The Christmas Carol

Like all good blog posts this one was suppose to be in November and then we would have one more in December. Time, energy, effort - all got away on me this last two months. Its all good but seriously you blink and poof its gone. I know people always talk negatively about time but I think time is a beautiful, mysterious element. It can heal, teaches you about yourself, it teaches to value what each day has to offer but also to stay positive to the future as well. I think this is a reason the book and movie the Christmas Carol is still one of my very favorite stories. So what has time given us in these last two months? Here we go....

Starting in November we had Thanksgiving at our house and had Brian, Carmen and Quinn over. We had so much fun and just had such a fun time watching the kids play with their Great Aunt and Uncle, having delicious food and just having time together. We did the usual 5k in the morning and spent Black Friday getting the house all decorated, It was so much fun to see the kids so excited about the tree and decorations. It felt like living in a new house since we have had so many changes in our house and different places to put decorations. I will do a blog before and after post in early 2017 but we have been doing so many cosmetic changes to really get the house the way we want it. We love it!

My Christmas gift from Bren this year was a Christmas time trip to NYC. I have a friend who has been a Rockette for six years and I have wanted nothing more then to see her perform. Bren made it happen this year and we had the best time! Spoiled us and babies Yaya Kathy flew to SLC to watch them and we flew in on a Friday. Crazy enough our friend Rick was in times square NYC to celebrate his birthday. We checked into our hotel and then met him for dinner, drinks and tours. It was great because he knew the city so well it was like having a personal guide tour. We went to Time Square, Rockfeller and saw the Tree, Saks fifth Ave. I think both Bren and my favorite moment was there was a huge light display outside of Saks and they were playing the Home Alone music, Rick starts screaming at the top of his lungs, "KEVIN, has anyone seen Kevin?". Hilarious, if you don't get the joke please watch Home Alone. After he left us we saw the late show of the Rockettes Christmas. It was beyond anything I have ever seen, their precision, the details, formations were all absolutely incredible. The best part was after the show my friend Heather even gave us a backstage tour and we got to go on Radio City Hall's amazing stage. It was surreal and such an incredible experience.

Since the weekend was just a weekend and we packed everything in, we hit the ground running early Saturday morning. We did a hop on/hop off bus and truly saw the sights. We got off at World Trade Center, Statue of liberty and central park. We had a yummy lunch right near the Dakota hotel and then jumped a cab back to Broadway. I took a dance class at Broadway Dance Centre and Bren went beer dabbling next door at a beer/whiskey bar, it was such a win for us both. We had dinner at a nice Italian joint and then went to the MET. I had been to the Met many years ago but forgot just has overwhelmingly incredible it is. Bren said it was his favorite part of the whole weekend. We stayed until close and just took in as much as we possibly could. One of my favorite dance students lives in NYC so we were able to meet her after the Met and she got off of work for a drink and to catch up. She took us to this great bar that was like a little Victorian secret called Lillies. They had amazing drinks and we had a great time. We made it back to Utah and decided Christmas each year might become a new trip away rather then gifts for each other. We have that travel bug.

Lots of work for both of us as 2016 comes to close but not before we have fit in some fun. We got Kinsale up on skis for the first time two weekends ago. We got a lot of snow and both kids were so excited to get up on the mountain. Bren was a trooper and amazing as ever in slugging both kids down the hill. Quinn loves to ski and hasn't stopped talking about it since last year. We tried to have Kinsey borrow his skis and boots but he was not happy so I think we will need to sign her up for the ski program and get her all set too. Its great having a family of four and knowing this is the right size for me since we can all fit on a chair lift together!

Many more firsts since that one as well, first haircut, first time on hockey skates, first time at a professional sports game, just so many. I am going to save those gems for an early 2017 post to start the year off with some good karma.

One final thought of 2016 is gratitude for the people we are so fortunate to have in our lives. I love the Christmas season and all the thought that people put into events, parties, gifts and my very favorite Christmas cards. Every year I hand write all of the names and addresses on the outside of my envelopes because I love the moment I pause and reflect on each person or family and think of them. I know that sounds terribly cheesy but its special because I will often think when was the last time I saw them, maybe send up a silent prayer if I know they need it, add an extra note, or just feel a moment of fullness to be surrounded by so many good people.

Merry Christmas

Love,
The Whites