End of the decade

FYI: This is a pretty long post, but I just wrote a lot so I would be able to remember it later.

I don't know why, but I was looking forward to this Christmas break more than ever. Partly because I wanted to see my new (and only) nephew Daniel. Also, we've had a crazy fall quarter of school and I needed to leave LA. Part of it was because I love going to Utah where it is so pretty. Another part of it was because I just love going home and relaxing with my family.

We had a nice break. We didn't do anything really crazy or exciting, but we got to go to Utah and see our families for 2 whole weeks. We drove up on December 18 and didn't get home until January 2. I love being able to stay that long. Top events/activities of the break:

1. We got to go to a BYU basketball game with Kirk's family. The Cougars pulled off a victory 91-38 over Eastern Washington. Not the most exciting game, but it brought back a lot of memories of games we used to go to.

2. I celebrated my 25th birthday by having a fantastic party with my extended family watching the BYU bowl game, shopping with my mom and hanging out with Lindsey and Melissa.

3. We celebrated Chrismas 3 days in a row: first with the Waters family soup night, the the Smith family Christmas Eve party complete with nativity play and Santa Clause and finally with our immediate families. This year we spent Christmas Eve night at Kirk's parent's house and oped presents and ate breakfast with them. Then we headed out to my parents house for more presents and to talk to my brother Alan. He is on his mission in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Right now he is serving in New Oreleans. It was really fun to hear him talk and tell us stories. He has such a funny personality.

4. We were able to go visit Kirk's aunt and uncle who recently moved to Park City from Chicago. They have a beautiful home and we were able to go hiking out their back door. It was fun to spend time with them.

5. I went to a spin (cycling) class with my mom at the fitness center 3 times and we all played raquetball together twice. I think my mom is trying to tell me to get in shape! It was really fun though. I am going to try to keep working out. I rode my bike on the trainer 3 times last week for an hour each. My goal is over 100 hours on the bike this year. I loved playing raquetball too. It is fun to just smash the ball and not worry about where it is going.

6. For New Year's eve, my family went out to dinner and then over to the Morris'. It was fun to play games and celebrate with both families. We had a great time playing ping pong round robin and a mini-tournament. Even Melissa got into it!

7. Kirk, my dad and I went hiking on New Year's day up in American Fork Canyon. It was so beautiful! I love hiking in the snow. I love seeing fresh snow on the pine trees and looking out into the canyon. I really miss those mountains!

8. We also got to go have dinner with Jill and Quintin. I miss those guys! Maybe some day we can live closer and see each other more than once a year!

9. On the way home, we stopped in St. George and stayed over night with my Grandma. It was fun to visit with them. We played a few games of rummy cube and talked. We didn't get to see them very much in Utah County so it was fun to spend some more time with them.

Kirk spent about 6 hours a day studying to take his dental boards. The test is coming up on February 3. I will be so happy when it is over. I really hope that he does well so he won't be as stressed out when applying to oral surgery programs in a few months. It has really been a challenge for him so far to find the motivation to study and stay focused. Pretty much all he wants to do is fish!

It was really nice to have that break. Kirk and I don't have time off together until June now. After he takes these boards, we plan on using our weekends spending a lot of time outside--hiking, biking and fishing. I am planning on hiking Mt. Whitney this summer and need to spend some time in the higher elevations hiking and getting in shape.