Category Archives: Family

My Christmas Gift

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The holidays are already perfect, my family is here and we are having so much fun.

To top it all off, I’m getting the perfect gift:

Apparently (and fortunately) the whole wall was held together with dirt and toothpaste – making the demo process easy.

We’re about halfway done taking it apart after one night’s work and will probably finish the rest, wall it up, put in the fireplace and order stone soon! We can actually finally use the basement!

Family

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When you marry someone, you are hoping to find a partner, love, and happiness.

If you are lucky, you marry that person’s family too, and become part of it.

MK’s grandma passed away this week. This woman was a real matriarch of a big family. She was a huge part of her community, a teacher, friend, historian.

To me, she was the teacher of pinochle, the woman always smiling, and the sharer of MK’s childhood. The excuse for a giant plate full of KFC. She was open and loving to me, and I feel truly blessed for the times we visited and spent with her.

You can’t be too sad when someone passes who was lucky enough to rock this world for over 90 years.

You can’t be too sad when because of her, you have a wonderful husband, and family full of in laws, aunts, uncles, and enough cousins to lose count of!

This reminds me to be bigger than myself, part of a whole picture, to cherish my loved ones, and honor the family that came before us with love.

As one wonderful cousin put it:

Frances Pauline Strickler Killfoil, 2/9/18-10/10/11. Mother, teacher, volunteer, cut throat card player and bad ass fiddler, but mostly an amazing Grandma. You will be missed, I love you.

Catch Up

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So I’m sitting in the basement while I paint the last of the doors, listening to this free SXSW music channel thinking about the past few weeks – and cracking up about poor KD today.

  1. I’m so pumped about SXSW. Might be the only thing I like more than skiing.
  2. Why can’t free stuff be good? I can’t skip the songs I’d never go see in a million years.
  3. I called, texted, emailed, and retexted KD FROM A CHAIRLIFT this AM to ensure myself a SXSW wristband.

KD told me she ran out of something probably a little important (reason why I hide names here LOL) to get us two coveted wristbands to enjoy music for the week of SXSW. Yay!

SO

I have had some crazy times here in our sweet little chalet!

  • We met neighbors that told us everyone refers to our house as “The Snowed Inn“. It is probably picking on us. But I love it. Need to get a sign made.
  • We had events and goings on since we returned from our great big Brian Head/Vegas road trip. Which, I didn’t mention over on Ski Utah but was almost a complete train wreck: when we pulled out of the driveway all pack up and the windshield shattered. But it survived and we made it. There are two posts (Are You In? and Brian Head vs. Vegas) up over there.
  • KK (BIL) and TD came to visit. It was a crazy weekend of MK and I (fine, mostly me) trying to fit in 100 million tips and suggestions and life advice and love and conversations we don’t get to have all the time. TD is pretty amazing and a little like me, wanting us to be a FAMILY. Like, the real big grown up kind.
  • While they were here, they had other friends staying on Main St. that we got to watch the Super Bowl with, ski with a bunch, and even ski with after TD and KK had flown home. Not only were they fantastic, the loved MK playing tour guide, my mountain picks, suggestions, videos, etc. etc. So much we got gifted Vodka. So that’s obviously a lot. Yay.
  • The same night the KK and TD leave, NDL and JS arrive. Crazy enough, JC had called and proved my fear true that Austin could NOT survive without him, so he’s road tripping back and I get to see HIM that night TOO. Talk about a house full. And more wine corks in one night than ever, totally a house record.
  • JC took off (boo, see you soon!) and it was back to what 2011 has been all about – skiing. I must have skied more days this season than in the last two put together, already. But that’s awesome. Wouldn’t have it any other way. NDL and JS were great company, reminding me that I have the GREATEST friends that are SO FUN and full of LOVE.
  • Ski Utah asked me back! That’s right. I think I can announce they actually like me, thanks to all of you that read and comment, enough to let me stay blogging for next year too! I couldn’t be happier.
  • Let’s see, what else…we went snow-shoeing! It was the greatest, which sucks because 1.all I need is another expensive winter hobby (things are like 300$!) and 2.now I’m hooked on the idea of back country skiing (also $$$). But hey, it was bound to happen (I’d been fighting it) and that’s why we live here right!??!

I sure don’t want to jinx it, but 2011 is starting out being totally incredible. It might not seem like much when you write it all down to share, but it’s been better than I’d ever dreamed for us. I feel so blessed and hope that each and everyone of you wondering why I’m not calling is now all caught up and is also having a great year!!

Good Times!

Gifts!

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So, I did get some other gifts too…

First thing I love: Christmas decorations at 60% off.

(Doesn’t this look like something out of a magazine?

And it’s just a wreath for MY fireplace! And it was SEVEN DOLLARS).

Second: A Dadd who spent forever finding me some vintage skis to hang and make some art out of for the house!

 

And third: Super sweet (and taxing) treasure hunt around the house (inside and out!) for the perfect gift from hubby:

Ski Utah better watch out now! :)

Sentimental

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We don’t really DO Christmas. I get sad about it sometime, staying here to ski instead of going home. I get sad that I’m not better at organizing something or planning a party or buying everyone their dream gifts.

This year on Christmas Eve I received a gorgeous sign from my friends K+TP. A candle from MIL. Some stocking stuffers from Momm and Dadd.

I knew it was the one real gift under my tree to save for last from my Meme – Dadd’s mommy. I wasn’t sure what it was until I opened it. And paged through it. And cried and cried and cried.

I think this gift is very special, one that you should immediately go and buy for your loved ones.

I bought this book for Meme and she filled it out and returned it to me. It’s questions about her past, present, life observations and family stories.

She left nothing blank, word for word the questions fill out her whole being and are there now for my children and theirs to someday read. It’s pretty exceptional. The perfect gift!

Ginormous Family

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This Thanksgiving, we were thankful for everyone. We should have spent the holiday with someone, but we didn’t. We had a just us Thanksgiving.

With my parents here earlier in the month we talked about when I was little and my Dad’s family had 200 cousins 300 second cousins and more crazy people than fit in a house stuffed in to a house. I miss that.

MK has gotten closer to both sides of his family now that we are married, and we have that family again – a BIG one. His Daddy and Mommy have big ol’ families.

Both our families are spread out, and we’re trying to plan the best plan for family times. We wish we could be with everyone – our being with “no one” was our way to stay out of trouble – but we talked about it and have divided our time pretty fairly ( I was surprised to admit it)!

Even though we’ve been married five years, as we talk about starting a family we’re lost. How do you prioritize family time? I wish everyone could fly here – I’d do it all. I wish we could blend our families and make them meet halfway – we are in the middle of the easts/wests both our families have.

Even for little things – it was my Uncle’s birthday last night, so we toasted him, as we do every family member – I kind of stink at sending cards…how do you make it work??

Facebook was and is a uniter, we appreciate it so much. But it isn’t enough! We need a plan!!

Suggestions?

Amazing

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There’s no way for any picture to do the Grand Canyon justice. We took 1000 anyway. I’m so happy my parents invited us to AZ and we made the drive out. Getting to see it with my own eyes and experience it with them yesterday was remarkable. The white line you see at the top rim is 800 feet wide, 12 miles away from us.