize it had already gone under the road to the other side of the trail - where I had just come from. She was trying to get a hold of someone to do something - but nobody did. I decided to stay off that trail for my last mile - thinking if the mountain lion came upon me, I would run inside a home. Luckily I never saw it again and now have a good tale to tell. But it was crazy! (Oh, it was a small mountain lion - like a juvenile. But it still freaked me out plenty.)

After our runs and getting all freshened up for the day, Emmy got her patriarchal blessing. It was a special and sweet experience and one I hope Emmy treasures always.

We had a great evening with Joe and Brittany (and Nicholas for a bit before he headed out to a stake dance/activity) that night. We all (including Jim and Diana) had dinner and just a good visit together. Brittany impressed us with her amazing Yoga headstands and handstands. So incredible! We had a good drive back on Sunday after church. It was a nice trip out to Littleton and, as always, so great to see family. (Jonas was working on Friday and snowboarding on Saturday and so he didn't come up with us.)

The next big adventure was California - but just for Emmy. Emmy went with her teammates (Lucy isn't in the high enough levels to go yet) and had a really great time. They flew out Thursday and spent that day and Friday at Huntington beach. Fun! Then Saturday was Disneyland and was another fun day. Sunday was the gymnastics meet at Disneyland hotel. I gave Emmy the choice to decide to compete or not - and she choose to. Which was kind of a bummer to me. But Emmy had a really great meet: she placed 3rd on vault, 2nd on bars, and 3rd all-around. Amazing. Besides being a bit wobbly on beam, she really looked great! Here's a video of all her routines. Emmy got home Monday at noon and took all week to catch up on the sleep she didn't get at California. :)

The girls all rented tandem bikes at the beach. Emmy also had the best Fish & Chips ever there. :) Fun times.

Emmy and Reese soaking up some sun.

The gymnasts and one coach - Jessi B.

Ben was gone for an Army weekend that weekend and so I took Lucy and her friend Ruby up cross-country skiing on the Mesa. There was a free ski-rental event going on and so I thought it would be fun to go. It was fun . . . but I realized kids may not love XC skiing as much as adults just because it's so much work! The girls had a good time, but I don't know if they would have called it "fun." It was beautiful up there, though, that's for sure. The girls did great and we actually spent 2 hours skiing - which is a lot for kids, I think. As the girls were taking off their skis and boots, I went to the car to get the girls' shoes. I used my key fab and opened up the trunk, grabbed their shoes, and then put my backpack with key fab back in the trunk. When we returned to the car . . . it was locked. Boohoo! Turns out that opening the trunk does not 1. Open the car or 2. Keep the trunk unlocked. Waaahhhhh. We were up where there was no service. And I had two cute girls who were tired and hungry (but awesome sports, thankfully). Lunch and drinks, of course, were in the car.

I went up to a group that was there (the Grand Mesa Nordic Counsil) giving lessons that day and explained my situation. They were really of no help and nobody had any service (my phone, of course, was locked with everything else in the car). Anyhow, a stranger heard my plight and offered to take us home. He was an older gentleman (75) and from Grand Junction. So it was really out of his way to take us home - but I had no other choice and so accepted his offer. He was validated by several other individuals up there who knew him (he had volunteered with the counsil before, etc.). So that was a bit of an awkward drive home . . . especially as Lucy started complaining of a horrible headache and her throat hurting - tell-tale signs for Lucy of being car-sick and vomiting at any moment. No way did I want her to throw-up in this kindly stranger's car! Luckily she didn't, but it was pretty dicey . . . :) The gentleman was willing to drive me all the way back up to the Mesa for me to get my car. But I didn't want to have him do that . . . so I told him I would get a ride from a friend back up. . . My good friend Melissa, who went XC skiing that day close to Montrose and had exclaimed "I never have to go on the Mesa again!" willingly and happily drove me up to the Mesa to get my car. Haha. It was a long day! To top it off, I had agreed to clean the gym that weekend . . . I began cleaning at 7:30pm and finished up around 10:45. Long day. But Lucy and Ruby got to hang out all afternoon and night and so they ended up having a really "fun" day after all. :)

Exploring a little "off-trail." Man that was a lot of powder! They didn't get too much further . . .

It really is gorgeous and so wintry up there!

I bought myself a second-hand XC ski set - so skis, boots, and poles. And I've managed to go out four times this month. It's been so great! Here are some pics from my outings: