Merry Christmas! December 25, 2010

Merry Christmas!  We left this beautiful Christmas tree and presents...

 And went to Alta!  Loved how the sun made the ridge lines glow!  Kind of like a huge Christmas Morning twinkle light.

But it was COLD!  -4 degrees F at the Base and 0 degrees at the top.  Brrrrr!

And it was beautiful!  Most of the snow was pretty tracked out, but still soft and easily turnable.

Of course, James wanted to go hiking for "fresher" turns.  So we did.  Twice.

Video of James skiing out of the chutes that we hiked to ski.

Considering the outside temperature, it was still hot after hiking.  James needed to cool down.  So I pushed him over into the snow. (Nice Daffy James!)

And then I "fell" - so that James wouldn't need to push me.

Merry Christmas!

And when we finally got home and opened our presents - guess what Santa brought us!?  A new ski tuning table - complete with vices and wax and scrapers and p-tex and an apron.  Awesome!  (The skis are James' new 4-front skis - not a Christmas present - he had to sell his Gotamas to buy these.)

P.S. We had lots of fantastic presents from family too!  Thanks everyone. 

Christmas Eve - December 24, 2010

On Christmas Eve, James and I decided to go to a movie.  (R.E.D with Bruce Willis, etc.)  We had an hour to kill before our showtime, so we walked over to the Toys R Us.  Check out this awesome lego fireman!

So fun!  Makes me hope that Santa brings us some Legos.  We've been good this year!

Montana Reception - December 17, 2010

James and I decorated Brian and Tiffany's ceiling for them.  So festive!   Merry Christmas!

Decorating the car... we did put confetti in the defroster - just like was done for our car, but we didn't use enough confetti, or her defroster was cold (Montana - in the winter!) and it didn't have the same effect.  Oh well.

The wedding cake - check out the awesome little gold fire truck!

When the reception invitation says, "Dress casual"

James in an authentic Montana cowboy hat.

An authentic Montana cowboy and James.

When a basketball/raquet ball court gets turned into extra storage... (The Stoddards converted an old health club into their home.)

Playing with the cake's frosting - James made a dancing polar bear.

Instead of a dance, Tiffany wanted a hay ride! (check out her slippers and sweats - so fun!)

Dad and Mom

Mom and Dad and Kathleen

James and Jessi (between the two of us, we are wearing six hats!

As happy as you can be (on a hay ride in below-freezing weather, in Montana, at night.)

Brian and Tiffany - Idaho Falls - December 16, 2010

Tiffany and Brian

Dad and Mom Stoddard, Tiffany and Brian, Mom and Dad McCalvy

The parents and the newlyweds - post-kiss

McCalvy Family

The Stoddard Family

Shaundra (cousin), Friend, Tiffany, Friend, Kathleen

The brothers

Brian Tiffany and James the bodyguard

Kathleen Brian and James

The McCalvy men

The brothers and their wives

The brothers kiss their wives

And they all lived happily ever after!

Brian is getting married tomorrow - December 15, 2010...

How can we make sure he remembers his last night as a bachelor?

By short-sheeting his bed!  Sleep well Brian!

Chistmas at Temple Square - December 14, 2010

The one thing that Mom McCalvy wanted to do while in Salt Lake before Brian & Tiffany's wedding, was to visit Temple Square.  So Mom & Dad and Jessi & James went downtown.

The nativity in the reflecting pool in front of the temple.

Dad & Mom on the Conference Center steps.

Jessi & James on the Conference Center steps.

I think the temple is even more beautiful than the trees.

Sitting in front of a fountain in Temple Square.

With the flash.

Without the flash.

Another view of the temple.

And finally, back to our car.  See the TV camera and van and news reporter guy?  They were doing a story about missionaries in Switzerland (I think).  We could have walked behind the reporter and waved at the camera, but we chose to walk behind the camera to the car instead.

Merry Christmas!