What's On My Happy List?

                                                 
New Year's Eve

Jaren and I celebrated with brunch at one of our favorite restaurants..
New Years Eve was spent with the family at my brother's home. We adults laughed ourselves silly watching the comedian, Brian Regan {hilarious dude}. We visited, ate apple pie, and played a couple of games while the kids danced the night away until the countdown from Times Square. Then we made some noise! Pot and pans banging, poppers, kiddos running up and down the icy sidewalks in what I swear was single digit weather...fur--eez---ing!  It was 1:25 AM before my head hit the pillow! I believe I had a non alcoholic hangover the next morning.

New Years Day

My side of the family had one last shin dig with my nephew before he leaves for his mission on Wednesday. We thought it would be fun to drive down to Provo and do a dry run of the MTC drop off with him. Curbside style. Ya know snap some pics as the door of the rolling car opens, missionary jumps out as his luggage is tossed to him. That's the way its done now, didn't ya know? hahaha! And apparently only ONE car full of family allowed per missionary at drop off, {so we hear.} 

So....

knowing that all of us couldn't be there to bid him farewell on the real day we hoped to reinact it. Well, upon arriving it was made very clear, from the very worried guard, that our four car, 21 people entourage was not welcomed on the MTC "closed campus" premises. 

Emma, also knowing you are not allowed to leave the MTC while there, other than go to the temple asked, "What is this place, a prison?" 

{Yes, actually it is, we explained..just a spiritual one} Too funny.

Scheming to figure out Plan B...do we sneak in?

Instead...we had Matt get as close as he could to the MTC, standing just outside the forbidden gates

while we waved to him from across the street....

I'm sure to any onlookers we looked pretty darn cray cray. 

But that's okay cuz we kinda are. 

{Our family secret is out!}

Trekking over snowy banks and ice patches in, once again, fur--eez--ing temps...

"the field is white, Matt, and ready to harvest".....

We went to dinner and then caught the evening BYU Basketball game at the Marriott Center...way too fun!

Poor dad had to miss watching the Rose Bowl, 
{he was less than pleased about that} 
to see the #16th ranked Cougars completely stomp on their opponent 93-57. 
He was a good sport {sort of }and even wore his BYU shirt under his sweatshirt. 
Pretty sure he wouldn't want you to know that tho, due to his so called loyalty to the school up north.  

What? 

{With all the noise even}