Did the tree look that big in the forest?

I think Merril and I get less and less picky about our Christmas trees the older we get.  We pull over, look for 5 minutes, pick one, saw it down and head to Jacob Lake Inn for treats or dinner.  This years tree is pretty flippin' awesome!  It might be bigger than our living room.  *eyes wide*

It looks so nice decorated.  It's so nice to watch tv in the evening with just the tree for lighting.  Merry Christmas!!

Cutting a Christmas tree!!!!

Coming back from Phoenix, we planned ahead and packed a saw and purchased a tree permit ahead of time.  It was a little cold but not very snowy so it was okay.

I'm pretty excited about it being Christmas time!!

Really I only need this guy for Christmas!  Love him so much!

Thanksgiving in Phoenix...

It was our turn to have Thanksgiving with Merril's side of the family and so we went to Phoenix.  Jody wanted to do a run and so we signed up the WHOLE family!  Merril, Maxine and Jack ran the 5K, Juliet and I ran the 1-mile fun run and Mikayla and Mark ran like a 10-yard dash.  

We were able to personalize our running bibs.  LOL!

Julie and I ran first.  I was too chicken to run the 5K.  I've been running consistently for about a year but I only run for 20 minutes at a time and I didn't want to be wiped out for the rest of the day.  Julie was kind enough to run with me.

We watched the littles while everyone else did the 5K.

Bubbies!!

It was a good time.

The next day, Grandma wanted to ride bicycles to the temple in Gilbert, AZ.  It's about an 8-miles bike ride.  Mikayla and Bubbies wanted to ride with the big kids but they were a little slow and the streets were really busy.  After a mile, we pulled them and transported them closer to the temple and waited for the others.

We rented a house down there, which is pretty much the only way I want to vacation anymore.  It's SO NICE to have our own space to veg.

After 11 Years, My Backyard is Going In!

I've saved and now it's finally time for work to start on the backyard!  I even remembered to take before pictures!  

Dirt arrived!

Dirt moving!!

It's so smooth!

Yay!

Mark's 1st Bike...

Mark's friend, Liam, has one of those balance bikes: no pedals, just meant to help little kids learn to balance on a bicycle.  Liam is great at it and Mark steals his little bike often.  Merril looked around at Target and WalMart to see if he could get one but they didn't have any.  I've heard they come out around Christmas and thought it would be the best present for him.  Merril was on a mission because the nice weather has been holding on forever this year.  By Christmas, it would be cold.  He posted on the online yard sale that he was looking for a used one and someone commented that they were just about to list this one:

It's a Honda-edition Strider bike in great condition!  Strider bikes are the original and pricey ones!  There are lots of knock offs but he got an original for $20.  They're usually around $100.  Score!

Mark and Liam have been racing all morning.

Thanks for not listening to me Merril!

Lost Wedding Ring...

Feeling a little sad today.  Mikayla and a few friends (Luke and Jesslynn) were playing dress up.  Mikayla suggested that they use my rings to dress up with because they were pretending to do a wedding.  Mikayla handed out rings from my ring holder in my bathroom.  Then they went to play.  Thankfully I was wearing my engagement ring with the real diamonds!  Unfortunately, my wedding band that Merril gave me on our wedding day is missing.  :(  

Jesslynn's Mom (Lisa) found one ring at her house while she was vacuuming the carpet.  It's silver and CZ.  Merril gave it to me a few years back.  I asked Luke's Mom (Dana) if she could look around at her house.  She keeps her house really clean and looked around and under beds but no luck.  So I fasted and prayed to find it and then we cleaned the whole house.  I emptied closets and cleaned out under all the beds with the help of the kids.  I looked under all the couches and in my bedroom and bathroom and closet.  Nothing.  I've told the kids who live on our street that if they find it, I'll give them $20.  I keep getting the feeling that it will turn up someday.  So I've done everything I can think to do and I keep scanning as I walk around.  It's been missing since November 11th.  

I have hope though.  My Dad lost his wedding ring while petting a dog in his front yard.  Three years later, he spotted the ring in the grass and my Mom had it resized to fit her finger since they had purchased another ring for my Dad.  Three years!!  It's going to be one of those stories!  It's going to show up one day!  #gottahavefaith  

25 Hours of Frog Hollow...

The RV!  IT LIVES!  This motorhome is ours.  We bought it over the summer, broken.  It was supposed to be a kind of easy engine fix but it turned out to be a huge project!  But it's finally finished and just in time for a 25-hour bike relay that Merril was in.

Merril was in a relay group with Wade Beatty, Adam Fluckiger, Dan Moore, Logan Phipps, and a few other people I didn't really know.  We came out to watch Merril race!

The race takes place when Daylight Savings Time ends.  So the race is 25 hours long instead of 24, hence the name 25 Hours of Frog Hollow.

With so many on the team, Merril didn't get to ride maybe as much as he wanted.

He liked it and would do it again.