The Annual ski trip

Every year we go on a family trip to Grand Targhee Ski Resort for an awesome weekend. This weekend was absolutely fabulous, but we are all so sore we can hardly walk. There was no expectation for snow until a few days before. Check out our car and how much snow is stacked on top, note how high my feet are compared to the tires. Yes, like every year it snowed the most on Saturday night, really making us want to skip church and join the ski church.

The best tricks of the trip were Jordan's multiple under rotated backflip landing him tips in the snow and smacking his face to the ground. Jennie followed his lead and under rotated a couple back flips one of which she came crashing upside down on her head from 20 feet up, and the other gave her a great big fat lip. And cousin Logan's un-scouted back flip that landed him right in a pine tree. This year we are happy to report no broken bodies and no broken gear like last year. It is a weekend where everyone is trying to compete to go just a little bigger than the last person. 

This trip was also awesome as Heather flew in from Virginia to ski with us. Well we had tons of fun with the whole crew and we can't wait for next years trip. We love Targhee, we love snow, and we love the awesome people we get to spend time with.  

Jordan's New Hobbie

 We have always known how much Jordan likes to longboard and wake board. But he has just found a new hobby in the world of boarding. He is now making longboards. He told me he wanted to make longboards but I didn't think that he would actually be good at it.  I assumed him and the neighbor boy Steve would make something dinky they would be proud. I found out I was really wrong. His finished project turned out really great... If you are interested in buying one from him, just put in an order. 

Christmas in Honduras

It is true our Christmas was fabulous. No, it didn't feel like Christmas but, isn't Christmas rea

lly about giving. We had an awesome chance to give. We were doing some service work down in Hondur

as. (Yeah, I can now locate it on a map) We gave time, books to the first library in a village, love, dinners to poor families, gift baskets to people in the ward who needed food, toys to

 kids in the hospital, puke plus other stuff to the toilets, and school supplies and uniforms to 100 children. We gave in many aspects and it felt great, but we also received. We receiv

ed, love, kindness, lessons on humility, hospitality, parasites, and t

he chance to learn the trades of the disabled people.  It was t

ruly and amazing experience and we are very grateful to Jordan's parents for taking us along with them. 

It was warm in Honduras, we experienced sweat rather than snow. It was quite incredible. 

When we got home we enjoy seeing Heather and Rich for an hour before they had to catch their plane back to VA. We also had an awesome couple days of skiing with friends and family. Jordan hucked a couple of back flips on of which was while being towed 

by a snowmobile. The hot springs in Heber were a new experience it was like hide and go seek for the warm patches amidst the cool patches, and avoiding stubbing your toes became another game. Really it was awesome and a great time to hang out with the VanSlooten cousins. 

Now we are back home in our cosy closet of an apartment which now has tile in the kitchen and bathroom (a huge upgrade for us). The snowbanks here in Rexburg are crazy, Jennie has lived in snow country Utah most of her life and she is still amazed with the snowbanks. Every street has a 2-3 foot bank on the edge and we learned why places make such big parking lots. The reason is they need and entire section for the 20+ foot mountains. We are dying to dig a cave in one to sleep in.

 Jennie thought she didn't want to come back to work but the people she works with really have a big grip on her heart and she loves it. Jordan starts school tomorrow (Jan. 07) he is excited he is just trying to pretend he is a "cool kid".   

Consider this our December and January post and we'll update our blog again in February or March.