Monarch Mountain

Thank heaven we found this special place to get away to. I can't tell you how much I cherish our trips to the snowy mountains. This year we were able to bring Mae. Other than missing Destini and Jenny, we were a whole family, and it felt so wonderful. Of course every time we do anything this year I'm thinking, last time with Nolan, so I was so grateful to be all together.

Mae was only able to tolerate a half day of skiing, but she was very brave and went two more times for me even after she was ready to stop. I had a harness on her to help steer her and control her speed. It was fun zooming down together like Santa and a reindeer. She liked the skiing but she didn't like all the head gear and the heavy clothing. Plus it was an extra cold day for us this year. The other small kids were pooped out by lunch time too, so we took them back to the cabin, had lunch together, then Scotty and I and Nolan and Colby hit the slopes in the afternoon. Good thing we got rid of the littles cuz the weather took a turn for the worse. We skied in what felt like a blizzard for several hours. But my gear kept me warm and I felt great the whole time. I love being on the mountain with my people!

We tried to go back for a second day but the lift tickets were sold out, so we relaxed around the cabin and went sledding and went shopping in Salida. Mae made a snowgirl named Tina. We all were happy, happy, happy.

 

Time to take Senior Pics!

Here's my super-model son, showing off his hobbies and interests and our small town setting. I love it all - especially him. Seems like he was just a little boy and I was a young mom. I don't like that either one of us has to grow up! But how could I ever wish to go backwards when I look and see all that he has become? All that he has overcome! He is a glorious being undergoing a divine process.  And now I can see that all the sin and sorrow and struggle, and the failure and the faith and the fight, were worth it. He is a radiant soul. If pointed at the right path, his potential is boundless. Not only will he succeed and find joy, he will raise up everyone around him, by virtue of his blinding light. And that's not bias. It's just gospel truth.

Colby's Sweet Sixteen

 

Colby's birthday is always the first exciting event of each new year. This year he's turning 16 though - so he's an extra big deal. Gma and I worked on a personalized hoodie covered in patches for him (mostly scout memories and significant places and dates, and Jonny made it extra cool by contributing some avengers patches). The end product was a super rad, very custom, very Colby hoodie. Aside from opening gifts in the morning, he was able to spend his day with his brother and friends (Ty Boone and Walker Green) in Great Bend at the movies and at Freddy's for dinner. Pretty sure they spent some time at the Boone's house as well before they headed home. We celebrated him at home as a family with warm, homemade banana caramel cake. I hope he knows how special he is and how much we adore him.

New Year's in New Mexico

Since we were going to have to be on the road for New Year's (traveling home from Arizona), we (the kids and I - Scott flew back for work earlier) decided to make it fun by going the long way and stopping in Alamogordo. Our old friends the Spencers were so kind to meet us at White Sands for some cold, uncomfortable sledding and then let us crash their New Year's Eve party at their house. I'm so glad/grateful we had a "home" to borrow and loved ones to be with on that big deal of a night. Saying goodbye to 2020, after all, was no side note or after thought. Everyone, including us, took hope and relished in the excitement of a clean slate and a new start. I pray that our society can recover from the anger and the ugly that Covid and the Presidential election (and just bad attitudes in general) caused this last year. I don't mind hard things, but in 2021, I hope we (all people) find reasons to come together rather than continually push apart.