christmas 2012

dave and i went home for christmas this year. we were supposed to go back east, but the closer it got to december, the more it was looking like that wouldn't happen. things were really getting rough for dave at work, and he was told point blank that the final quarter rested completely on his shoulders. if they made it, it would be due to him. if they failed, it was because of him. that's awesome.

we found out the week prior we'd be able to go, so we went for it. we drove the 16 hours. on the way there we took the north route through payson and onto the 40. the drive there is always a good one because of the excitement. both dogs slept the entire way there. well, after payson they slept. before payson, there was this:

we didn't get to do the annual trip to lubbock, tx for pre-xmas shopping. we lost my grandmother over thanksgiving, and i was way sick by this point so we weren't in the cheeriest of moods as a group. one of the best parts - the dogs. just like last year, there was a pack of dogs that always end up at home for xmas. this year the pack was 8 strong, including our two. every once in awhile another 4 would join in the fun. kelty had a blast. for the second year in a row the snow came on christmas day as well, and it was the first for kelty:

i ended up having to be seen again for my cold/bronchitis. the meds i got before leaving phx weren't working anymore, and i was miserable. ended up with 2 shots in the ass and a mega antibiotic. both of which helped tremendously. on christmas eve we all went over to my dad's ex-wife's house (normal for us, it's very weird) and spent a wonderful evening with that entire side of the family. my dad got a bit tipsy and decided it was time to try on my brother-in-law's bow tie. he's not really my BIL, he's actually married to the daughter of my dad's ex-wife's husband. see. brother-in-law is close enough. anyway, here's the result:

whisk and dish towel purely for effect

dave's been wanting a new mountain bike, and he was pretty sure it was his christmas present. instead he got clothes. that one wasn't the best, but there's no way i'd buy a bike for him without his input. instead, he did this for me:

when i say this bike is amazing, i'm not even lying a bit. we picked it up when we got back and we took it for a ride around the neighborhood that night. i've since ridden the hell out of it, and it's just a dream. it's a specialized ruby which is the women's version of the roubaix. it's awesome!