For Jeff

Jeff, this song reminds me of us...

Best New Year's Eve EVER!---Steps

Steps for the Best New Year's Eve EVER:
1. Get a husband who plans surprise dates, a brother who's adventurous, and a sister-in-law who's willing to try something new (and maybe illlegal).

2. Go to your's and your brother's old elementary school across town (4 miles away from the strip).

3. Hop the chain link fence.


4. Push the dumpster to the wall of the school


5. Duck as 2 Police cars drive by


6. Shimmy up a pipe with the other 3 to arrive on the roof of the school




7. Climb up more to the 2nd story roof of the school (by way of a ladder this time)


8. Have a seat in the chairs the boys brought and sip some hot chocolate from the cooler they also brought (shinnnying up the pipe doesn't seem as easy any more does it?)


9. Count down to the New Year while looking at the perfect, unobstructed close view of the strip

10. Shout Happy New Year and watch the 12 hotels display their simultaneous and exact firework shows.


The End

And Then There was Golfing

(In between Christmas and New Years that is)

Las Vegas Christmas

What a wonderful Christmas Jeff and I had this year!


Family Christmas Eve Get-Together & Gift Exchange:








Getting cookies ready for Santa!!!




Reading Polar Express and Luke 2 [and watching A Christmas Story (no pictures of the latter, but then again, that's a given)]



Waiting for Santa:



It was a magical Christmas morning...especially when Adam, who was sleeping in Jeff and I's room, excitedly woke us up Christmas morning kicking and laughing and smiling :)

Christmas Day in the Mountains with more family and snow: :)






Merry Christmas to all...and to all, a goodnight.

Midnight Hockey

A few days after Christmas, Ryan mentioned to Jeff and I that The Las Vegas Wranglers were playing a hockey game at midnight at the New Orleans Casino. Jeff wanted to go for the sport, and I wanted to go for the fights!! Okay, let me explain. I don't like fighting...I'm very against it. However, there are certain occasions in life where it is called for becuase someone did something really rude like took the puck away from you. When this happens, I'm all for it! Plus, it's just plain entertaining because the players can't hurt each other too much since they are both wobbling around in quarter-inch blades on ice while wearing huge helmets. We had a great time and (just for your information) there were five fights in total. Sorry...I know you're dissapointed that I don't have videos of the squabbles...next time though, next time.

Bridesmaid Party

One of my best friends Jenny is getting married next year and asked me to be in her wedding :) Over the break, while we were all in town, the four of us got together and went bowling! Jenny did a great job surprising us with matching shirts. Thanks for the fun time girls!

Skiing the Slopes

It was my first time skiing and I only fell down twice! Surprisingly good, right? I'm not for sure, but maybe my experience with ice skating helped a bit. Jeff, my dad, and I had a great time at Mt. Charleston in Las Vegas.


My grandma went with us to watch and to coach me, since she used to be a member of the ski patrol there years ago.


Honestly, I was slightly self-consious about my crazy outfit that day. Many of the other skiiers were wearing bright pink jackets with cute white ski pants, and I was doting this. I guess my excuse is that since I'd never been skiing before, I don't own ski clothes, so I used my dad's (no offense daddy) :)


I got bored with the Bunny Hill after the first try and went down the "Intermediate Hill" the rest of the day. My favorite part, however, was the Ski Lift...what a FUN ride! If you've never been on one, but don't want to ski, I'd highly recommend just going and riding all day.

Tooth Extraction...Ugh

Jeff and I flew into Las Vegas for Christmas on December 21st (myself with a very bad toothache that's been there since March). Trying to ignore it and focus on Christmas...it just got worse. After discussing the matter in the past with dentists, endodontists, and oral surgeons and receiving three root canals on the same tooth, and learning I had an infection that had begun eating away the bone of my poor tooth, I decided to have it removed the next day. Nothing says "excited for Christmas" like having your tooth sawed into 7 pieces and pulled out three days beforehand, right?

It wasn't the worst experience of my life...(that award goes to the pulling of my 4 wisdom teeth in high school), but it sure wasn't pleasant. The surgery came with all the accessories: the gauge, the pain medication, the gaping hole in the very back of my mouth, the soft foods, etc. In fact, I've never taken pain medication before and I hope never to again. The stuff made me feel similar to what I assume it would feel like to be drunk. I tried to help my mom by putting out dinner for the Christmas Eve get-together, and after noticing several of my odd behaviors, like overflowing the bowl of potato salad and wobbling my way around the kitchen she politely said, "Actually, thanks anyway honey, but I think I'll take it from here." The good news was that by Christmas day the pain had almost completely subsided and I was no longer in need of the medicine (I was very grateful and threw it away).

Here are some Before and After Surgery Pictures: (Yes they look the same becuase the tooth that's now missing is, again, in the very back of my mouth, but I've always wanted to post some Before and After Pictures on my blog)

BEFORE:


AFTER:



I miss my tooth, but will be getting an implant soon...and I'll let you know how that goes.