Friday, December 26, 2008

nothing says christmas like...









christmas 2008 at the petersen household was pretty laid back and i loved it! as i reflect and ponder on the particular day i am caught up in the joys of the experience my family and i had. nothing says christmas like:

  • pulling into cache valley and seeing the snow capped mtns.
  • coming home on christmas eve to dad running to the store for something mom needs for her baking frenzy.
  • walking in the door and feeling the warmth of home and seeing mom in the kitchen creating one of her oh-so-tasty masterpieces.
  • running gifts around with dad to the smith's, white's, bryan's, and burnsides. so much fun to visit with them.

  • shrimp sauce and ritz crackers - memories of grandpa meacham.

  • it's a wonderful life coming on t.v.
  • trying to watch elf with the family, but falling asleep about 15 minutes into it

  • sleeping in until 8:30 am on christmas morning and coming upstairs to the whole family waiting for me.
  • lance getting salami and sparkling cider in his stocking
  • me getting laxative herbal tea in mine - i know christmas shouldn't be about gifts, but if it was, i'd have to vote for that one as my favorite.
  • mom writing what we got on the back of of the gift tags.
  • cinnamon pull-a-parts for breakfast
  • remembering that we forgot to drink egg nog and sing "twas the night before christmas" to the tune of "on top of old smokey" on christmas eve in memory of grandma della.
  • helping lance move into his new place on christmas day. hmmm, what an interesting tradition.
  • spencer not wanting to open my present to him. i wonder if i need to use better wrapping paper next year, or maybe a bigger box...

  • a blizzard that dumped a foot of new snow in cache valley on christmas night.

  • the petersen family party - finger foods, games, uncle larry running the show, little gromlets running around like hooligans, catching up with cousins, and playing a game of kickball in the gym. just so you know, dad totally laid uncle dale out on the floor and i nailed him with the ball. oopsy, i guess competition overrode the christmas spirit.
  • suzette, sandy, and i reminiscing about our low, medium, and high impact aerobics show and contemplating a sequel

  • cousin andrew, just home from a mission, giving me a hard time about not having a boyfriend at the festivities.
  • me winning the dreidel championship
  • the little children around my knee as i shared a christmas storybook.

this christmas i definitely had the luxury of enjoying my family, a picturesque place i can call home, and the feelings of my Savior's love.

snowshoeing

mostly i wanted to write about this activity because i think the pictures of me and stacie are so hot. oh, lance and enz make a cute couple too. don't ya think?




the parts i loved most about this snowshoeing trip were the fact that lance broke a snowshoe and, like a real mountain man kept truckin' along without snowshoes, there was so much powder that when we tackled each other in the snow the landing felt like a featherbed, and my feet finally warmed up when we were about three fourths of the way done. i really need to do something about my feet circulation problems. if you have any suggestions, let me know...

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

the irony of consistency


consistency:

1. a degree of density, firmness, viscosity

2. steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form

3. agreement, harmony, or compatibility, esp. correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing

4. the condition of cohering or holding together and retaining form;
solidity or firmness.

i am one who appreciates consistency in life. i like the idea of things working together smoothly and being at least somewhat predictable. however, the consistency in my life, as of late, has not been something that i have really been appreciating. you see, the check engine light in my car has consistently been lighting up for the last four months. which translates to the fact that i have to keep shelling out the cash to get my car fixed. it has been "steadfastly adhering to the same course and form" by lighting up. (see #2 in the definition of consistency.) however, that pretty little light has not been "agreeing, harmonizing, or being compatible, especially in correspondence or uniformity among the parts of a complex thing". (see #3 in the above definition.) it seems as though my car has not been "cohering or holding together and retaining form". (see #4 of definition.) i find the irony of the patterns of consistency in my life somewhat frustrating, but pretty humorous too. my check engine light came on again two days ago. i keep consistently ignoring it, but it isn't going away. it's off to the mechanic to find out what is going on now. if i don't laugh, i'll probably cry. so, at this point, i'll opt for laughter.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Monday, December 8, 2008

high on a moutain top, or at least close...








ben lomond peak was the adventure we had scheduled for this saturday. we didn't make it to the top, but we figured we wouldn't. there just wasn't time. it was a beautiful day to be out with friends on the mountain. something about the mountains makes me breath easier. my mind becomes clear, and life starts to make more sense. odd how that changes the moment i step back into the hustle and bustle of things. maybe i should just be a mountain woman. it's something to think about...

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

ni hao zhang lao

mission reunion:



andrew taylor,



erin petersen,



and stephen frandsen

can you say shui ge? translation = cadet taylor and the new yorker. after six years of being home from taiwan i am still nothing but smiles when i'm able to get together with andrew and stephen. they are just so stinkin' funny. it was a pretty amazing evening of indian food, frozen yogurt, andrew and stephen fighting, and $1 movies. i really don't know what else to say. they leave me speechless...

Tribute to My Mother

Dear Mom,

I have decided to write a blog entry specifically for you. It is full of capitalization, correct punctuation, and breaks in between paragraphs. To the best of my knowledge, all the words are even spelled correctly - a real tribute to you. I suppose this, along with my participation in the yearly Black Friday Extravanganza, can count as an addition to your birthday present. I must disclaim that just because this is happening once, does not mean it will ever happen again. However, I am willing to make minor changes for short periods of time to put a smile on your face and help you realize that your dear, sweet daughter does have the capability of conforming to your wishes and desires for short periods of time. I am only willing to do this because I love you so much, Mom!


Sister Wilcox wanted me to give you a shout out as well. She wants to take you out for falafel next time you are in Salt Lake City. When this event occurs, I will be sure and wear an outfit that is coordinated by color and style that you would approve of, as a second tribute to you.


I love you, Mom!



Yours Truly,

Erin Gale Petersen