Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was spent in Utah as usual. With our families so far away in Minnesota and New York, it's just a little too hard and expensive to visit for both Thanksgiving and Christmas. So we had it here. Chelsea and Denni (Billy's sister and niece) decided to come up from Arizona and my sister Lauren and her friend from home in New York came up from Provo as well. It was a gang. 

Billy and Denni and I went to the Rose Park skatepark and watched Uncle Beastmaster bl8 his heart out. Denni got on an old skateboard we had and rolled around too.

 Denni is all grown up (well not really...she is 7, but is so tall and is not the little 4 year old that is permanently engrained in my brain)

After a last minute change of Thanksgiving meal plans, I copped out on cooking and we went to the Little America steakhouse. They are known for their Thanksgiving dinner and it was fantastic and affordable.

 Lauren and Pico. (Sorry for the bad lighting. It was very masculine and moody in there. I mean, it's a steakhouse, it has to be right?)

 The whole gang.

Billy tickling the ivories for me. Reminiscent of this picture.

 Took about 18 tries to get a decent couple shot. Nonetheless, Happy Thanksgiving from Jan and Bill!

If you haven't heard me complain about my search for my dream rug, then we haven't spent enough time together. Turns out it's been sitting in the Little America Steakhouse all along. Oh and in every freaking textile market in Turkey.

 On Friday we went to Airborne Trampoline Gym to jump around. Billy and Denni got super sweaty and I watched. The Beast and I were very patriotic on Black Friday and wore our best GBA gear. Oh and I spotted Bentley himself, co-owner of Airborne and a former co-worker of mine.

On Saturday we did our favorite winter time pastime - snow shoeing. Denni loves the snow (she's a Minnesotan at heart and doesn't let the warm weather of Arizona keep her down.)

Here she is fitting into my long johns and boots - all but length. She's just about foot shorter than me. 

Denni is already taller than all the boys...and way faster. College athletic scholarship, here she comes! She gets it from her mom who swam in college and her Dad who was in the armed forces in Iraq (and also truly the largest muscley man I've ever seen in real life).

 Guardsman Pass up in Big Cottonwood Canyon.

On Saturday night we went to the Leonardo, the new art and science museum in Salt Lake. I met with the creators and directors early in the planning process for the museum to get a spot on their preferred vendors list. It was fun because I was able to see the planning stages for the opening exhibits and for this gorgeous Beesley sculpture. It made seeing everything in person so much better.

 Beesley has only done a handful of these sculptures and they are in some of the most renowned museums and art galleries in the world. This particular sculpture responds to heat, touch, carbon monoxide, everything - so in short in responds to humans. It's almost like it's alive as it responds to your movements,  and then moves itself. It's really cool.

 One of the exhibits had an awesome green screen where you could make your own short film and use the green screen technology. Here I am cutting off half my face (my bad side, Monica, just so you know) and Billy losing his torso to some surfers.

Afterwards we arts and crafted. I made pinwheels and Denni colored with paint pens. (Add those paint pens to my Christmas list!)

 Besides these activites, there was a whole lot of this happening - snuggle time. It's tight on our one couch and one chair with 4 people and a dog who thinks he can take up the whole space. But I wouldn't trade any snuggle time. It's the best.

And I hung my Thanksgiving/Christmas fresh magnolia leaf wreath. Now it's time to get our tree and hang our Christmas decor!

Happy Christmas Time!