Holiday Season

The season has started! We began it by going to the Starlighting event in Castle Rock. We went with our best friends, The Lewis Family. Again, to clarify, that is Molli's family. Everyone knows Molli is Memphis' girlfriend. It was very crowded, but fun to hang out. Castle Rock has such a small town appeal at times. I am so thankful to live here.

My dad celebrated his 65th birthday! Wow! Scott and I joined him and some of his friends, as well as my big brother, for a dinner at Perry Park Country Club. There is just no way to describe the yummy food there. It was a great time, with the exception of driving home in the snow! Luckily, we all made it safe. It took my poor brother over 3 hours to get back to Ft. Collins. Yikes! It is a really nice feeling that my dad and I have a good relationship and that we got to share in the celebration.

We did our annual Thanksgiving dinner at my dad and Jan's house. Jan's parents, Fred and Mary Anne were here from California. It is so nice to see that side of the family. Memphis and Maverick really enjoyed playing with their cousin Nina. Of course, like everyone else, we ate too much! I am always amazed at how well my dad cooks. Before dinner, we were able to see a doe and buck come into a clearing by my dad's house. And then, the excitement began. To put it in a 5 year old term, the one with the horns wanted a piggy back ride! And we all got to watch.

On Friday, Scott's big brother, Kirk, came down and stayed with us. The boys were so excited to have their Uncle Kirk and his dog, Ayla, here. They went for a hike, went to lunch, and played legos. My goodness, how they played legos. Kirk and Scott were like two little boys again. It was so cute. Poor Maverick wanted to be in on the action, but was mostly like a bull in a china shop. We were all sad to see Kirk go home. It was so great to have him here. What a blessing.

The other fantastic news is my niece, Ashlee, was here with her husband, Pete. It has been a long time since we have seen Ashlee, as she lives in Las Vegas. In fact, it was the first time she has met the boys. We met them first for dinner with my mom and Ren. The boys loved meeting her and Pete. Maverick and Pete were hilarious together. Maverick had a blast running up to Pete and Pete would turn him around in one way or another. I got to go spend some quiet time with Ashlee and Pete on Sunday. I am so lucky to have such a beautiful, well-adjusted, niece. I can't even explain how much we have missed her over the years. I wish I could have spent more time with both of them. And Pete handled this crazy family very well.

We will be so busy over the next few weeks with holiday stuff. I am always excited for Christmas, and then I am happy when all the hustle and bustle is over. But it is so beautiful this time of year. I do hope we have a white Christmas! We hope you are all doing well.