T-giving

What a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend we had. Full of family, food, fun and relaxation. Just what the doctor ordered, if said proverbial doctor could make such a recommendation. We had a lovely feast at our house with Kelly's parents and worked on arts and crafts while cheering on our respective football teams. Early Friday we drove up to Heber with the fam to hunt for Xmas trees, but not before enjoying a good sled hill. Then hit our traditional hotspot for train burgers and whatnot. B was in little boy train heaven. Saturday we went with our good friends to the Ogden light parade. The floats were far between and it was FREEZING so we left before we got to see Santa. Speaking of, we took B to see Santa at the mall yesterday. We got him all pumped up and excited, but about 6 inches from santa's lap, Bridger bent in half like the Exorcist child and screamed bloody murder. I'm pretty sure you could hear a pin drop in the mall after that astounding display of anxiety. Nevertheless, Bridger talked excitedly about Santa all the way home as if nothing had ever happened. Perhaps next year. I love the holidays. Wish there were more of them.

Friends

We recently attended a going away party for Leslie and Fraser. Have I mentioned the fact that I have not authorized this move? The kidlets were perfectly content watching "moobies" with each other. I know B will miss "Ewie and Tomaf" a lot. :(

Snow!

Finally had a good snow, albeit short lived. This is really the first year Bridger has appreciated a good snow. He loved it and was so upset when we made him go in the house so his limbs wouldn't drop off. He will be our little skier for sure. Oh happy day!

A funny

We picnicked at the park today with Leslie and Fraser (who are moving to Cali soon, against my will) <:( The kids played hard. B was sooo tired he crashed while sitting on daddy's shoulders.

Howlereen

This Halloween was a busy one. Bridge is obsessed with Buzz Lightyear. I found a pretty cute Buzz costume a few months ago. Bridger's been pulling it out of his closet every night and screaming, "Buzz! Buzz!" as he paws at it.
I picked him up from daycare and took him back to my work where he received mass quantities of goodies. Then we headed over to Kelly's work for more trick or treating fun. Then home, where B played with his neighborhood buddies, then to his cousin's for even more trick or treating fun. He spotted an ultra creepy mummy skulking in a yard and immediately had to be part of the action. He was laughing very nervously when I took the picture.

Huntin'

Couple weekends ago we went up huntin' with the fam. Sheryl and the girls came up Saturday and we spent the afternoon working on crafts, playing in the leaves and throwing rocks in the river. Bridger had a rough day Saturday. He fell off the bench and smashed his head on the cement, then 15 minutes later was playing in the leaves when he started screaming bloody murder. I lifted up his shirt and a big hornet flew out, but not before giving Bridger a nasty sting on his shoulder. Then, just as Kelly and Dennis pulled into the camp for the night, Bridger took a header into the bushes and scratched up his eyes and face. That's my boy. Kelly and I went out again Sunday morning, but the trip was a bust. Kelly began losing hope in the hunt and reluctantly went out the following Friday. Sure enough, he saw a little two point that is now taking up residence in our freezer. :). Happy hunting!

Fall's best hot spot.

Diamond Fork hot springs. We couldn't have picked a better day for a beautiful autumn outing. My sweet friend Kari let us tag along with her cute lil fam up Spanish Fork canyon. it was a 5 mile hike round trip and the crisp October air breathed life into the lungs. The hike was gorgeous, the leaves amazing. It was great to settle into a hot spring and relax my tired bones. Kari was kind enough to share pumpkin cheesecake nibblets and my new personal fall fave, honey crisp apple sangria.
It was a great day and hopefully an annual tradition, especially now that Kari is forsaking our working relationship for another.

Mo' peas please!

Anyone who knows me, knows that there is very little in life that gives me as much joy as split pea soup. What can be better after a long day of skiing, hunting, or just a quiet snowy evening, than sitting down to a piping hot bowl of the greatest comfort food on Earth? It has been my life's goal to test as many recipes as possible and determine the best one. Today I am making one fashioned after one they made on Americas Test Kitchen. It removes the ham bone and replaces it with ham steak and thick cut bacon. So far, it smells absolutely heavenly. I will update with my opinion later. If you are interested, follow the recipe below...

INGREDIENTS
2tablespoons unsalted butter
1large onion, chopped fine (about 1 1/2 cups)
Table salt
2medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
7cups water
1 ham steak (about 1 pound), skin removed, cut into quarters
3slices thick-cut bacon (about 4 ounces) (see note)
1pound green split peas (about 2 cups), picked through and rinsed
2sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
2medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1medium celery rib, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
Ground black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat butter in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add onion and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add water, ham steak, bacon, peas, thyme, and bay leaves. Increase heat to high and bring to simmer, stirring frequently to keep peas from sticking to bottom. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until peas are tender but not falling apart, about 45 minutes.

2. Remove ham steak, cover with foil or plastic wrap to prevent drying out, and set aside. Stir in carrots and celery; continue to simmer, covered, until vegetables are tender and peas have almost completely broken down, about 30 minutes longer.

3. When cool enough to handle, shred ham into small bite-size pieces with two forks. Remove and discard thyme sprigs, bay leaves, and bacon slices. Stir ham back into soup and return to simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper; serve.

The verdict: huhmazing! Best I've made to date. I love the 20 minutes I save trying to scrape ham off a bone and the fact that there aren't any fatty, gristly knots. So meaty and smooth. I highly recommend.

Last Day

We spent our last day chillin with the boy at our local family fun center. Bowling, bounce house, arcade and glow in the dark mini golf (B's the glowing checkered mass in the "fairway".)

Vegas n things...but mostly Vegas

Kelly and I decided to road trip it to San Diego to watch our Chargers blow it in the first 5 minutes of the game. More on that in a moment. Day 1: drive to Vegas and nosh on goodies at the Oyster bar, ride the roller coaster a bunch and walk the strip. Day 2: drive to San Diego and stop at a beautiful vineyard in Escondido owned by an equally beautiful and delightful 90 something woman. Check into our hotel and notice that we are rubbing elbows with the Falcons players. (opposing the Chargers if you didn't catch that) Relax in the hot tub while guests beg for autographs and give the players advice on the spread and their anticipated formations. Get purdied up and ready to enjoy an amazing meal at our favorite Spanish tapas restaurant, Sevilla. Then we get a text from Dennis that Gizmo ran away and could not be found. Highly upset, we do our best to enjoy our gastronomical masterpiece and have a night on the town. Day 3. Game day. Gizmo still missing. It's now been over 24 hours. Get to the stadium and drown our sorrows in food truck gourmet meals while listening to a mariachi. Nothing says football day in America quite like a mariachi. Chargers eff it up in the first 15 minutes. Even more despondent, Kelly and I leave before the end of the game and resign ourselves to driving straight home to look for our lost pup, cutting our vacation short 2 days. We get about 30 minutes from Vegas, when Kathy calls to proclaim that Gizmo came home. Stupid dog. Quickly, in an attempt to revive what is left of our vacation, we book a room at the Golden Nugget on on Fremont Street and stay up til the wee hours playing craps. Sleep in, play, go to the aquarium, eat overpriced sushi at the Mandalay Bay and drive home to enjoy the last day of our vacay....for details, proceed to next post...