Christmas

They're here and ready to be blogged! Pictures from Christmas!
Jason and I had a quiet Christmas in Laramie. (Kinda romantic just the two of us.) The roads were slick with blowing snow and no unneccessary travel warnings. Christmas with the family was postponed and we are waiting for a sunny day to open gifts with everyone.

We did open the gifts we got for each other. My big gift from Jason was a wine bar.
We also got a great set of pots and pans from my parents. A well received and practical gift that we will enjoy using every day. Hurray! No more flaky pots and warped pans!

We got so many wonderful gifts and thoughtful cards from family and friends. It is just to much to list!
And... we painted our bedroom. I guess you could call that a gift! We were in the mood and it was nice to have each others help. Here are some pictures. The room isn't decorated per say, its like a blank slate waiting for pictures. Jason says all the green reminds him of the Emerald City!

My office off the master bedroom/hallway. Our bedroom. The end of the hallway (entering the bedroom).I guess you can't tell very well in the photos but the walls that look white are actually a light, pale green.

Christmas day we spent painting and playing with our new toys. I got Jason a gun for Christmas, he was VERY surprised. (Correction: A gun IS NOT a toy!)
In spite of the blowing snow, we just had to drive outside of town to try it out! Regardless of the cold weather, we had a really good time and I actually managed to hit the target a few times (and get some pictures). Jason says he is signing me up for his Hunter Safetly class this spring. He also left the instruction manual for the gun on my desk. I think he is hinting at something!

We hope everyone had a very happy holiday season. We missed seeing friends and family but you were in our thoughts and prayers.

The Treysons Jason took this one.

This much snow

Wed. we got a lot of snow. More than I had ever seen. The airport in Denver shut down and the University here in Laramie closed. Its calm and sunny now but we are sure to have a white Christmas!

Some pictures ...

Jason shoveling the front and back sidewalks. Jason in front of our house with lights on. Trey dressing Tillie so she can go outside and play.
Jason and Tillie "peeking" in their stocking. Kids, they can't wait.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas....

....darn near it, anyway. Well, we finally got enough of the hunting seasons quieted down so we could get down to gettin' ready for the holidays. Last weekend, we trekked to Elk Mountain in search of the first-ever "Treyson" Family Christmas Tree. Actually, turned out to not be much of a trek, as Al Gore's "Global Warming" has left the forest lacking the snow depth necessary for an authentic snowshoe hunt for a Christmas Tree.

Anyway, we met with my parents and drove the pickup all the way to the ceremonial Christmas Tree Hunting Grounds. After watching Tillie race around in the snow and enjoying the quiet serenity for awhile (interrupted only slightly by the shrieking sounds of Trey getting some snow in her boots), we got down to the business of finding a good tree.

Okay, maybe it wasn't quite that simple. . . As Trey had never harvested a live Christmas Tree before, she had to be "schooled" on the proper tree-selection techniques. There was also some time spent watching Dad as he tried to use his GPS unit to figure out where we were (luckily, we weren't far from the road and the instrument was able to confirm our location only a short time after we returned to the pickup).







Then, in the midst of all of this entertainment, Trey and I found THE tree. NO, we did not misjudge our ceiling height--my folks needed some boughs to finish their decorations, so we were looking for a tree with a few extra limbs. Despite Dad's efforts to make "chainsaw sounds" the hand saw was a bit tiring. Luckily, Trey took her turn with the saw and we were able to get THE tree cut down. Funny, when we started carrying THE tree back to the pickup, Trey disappeared until we were nearly there. At least she got some good pictures. . .


So, we got THE tree cut down to size, installed in our family room, and it is now proudly wearing some of the thirty or so "S'More" ornaments that Trey has collected. Of course, the ornaments that we have picked up on our travels are finally on display as well. Several strings of lights adorn the garage and porch and we're both ready for ol' Saint Nick to show up.

Between hunting seasons and the decorating, gift wrapping, and trips to the Post Office, its starting to look like time to lay down for a long winters' nap. Well, as soon as I can shut down that clatter out on the lawn. . . .

Just in time for the holidays...

more honeymoon pictures!!!
We call this our "church" day. Here I am playing tour guide (and eating a handmade tortilla). Get ready for your history lesson!

Mission San Xavier del Bac (southwest of Tucson, AZ)
"Built in the 1700s by Spanish missionaries, this oldest Catholic church in the United States still serves the community for which it was built - the Tohono O'ooham Indians. Called the 'White Dove of the Desert' the mission was founded in 1692 by Father Eusebio Franciso Kino, who established 22 missions in northern Mexico and southern Arizona. The current structure was constructed out of native materials by Francisan missionaries between 1777 and 1797 and is one of the finest examples of mission architecture in the United States. Mass is still celebrated at 8:30 a.m. daily." - Fodor's The Old West, Travel Historic America
Preservation is always ongoing. Professional historians and artists train the local Tohono O'ooham Indians so they can be involved in the process.

Jason ordered some fry bread for us to try at a small lunch "shack" right outside San Xavier. Mine was covered with honey and cinnamon and his had a variety of melted cheese. Very tasty.
Further southwest of Tucson you come to Tubac where we visited Tumacacori National Historic Park
"Father Eusebio Franciso Kino founded this mission in 1691, but the Jesuits didn't build a church here until 1751. You can still see some ruins of the simple early structure, but the main attraction is the mission of San Jose de Tumacacori, built by the Franciscans around 1799-1803. A combination of circumstances - Apache attacks, a bad winter, and Mexico's withdrawl of funds and priests - caused the inhabitants to flee in 1848 to San Javier de Bac. Persistent rumors of wealth left behind by both the Franciscans and the Jesuits led treasure seekers to pillage the site unceccessfully. The ruined mission still bears those scars. It was finally protected in 1908, when it became a national monument." - Fodor's The Old West, Travel Historic America

Trey below, taking the picture, above.Jason, the camera man!

Christmas Spirit

One of my dear friends, a sister really, wrote me and asked “Please email me some of your beautiful pictures of snowy scenes to get me into the Christmas spirit!!! Thanks!!!!”. They’re not all from this year, but I hope they do the job. For you Jessica…

Trey playing in the snow by Bill Wise.