Christmas Adventures

Okay, so I've been slacking in with my blog entries, but in my own defense, I didn't leave the country this year!  The end of the year means I have been working at Jack Link's for a year.  It also means Christmas, snow, and winter related mischief.  For starters, I may have bitten off more than I can chew by signing up for the Kortelopet (the 23K version of the Birke).  I'm even more concerned because we weren't getting any snow! But it did finally arrive right before the trip home for Christmas. Still, I've only gone skiing once so far (Oops!).

On a lighter note,  I did get into the Christmas spirit.  I put up my Christmas decorations, including my one-foot-tall Christmas tree.



It wasn't nearly as spectacular as the one at Saint Paul's!

However, the random mob of Santas was a nice festive touch.  Doug and I went on Madison's Santa Pub Crawl for the second time.

And last but not least (in fact, it's the best of all): hanging out with my crazy but awesome family.  Tate got snowshoes from Grandpa that made him taller than me!  Even though we were all somewhat sick, we still managed to spend a large amount of time playing in the snow!

All in all it was an amazing year of learning new things, and growing up (my inner child is now 5 & 7/16, rather than 3 &3/8!).  Looking ahead: 2013 is full of promise for new adventures! Say tuned!

The Wonderful World of Kayaking

Guess what?  Summer is here!  You would only be able to convince me of that fact 2 days a week, since the rest of the time I'm working anywhere from 10-12 hours a day into the wee hours of the morning.  At the same time, I am making the most of my Fridays and Sundays to enjoy summer.  One way that I have been doing that is by picking up kayaking (don't worry, they aren't quite as heavy as one would think).

It's been an interesting month since I first sat in a kayak.  Bruise counts have been high (up to 14).  My knees, hips, and back definitely aren't happy with this new hobby (neither is my Physical Therapist).  Not to mention that kayaks are tricky!  When I want to go straight, my kayak decides to do a 180; when I want to turn, the boat takes that opportunity to stay the straight course!  However, it's starting to get better, especially if you can find a way to make the kayak move without much effort!  Like this!!

Doug went first, getting pulled behind the pontoon, going full speed.

My first try, I tipped over going all of 2 MPH . . .

But then I did better!  All I really wanted to do was practice my wet exits!

And we both survived!  

¡El Cumpleaños de Juls! (Para Mamá Olga y Sra Anderson)

Mañana va a ser el cumpleaños de Juls, entonces la robé hoy para ir a misa, un almuerzo fantástico, y café (aunque no tomo café, pero ella le encanta). Durante el almuerzo Juls me dijo que su mamá y abuelita leen mi blog para actualizaciones entonces prometí a ella que escribiría hoy. No necesito salir del país para tener una aventura. Juls y yo tuvimos una, caminando en State Street. Después de comer, fuimos a una tienda pequeña que vende gorras. Juls me ayudó de elegir una gorra morada y verde. También encontró algo un poco . . . interesante.

Juls piensa que estos . . . guantes . . . serían genial para una pelea de nieve. No estoy tan segura, pero no tenemos nieve entonces no vamos a saber.

Con la primavera tratando de llegar temprano, recuerdo que Juls va a graduarse pronto y mudar a otro lugar en los EEUU. Entonces necesito apreciar todo el tiempo con mi vieja amiga (¡desde el 5to grado!) y hacer nuevas memorias en este capítulo emocionado de nuestras vidas.