Starting Off a New Year...

New Year's Eve was really fun! I hit up two parties and didn't get back home til 4:30 in the AM, and didn't get to bed til a half hour later because of the ever so addicting Facebook. I didn't make it to bed before 1 o'clock for the rest of the weekend.

Thursday, the first day of 2009, we took down the rest of the Christmas stuff. Jesse cleaned up the inside decorations for his New Year's Eve party, and I was in charge of taking down the house lights and storing everything until next year. It was a sad realization that I wouldn't be the one to get them out next year, but I know that where ever I am, I will be in the right place. That night, after helping the padre with the chopped lumber and making an oh so delicious dinner (Chicken fajitas with cream cheese and cream of chicken soup... so easy a college student can do it), I went over to Lauren's house and played games. We played Mexican Train for a while, but the domino game can take forever, so we switched games and played Nines, which is a card game played with cards:) Its a really fun game, but on NYE, I didn't do too hot. But tonight, I was on fire! It was amazing. I got home late, as always, and went to bed late, again. But no complaints, just good times.

The rest of the weekend was probably the best weekend I have had in a long time! First, some background: Last year (almost to the day), I stayed with a family, the Simpson's from West Jordan, while I attended All-State Band. Father Simpson, also known as John, was one of Mr. Thompson's (as in the band director) friends and Mr. Thompson hooked me up so that I could stay with him for All-State Weekend. During my stay, I befriended the oldest Simpson boy, Scott, and we have been planning another visit since. So finally, after a whole year, I trekked across the state to visit again. It was so much fun! I love their family so much. I left home about 1:30, and drove three hours to get there, but a half hour of it was spent lost in cities such as Daybreak, Herriman, Riverton... Anyway, after I locate where I am (well, more or less after Scott finds me. He met me at the library...) I find my way back to the Simpson's home. It was a warm welcome. Mama Simpson, also known as... honestly, I don't remember... anyway, she is very nice, and was the parental who first greeted me, for John was doing stuff for school... The Simpson's are hardcore Ute fans, so being that the biggest bowl buster just happened to be the Utes, we sat and watched the game. and what an amazing game it was! Very nice. Utah represent! Another family came over, the Thomson's, and they watched the game with just as much intensity as the Simpson's. The Thomson's have a kid who is a senior, Sam, and he plays an integral role in the rest of the night. More of Scott's friends came over to watch the game: Cameron and Jake, both of whom also have parts in the rest of the evening. After the incredible game, we went to the church to play basketball. I suck at basketball, but I try and I have fun. Another guy from the ward came with his son to play with us, and the game started. I made a total of four points... but I had a few assists and blocks and I got nutmeged once. And who is keeping track anyway? It was a fun game, and we played until 11:30. Scott, Scott's brother Josh, Jake, Sam, Cameron, and I went back to the Simpson household and basically pulled an all nighter. 4:30 is close right? ha ha well those five hours that could have been spent sleeping was spent playing this completely random game called Killer Bunnies, whose concept is too complicated to even begin describing on a blog, and a really sweet game called Ticket to Ride, which is much simpler, but I still won't elaborate. I also discovered the two huge blisters on each foot, which was gawked at and quickly bandaged. But this was after running the snow bare-footed. I was crazy and ran a half a block down the road and back with Cameron. My blisters were numb by then:) Though highly sparatic and quite loud, it was very fun. And stupid, but who cares? you only live once, doncha know. We all tried to turn in down stairs, the six of us on two futons, but we all talked for a while. I think I crashed about 4:30 maybe 5, but Cameron stayed up til 6:30 talking to whoever was awake at the time. ha ha everyone was annoyed, but I honestly didn't hear most of what he was saying. The funny thing is that Cameron had to leave at 10, and the rest of us didn't wake up til 2 in the PM! Holy Crap! Latest I have slept in for a long time. After a brunch, for it was a combined breakfast and lunch, Scott and I shoveled the sidewalks and driveway around the house. I told him all about how Sigurd doesn't have sidewalks, and having to shovel them is a new thing! Not that I haven't shoveled a sidewalk, I made a living off of it at one point in time, but I don't do it often. Scott and I went back and forth with the "Well, what do you want to do" and decided to go ice skating. We pulled into the Olympic oval only to remember that its not open skating until 7 so we took off to find something else to do to kill some time. We dropped by Mr. C's and got some Gelato, which was very good. I got Wild Strawberry Mango for half and Chocolate Orange for the other half. Mui bueno! (Sorry Julie, my Spanish is no bueno). We went back his house and got on YouTube and watched some pretty sweet marching band vidoes (he does drumline and is pretty hardcore about it). I want to do marching band and drumline so bad, and not just for parades. It re-inspired me. With 7 closing in, Scott, Josh, and I hit the skating rink. Me being a virgin to ice skating, I was quite nervous about, well, slipping so many times that my butt and my ego would be completely bruised, but I did amazing if I do say so myself. I didn't fall over once! Bwa ha! But I almost fell over a lot. We went back home and got The Best Two Years and watched it. Good movie. With a frozen pizza dinner in our stomaches, we retired about midnight to the downstairs and went to bed... well more or less sat on Scott's bed for another two and a half hours talking about everything. After that is when I went to sleep, not in Scott's bed, but the futon I slept on the previous night. Some more good news! Their church was reset to start at 9, which is a very good time to start church, especially for those who are travelling afterwards (ha ha After Wards, Afterwards, After the ward of church, after the church ward ends, afterwards. Just thought of that). Church was fun, even though I thought it was going to be semi-awkward because, well Scott is 16, and I am and Elder... but It was very fun. Sunday school was super chill; we dinked around and talked the whole time then had to quiet down for the last ten minutes of class so that we could have a lesson. But YM was super funny. They watched the mutual theme video, which was super cheesy and I made fun of it the whole time. It was like watching Sunday School Musical. Scott liked it, and I made fun of him slightly. ha ha we sang one of the songs during the One Voice rehearsal I visited the previous Sunday, so I was singing along, being super annoying and such. Then I helped Scott and a deacon with their Fast Offerings. When we got back, I took a short nap then dinner was ready. It was really good too. Chicken in some saucy-gravy like dressing with Stove Top Stuffing baked on top. Throw in a little broccoli and a crossant or two and you have a meal! After helping clean up, I took another small nap, and decided I should go if I wanted to beat the dark night. It was such a fun time at their house! I loved this weekend and I love the Simpson's. They are basically amazing. No big deal. With my bags packed and the short scare of lost car keys, I started my car and made my way home. I slid on the iced neighborhood roads a bit, but once out of the death trap, I was home free. Two and a half hours go by slower when your going home... even without the half hour of boing lost. It was so cold though! My car would not warm up. It would blow warm air, but I had to keep my jacket on to stay warm. Driving through Levan, my car thermometer read eight degrees below zero! and it was still sunset! I don't think the temp was in the teens the whole drive home... Ice Cold! But it was good to come home. I love my fam so much, even If I played on Facebook for like three hours. But its good to get back into reality every once in a while.

School starts on Tuesday and I am officially not excited. All break, I was hoping for school to start sooner, and now that the breaks over, I want more time! I think its harder to go back to college rather than start going to college... But we have a new roommate to replace Jake (not to be confused with the Jake from West Jordan). Kory Camp just got back from his mission and is moving in with us. It should be a good time, but the heavy dose of reality is a little hard to swallow.

As bedtime draws near (determined by how tired I am, which varies, so I don't have a bed time) I have decided to end this epic blog. It is officially Monday now, which ends my most magnificent weekend.

And to all those who follow my blog... Chris lives in Elsinore, Christ still reigns in the heavens... Good thing there aren't any lightning storms during the winter...