2011 New Year, New Hobbies!!

Brendan and I started this wonderful tradition years ago that every new years we would take up a new hobby. We figured it was a way to keep our brains working and always cool to learn new stuff. Over the years the hobbies have been everything from learning about wine, golfing, snowboarding and whatever else catches our fancy. Last year my hobby was learning to knit since there was a knitting shop down the street from our house in Michigan. I have fallen head over heels in love with knitting since. I haven't progressed to sweater yet but proudly I did accomplish my first pair of socks. Hats, scarfs and socks are currently my favorites, we'll see the more I learn the more I fall in love. So apart of my goal for 2011 is to knit a sweater, we'll see how that goes...
Snowboarding has been a hobby accompanied by a labor of love meaning that the first few times I went I needed to drink some tequila by noon to survive the afternoon. After purchasing a pair of knee pads, helmet and getting the crap kicked out of me I finally got both edges and now proudly can ride anything on the mountain. It's pretty sweet, I recently upgraded my board, boots and bindings to match my level of expertise. I think secretly Bren misses the good old days of Alyssa having to drink on the hill by mid morning to survive Mount Hood!!!
This years hobby is going to be learning how to make home made bread from scratch no bread machine involved. I have always wanted to be able to do this and this is the year I am going to learn how. I purchased a great book, have myself signed up for a high altitude bread baking class and I am crossing my fingers. Bren's hobby I think involves just surviving school, occasionally reading for pleasure and getting an internship. I also want to try and cook a recipe out of very cookbook I own. I have a guilty pleasure of purchasing cookbooks for the pretty pictures. As always, this lovely blog will document it all. If you haven't done it yourself I suggest you make the best new years resolution and pick up a new hobby, it always makes for an interesting year!
Love
Alyssa

Back to School

I just got done skiing 4 of the last 5 days with a hockey game thrown in as well and my legs are sore! But the whole time I was very aware of why we moved here and why I love it here so much. I start my second semester of my MBA program tomorrow at 9:10 AM. I have four classes tomorrow starting with Operations management, I then have Managerial accounting, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Finance. Monday and Wednesday are big days, I am excited to start and get into the middle of my work. I feel right now as if I know I am going to be hit by a truck, I can hear it and see the headlights but I'm still waiting for it to happen. I love school and I am excited for my semester to get underway. This next weekend will be fun as we have a friend coming to ski with us for the weekend. Another weekend of skiing thursday afternoon, then hockey and then skiing friday, saturday and sunday, what more can I ask for!

-Brendan

Christmas and New Years

I am home now in Utah waiting patiently for both Brendan, Tommy and Oscar to get home. We had an awesome trip back to MN and like clockwork of course Park City gets hit with a huge snowstorm the minute we leave. Tommy assured us this is a given and always happens. Oh well, time with family back in the Midwest was such a blessing and gift this Christmas.
We started the holiday at my parents house and the next morning started early by seeing my best friend Kelly's baby Zach who was only three weeks old! We continued an awesome tradition and had my Dad and Brendan join my Mom and myself for Owen and Tyde's big adventure day. Right before Christmas we take the nephews out for a day to spoil them rotten, document it all then create a book telling the story of the adventure from that day. I always feel so happy to be involved because I am not around MN much. We did a whole day at the Mall of America that was great from beginning to end. That evening Bren and I did our usual show up at Buffalo Wild Wings and invite our friends out to meet us, we had a pretty good turnout of about 16 to 20 people. It was great seeing everyone and where they are at in their lives. Time just doesn't slow down but it makes me feel happy for all of my friends events and joys.
Christmas Eve was great with my family then a late evening dessert with the Pliegos. Christmas Morning was wonderful with Brendan's family and we just enjoyed all the usual traditions. My Mother in law Kathy is wonderful and had invited my parents over for Christmas Day Dinner, my Mom and Dad came but my dad left early because he was feeling awful. It was kind of scary but probably better he went home to bed as he got the flu for the next week and my Mom Sandy got sick with a nasty cold.
The Tuesday after Christmas we went to Canada Creek Michigan to spend the New Years with Grandparents Bud and Barb. We got there just in time to be able to do lots of snowmobiling, cross country skiing and just enjoying the winter there. It rained New Years Eve day and almost all the snow melted. It was good to be with family on New Years and enjoy many of our usual traditions.
The goodbyes are always hard, I don't care how long I have lived away it just doesn't get any easier. Although, I feel blessed to have an incredible husband and life here in Utah.
Best wishes for 2011!