Happy New Year and Cabin Fun

I love, love, love the chance to go to the cabin after Christmas. The frenzy of December is softened by eating, eating, eating, watching movies, sledding up and down the mountain, playing hours of Phase 10, Monopoly and Guess the Name Game. Sitting around talking in our PJs, going to bed late, getting up late, no phone, no guilt for not putting away the Christmas "stuff." This is my time to sit down and read a book in one day and then every night stay up late and read a Reader's Digest Condensed Book (I've read tons of mini novels I would never have read). The snow, the quiet and the beauty make it the perfect way to wind down and enjoy the end of the Holidays. We had a chance to spend the weekend at the cabin with just our family and Kaylee Lyman and Lauren Spencer and then we enjoyed the New Year with the Walls and Grandpa!

This year I loved watching Cameron learn to skate -- literally 1/2 hour to go around the first time and he refused any help. I also was so proud of him for being brave enough to be pulled up and down the mountain on the snowmobile sleds. At the beginning of the week he was in tears saying "they are all going to die" as he watched the kids go down on the sleds, and by Saturday morning he was begging Dave to take us up one more time, go faster, and yell awesome up and down the hill! Grandpa also bought a TON of poppers and streamers and the kids had a great time banging pans and making a mess. The next day the deck and front lawn looked like the remains of a frat party... but the clean up was fast and worth the fun.

The New Year had a sad note as we found out Rob (my brother) has prostate cancer. Definitely puts perspective on what is important. Terri and I were talking after midnight and I commented that I was "so thrilled to start the new year with a broken water heater." She laughed and said at least I wasn't starting the new year with a husband with cancer. We decided "husband with cancer" definitely trumps "broken water heater." News like this really helps you focus on what is important and what should matter. Rob and Terri (and their kids) have a really good attitude about the situation and they are great examples to me!