The Goose is Getting Fat

I love the holidays; there's so much togetherness and magical memories to be had. This year has been no exception. We've been filling our days plump full with fun, which has been both exciting and exhausting. Through it all, I still can't believe Christmas is this week!!!

Here's a look at what we've been up to this last week:

1. LIGHTS, LIGHTS, LIGHTS!

We were able to visit both the Festival of Lights in Spanish Fork and Holiday Lights at Thanksgiving Point this year. Both places offered perks that the other didn't. For example, Thanksgiving Pt. had live reindeer to pet, hot chocolate to buy, and Ryan, Dren, and the boys as company.

Here's Kate telling Dasher to put in a good word for her with the old man

Spanish Fork, on the other hand, featured Cinderella's castle (that's what Kate called it), and only cost $5 bucks for a night of endless enchantment (I say 'endless' because the enchantment doesn't have to end; they let you circle the place as many times as your little heart desires).

BUT...after some careful analysis and evaluation on mine and Dave's part, we've chosen a winner of the holiday light extravaganzas. Are you ready for this? We dub thee, Spanish Fork, the victor. Cheer, cheer; hooray, hooray!

Here's how we figured...

First of all, it's set in a little cove filled with trees and a serene lake; the setting alone makes for an unfair advantage. The lights are better there too, and we didn't have to line up for 20 minutes just to get in. On the down side, it's a bit of a commute getting there, and you DO have to deal with hillbillies once there; don't think you can avoid them! Let's just say, if your car is new enough to have daytime running lights, you might get a few dirty looks and yells; at least we did. Still, it makes for a pretty fun night.

Here's Kate driving us through the lights. As soon as she got a hold of the wheel she yelled, "Watch out! Coming through!" Oh, our little child; not sure where she came from.

2. FRIENDS

Tuesday night, Dave took Kate to Temple Square with the youth from our ward. Scary, right? It was an extremely nice gesture on his part...all so I could enjoy a night out with my roommates from Slow Knowledge. I didn't see these girls for years, until recently we've started setting up quarterly get-togethers; something that filled a void I didn't realize was there.

Me, Jamie, Tara, Allyson:

I went to Snow with Tara, who happened to be one of my best friends in high school. While there, we met Jamie and Allyson. I now see Jamie and her cheery personality on a near-daily basis since we teach at the same school. And as for Allyson, she is one I wish I could see on a daily basis; no one has better stories than that chick, and is probably the one person I learned the most from while at college. She is hoping for another adoption so if you people know of any babies that need a mom, I'd suggest her in a heartbeat.

Anyway, we met up at the Pizza Factory for dinner and then visited at my place afterwards.

3. PARTIES!

Last Saturday we went to the Argyle Family Christmas party and dinner. We had soups and sandwiches for a fun change this year. Santa and his elf also made an appearance. Kate, of course, had no trouble sitting on St. Nick's lap. From birth, she's had a clear understanding that TRUE FRIENDS bear gifts (a good lesson for anyone wanting to become better friend's with the Blackhurst's). ;)

Then on Sunday, we met with the Nelson side at Aunt Lori's. It was a potluck dinner, and my sweet aunt arranged games and prizes for the kids. Bless that woman...I think that without her, we'd never get to see that side of the family.

On Friday, we went to Dave's Professional Dental party at the new Rodizio Grill in A.F. I hadn't been there for years, and didn't remember the food being anything special. This time, however, I was pleasantly surprised; it was every bit as good as Tucano's, and everyone sitting at our table made for a good time.

So that's last week in a nutshell. We can't wait for Santa to come this week; Kate's been a good girl and will probably score some cool toys, making it especially fun for us to see her reactions.