It was just an adventure getting here. I got to my layover in Portland to find my flight to Boise was not just delayed but cancelled. This was Dec 17th. I was behind 140 other people in line, and they were telling the first few people, they could put them on stand-by for the 20th, let alone what they would have been able to do for me at the end of the line. Since BSU's graduation was the next day, many people had to get to Boise. I ended up renting a car with three complete strangers needing to go to the graduation and driving the 8 hours it takes to get from Portland to Boise. I got here at 2am... exhausted.
We had Christmas as usual, at Honey's. It's nice to have Mimi and her girls there, more people! And Christmas isn't as fun for adults, it's nice to have children there. .
Christmas day we had too many meals. A big breakfast at Honey's. Late lunch with our family at Auntie Margaret's. Then, an early dinner at my mom's friend, Brian's. We ate, and then fell asleep on the floor.
We also got to hold Sarah's snake. EEEEH!
For New Years, I wanted to do something with my friends and with my mom. I needed the perfect outfit. I would wear silver, gold, and sequined clothing year round. However, my knowledge of fashion says that looking like a disco ball year round is a faux pas. After finding the perfect shinny shirt, my mom and I went out to a really fun dinner at PF Chang. We had cocktails, and our favorites- lettuce wraps and beef and broccoli. I don't think I'll ever get used to ordering drinks at restaurants, it's still so weird, even though I'm 22 now. Then she dropped me off with my friends. We had a good night ringing in the new year.
So, then I had a brilliant idea. I decided that it would be so FUN for me to take my baby cousin, Zoey. Not fun. We took her after Sabrina's birthday. We took her all around. Things I learned:
1. I didn't know babies needed to much stuff, heavy stuff.
2. Their equipment=complicated.
3. As much as I talk using words, they like to scream using cries.
4. She wakes up 4 times a night. And when she wakes up, she's not happy.
5. Apparently you have to take a baby shopping with you, driving with you, dinner, to friend's houses, they are going to scream if you want to have a conversation with someone on the phone.
And at the end of your day, your friends just don't know. As she screamed her face off and I was trying to have a conversation on the phone, I found myself saying, "I don't have time for things like going out! You have fun with that. I actually have a CHILD I have to take care of. I have responsibilities!" I think even my mom was getting frustrated with her. We tried all the things that usually babies like. She didn't want to be rocked, she didn't want a bath, she didn't want her bottle, she didn't want to sleep, she doesn't like the car, thus we dubbed her the "Bad Baby."
After we took her home, I slept the whole next day. I was exhausted. And we didn't even have her 24 hours, it seemed like days. While it was not the "fun" experience I thought it would be, it was certainly a learning experience.
Robby took me up to Bogus skiing. I hadn't skied in 14 years except for doing a few runs with Molly in High School. After a few times on the Bunny Hill, I re-got the hang of it. In no time, I was impressing myself. I went all over the mountain. Although I was sore the whole next week in odd places, it was really really fun. He's been trying to drag me skiing for years, and I finally went, and it was actually fun! On the way down from the mountain, I was admiring Idaho's scenery. Although I love the city, I've also really been missing the outdoor community of Idaho. (I know, you never thought you'd hear me say that!)
My mom and I jetted up to McCall for the weekend. We spent most of the time watching old VHS tapes (and complaining about the crummy quality). There was so much snow there! We had a great dinner at a little Chinese restaurant. My mom and I are very big into sharing entrees these days. We had just tried a little Vietnamese restaurant in downtown Boise which was adventurous but fun! At the Chinese restaurant in McCall, we ordered spicy Mongolian beef, which I wouldn't normally try, but it was actually amazing.... despite the fact I was sweating and had to drink about five cups of water. My face turned red too. I have no tolerance for spice. The next night, we stopped at the Club for a drink and went and had appetizers at Hotel McCall. It was nice to get away for a few days. Bubble is so nice to let everyone use her cabin!
On the drive back, I once again had to sit back and think how fortunate we are to be able to see such beautiful scenery right in our back yard!
