Happy New Year 2009!!!

It's about time for an update. The last two weeks I spent my Christmas vacation home in Arizona with my family, minus my brother and sister-in-law who couldn't make it home. Anyway, it was just what I needed! A nice long break in the warm weather. Although, it actually did snow the day after Christmas here in Thatcher!! It was the highlight for everyone around here, let me tell you!

Drving down from Provo, there was snow almost the whole way, almost all the way to Phoenix, which is very unusual......snow in the desert!

So I was super excited this year for Christmas and New Years since I didn't really get to celebrate last year being in Spain. I LOVED it!! The anticipation was so much fun! So for Christmas, I gave everyone in my family a book that I had put together - pictures from all over Spain (You can see a preview and even buy one by clicking on the button on the right). Anyway, they all had to open them together so I didn't want them to all be the same shape and size....too obvious! So being the tricky person I am, I took some board games from the closet and emptied them of their contents, placing the books inside. So on Christmas morning (it was so awesome) everyone opens their "board games" and are like, "cool. thanks!" Then they realized there is something inside. They were shocked. I tricked 'em good :) Here's some pics from Christmas morning.

Notice the "fireplace" behind us...it's not Christmas without it!

My mom in her stylin' leather jacket-

Even the poochie got some presents-

I don't even remember what I did the whole break, but we did some fun things. My family played lots of games. Our favorites are Speed Scrabble and Yahtzee among others. I also went mountain biking, drove up to Fry Mesa to hike around, got to see an old Indian Cliff Dwelling, and went sledding - which I unfortunately crashed into a brick wall...ouch! I sprained my hand pretty good (I'm having a little trouble typing this as we speak, or rather read...haha) and tore up my back pretty good. It was worth it though!

So I wanted to check out the Indian Cliff Dwelling for my Winterim, which I will be teaching after coming back from Christmas break. Three weeks are set aside to teach whatever, so I'll be doing a segment on Native Americans during that time. It long was a long off-road drive through mud pits and rivers - one of the funnest roads I've been on in fact. Anyway, this is one of the best preserved Indian dwellings....




Here's some pics from Fry Mesa





Now I have a long journey driving back to UT tomorrow to the land of snow.....
Sure wish I could stay here in AZ....