the Graham Cracker House

Top 11 of Christmas 2011

1. Moose hollow condo!  They just keep getting bigger and better every year!  Probably 'cause our family is exapanding.  My parents and 2 sibs drove down from Washington and the rest of us Utah folk met them in Eden, utah.  This location was chosen based on its proximity to all 3 ski resorts in ogden canyon. Which, as it turned out, was not that crucial this year due to our lack of snow.

2.  Snowbasin!  Still one of my favorite resorts. Even if the snow was a bit icy in places, and the snow-making machines were quite loud (when you skied right past them.  I love the gondolas and the super awesome needles lodge for even brown-baggers to lunch in.  We enjoyed the family runs together.

3. Teaching Maddie to do loop-de-loop!  A classic Murray ski trick. She was scared but I convinced I learned when I was 10 (she is older than 10). I'm 94% sure this is accurate.  Don't worry- she didn't fall,  I did.

4.  the FOOD!  My wonderful chef of a husband make "steak and taters" for our assigned dinner night.  Compliments all around. Good job honey!

5.  the GOODIES!   Everyone  brought their extra cupcakes, homemade marshmellows, chocoaltes, toffees, etc. to share.  We were swimming in goodness.

6.  Getting to know the SIL and BIL's.  I appreciated the time everyone took to play a game to get to know the in-laws.... and enjoyed learning new things about the ones I'm not married to.

7. Meeting Dad's crazy friends from High School.   This comment exemplifes the adequate depth of the misconceptions I have been led to believe my whole life.

DAD:  remember that Sunday my parents were away you had spent the night at my house and we were just waking up...
DAD's FRIEND: ... and then the Bishop knocked on the door with the whole priests quorum...
DAD:  and you were in the shower and I was telling you to hurry!
ME:  but you just slept in on accident right?  you meant to go to church... right?

8. playing tag with the whole family on wolf creek mountain ski resort

9. the hot tub! (okay, not really... more on this later)

10.  second  Christmas!   We opened all of our family presents once all of the family arrived, giving everyone another day of presents a couple days after Christmas

11.  Charades!  And Rollick.  playing games with my fun family.... and my supportive husband who shakes his head and puts up with us.