We had a wonderful Christmas back in Utah! Our favorite thing of all was the gift of "home." How we love the Paces, the Hales and the beauty of the rugged Wasatch mountains! Some highlights from our trip were:
Gourmet Italian potluck dinner with the Hale clan (minus kids :) with gift exchange. Randall protested my entering our authentic Mexican sombreros in the white elephant exchange, but I couldn't resist the great reaction I knew they'd get.
Dinner and gift from the heart with the Paces (minus kids again!). Randall's parents gave us each some money to donate to a charity/cause of our choice. It was really fun to think about all the possibilities to do good. Randall and I finally chose to sponsor an ad for Mitt Romney's campaign because we think he could do some really great things for our country if elected president.
I finally finished knitting our Christmas stockings (after three years)! At that rate, you can probably guess that I don't usually finish the projects I start, so this was real cause for celebration. Lined up from oldest to youngest: Daddy, Mommy, Eva, Noel, and Sophia.
Randall and I went hiking and snowshoeing up Rock Canyon. He took me up pretty far where he and James had been working on a giant snow cave. It was breathtaking! And the snow was amazing!
Santa brought matching shirts for James, Father, and Randall. A handsome bunch, no?
We got to see our good friends the Wildes again (recently graduated from EVMS and working in Provo). It is heartening to see that life can be so good after medical school!
After receiving a box full of See's candy from Mom and Dad, Randall and I have decided that the See's Candy Walnut Square bar is not only the best See's candy, but also the best candy period either of us have ever had (even compared to fine European chocolate). The combination and proportion of chocolate, nuts and caramel are absolute perfection. Here's a picture of the last one from the box...I think we're going to eat it today. And for those of you See's Candy connoisseurs, the Walnut Square Bar is not the same as the "Walnut Square"--it is better!
