As I mentioned last time, Fran’s parents flew in from Reunion. We don’t get to see them too much and so we had a ton of dinners and activities.  I’m not a very social guy. You could pop me in a sensory deprivation chamber and I’d be happy as a clam for quite a long time. Needless to say these get-togethers took their toll (yeah, and I admit I even skipped a few). Really, I need to learn French.

Part of the festivities involved the wedding of my niece, Natacha. In early May she and her fiancee, Spencer, tied the proverbial knot. They had a lovely wedding at the Salt Lake temple.

During part of the wedding day I lugged the kids around downtown Salt Lake. Everyone was enamored by the idea of going to the conference center roof. We took a tour and after nearly an hour (probably seemed like a few days to kids) we finally made it to the top. It’s a really cool tour if you haven’t been through and the top-scape is remarkable.

That evening we hit up Natacha’s reception, which was beautiful.

Over the next few days Fran’s parents came to see my work (they’ve never actually been there before). They were clearly in awe of my Transfomers collection and Disney wall art. A few hikes and picnics later it was time to say goodbye to the in-laws. Au revoir!

The Sego Lily Dance Festival. At the conclusion of the  school year it appears it’s a tradition to force the children to dance. I would have to say that Gabe got the short end of the stick here.

Gabe graduated from kindergarten! I don’t know if ceremonies like this – where they make the kids dance and sing –  are typical, but I hope not (yeah, I am a giant party pooper- get over it).

Fran and I went to try out a new restaurant in Lehi called Melty Way (mostly because I am considering opening a franchise of a similar eatery and I wanted to checkout the competition). I have to say it’s not bad. I don’t think it’s Zupa’s quality, but it was a (to use Graham Elliot’s favorite word) yummy.

The neighborhood summer bash was last Friday. Giant jump castles, mounds of food, face painting, live music and a massive outdoor theater showing of Wreck-It Ralph were all too much for my shattered nerves, but my family took full advantage of the party hungry hosts down the street. Next year I’m going. Really. Maybe.

As if we didn’t do enough partying the kids demanded a trip to the pool (is it warm enough for that)?  At some point I’d just like the world to stop spinning for a bit so I can hop off, but now that the kids are out of school it will only go faster and faster. Don’t worry, I’m going to get some therapy. Really. Maybe.

Fran dropped off the kids for more skiing lessons and did some snowshoeing with Chloe. For some reason or another Gabe doesnt’t seem to have any interest in skiing yet. Guess he gets to learn with me next year.

The yearly Blue & Gold banquet was a smashing success. The night included good food, an entertaining magician and Mike got his something-or other belt loop (yeah, I just wrote that). For me the Blue & Gold means the pine wood derby is coming up soon. We’re looking forward to that.

A few weeks ago I went to get something out of our storage unit but it was frozen shut! When the roads were plowed all the snow was pushed against the doors and, as it melted and refroze, it sealed them shut. I could see my handle through the ice… taunting me. After many salting trips I was finally able to lift the door, but…

…all the melted snow had gone into the storage unit. There was a sheet of ice about 6 feet back into the unit and water past that. Most of the items in storage were off the floor, but a couple pieces of furniture sustained a bit of water damage. I’m going to find somewhere better to keep my stuff this year. Maybe I should just throw it all out.

Family games with the family are getting more fun. We played Clue last week with Mike and Claire. Both did really well, but Mike gave Fran and I a run for our money (he actually won a game, but part of that had to do with Fran blurting something out by accident- ahem). Next up: Twister.

Mike has been doing a lot of coin collecting lately. I mentioned it to my friend, Justin, and he dropped by to show Mike his collection. Justin even sold him a few coins (for a great deal, of course). Mike’s paramount criteria is age- the older the better. If you have any old coins let Mike know!

Our home office remodel is finally done. I still take all my pictures with my iPhone so these aren’t great (I probably couldn’t take great pictures with a nice camera either) but you get the general idea. Fran let me decorate it sort of like a man cave with greys, blacks – cooler colors and devoid of charm- that sort of thing. Ha, look at me- pretending to be sophisticated!

White shutters, two desks, built in cabinets, love seat, electric piano, a couple of ottomans, a  ceiling fan, one rug and and a solid week’s worth of blood, sweat and tears. I don’t know how/why it took so long to get everything done but I’m really happy with how the office turned out. A big thanks to everyone who helped (Fran, Stacy & Classy Closets).

A few weeks ago we went up to Daniel’s Summit with some of our friends (both sets of Browns and the Sabins). The cabin we stayed at was fantastic. It was fully furnished, decorated and much larger than we had expected. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a nice place to stay in Heber .

On Saturday we rented snowmobiles and hit the Daniel’s Summit trails. Here are a few of the groupies (I don’t have a good shot of the Sabins, but you can get their trip take here).

The morning weather was excellent and skirting along the trails was a blast. Many exciting looking hills beckoned and resulted in a fair amount of stranded snowmobiles. Luckily there were plenty of people in our group to help dig, push and swear the snowmobiles back to safety. Near the end of the day it began to snow and I realized that it’s probably time to invest in “real” recreational winter clothing. So cold.

The evenings consisted of card games, (Sabotage, Bang and Uno with a punishing twist), casual conversations and a massive pillow fight. We ate most of our meals at the Daniel’s Summit restaurant (supplemented with snacks) but on our last night the Sabins treated us all to a delicious meal at the Spin Cafe in Heber (thanks!).

I’m pretty sure everyone had a fun time. These little getaways are something we used to do more frequently and I’m hopeful we can make them a January tradition again.

The adults weren’t the only ones playing in the snow though. Fran has been taking Mike and Claire to skiing lessons for the last couple of years. It was my intent to join them once they had caught up to my skill level. Sadly, I think that ship may have sailed. Next year I’m going to get my own lessons and then hit the slopes with them a few times.

Every time I shovel our driveway I end up with these huge snow mounds. As I was topping off a particularly tall pile I remembered that I used to dig snow caves when my dad would clear our driveway. One evening when I came home I was delighted to see that my kids had spent a good part of the evening hacking away the snow. Not all their tunnels and caves survived (they play pretty rough), but here’s what was left of their work.

I can’t wait for spring. I’ve gotten to drive my car a couple of times, but mostly it just sits…. and waits. Occasionally I start it up for fun when I feel like destroying the earth.