A Trip to the Zoo

Once Nick was finally feeling a little bit better we headed off to the Omaha Zoo. Apparently it's one of the best in the nation, and now I know why. My favorite part was the huge indoor rainforst, which is what all the pictures are of. There was an underground smamp, huge aquarium with an underwater tunnel, dommed desert, and lots of other stuff that I didn't even get to see.

We go to walk across a rope bridge. All the mist was from the waterfall that was right next to us.
There were several different kinds of monkeys (my favorite animal) throughout our walk. Some of them were making tons of noise. I tried to talk back, but they didn't notice.
Nick and I took a chance for a photo opp next to some of the waterfalls. My poor honey was still a little sick, but he was willing to go out with me anyways. What an amazing guy.
The moisture in the air at the rainforest was great for Nick's sickness and my cough. But then we had to go back outside in the freezing cold.

Winter Quarters

I flew out to Nebraska for Christmas to be with my man. He was sick for a while, so I went out with his dad to Winter Quarters. It was only about 30 minutes from their house. The biggest surprise was that it was in the middle of a neighborhood. Not exactly what I expected, but it was nice to see.
This is a plaque on the ground that listed the names of peopel who died at Winter Quarters. I thought it was a beautiful photo opp.
Outside of the visitors center is this statue fo some pioneers. I actually had a couple of ancestors stay at Winter Quarters for a while. I got to take a tour of the center. It was interesting, but lasted an hour (Nick's dad Joe told me it usually only takes 30 minutes).
Below are some snapshots of gingerbread houses that were on display at the visitors center. Some of them were absolutely amazing. I don't know about you, but this one reminds me of two things. First, Dr. Seuss books. Secondly, a Japanese lithograph of a huge tidal wave.
This one has amazing detail. Remember, all of this is made out of candy. Take a look at the icicles on the house, and it looks as though that snowman is still missing his head.

I got a good close up of this one. You can see a snowman, a gingerbread man sledding down a hill, and a lovely North Pole sign past the horses legs.
A little reminiscent of the Christus in the North Visitors Center at Temple Square in Salt Lake City. Definately a very creative take on the all candy, gingerbread theme.
Did you notice these carolers in an earlier picture? Look inside the house and you'll see a beautiful Christmas tree.
A doll house view of the interior of one of the more lavish houses.
Looks like this gingerbread family are enjoying their Christmas at a nice log cabin. The lake, trees, and snow are all candy. There was definately a sweet smell in the room where all these were displayed.

Family Christmas 2007

This years family Christmas party was a little crowded. We had aunts, uncles, and cousins who we havn't seen in a while. After eating a scrumptious meal we gathered downstairs for a little presentation. We all wrote down a special Christmas memory that we had so we can compile a book of family Christmas memories. My aunt Kathi then read off all the memories while we guessed who it belonged to. We then sang a couple of fun Christmas songs, followed by a question and answer session where my brother Phil and I took that stage so family could ask us anything about our lives that they wanted.

Some of the kiddies decided to attack an oversized friendly teddy bear that was hanging out whis us downstairs during all the festivities. The one in the dress is my cousin JJ's daughter, while the little boy is my nephew Coley.

Trisha was also there with her little boy Ben who is getting bigger by the day. The last time I remember seeing him he was still chillin in his baby carrier. Her hubby Joey is about to finish law school at the U.


Since Kathi was the MC for the evening she was also the center of attention most of the time. She did share the spotlight with JJ's girl while we sang some songs. Then she read off all our Christmas memories. Always energetic, always creative, always doing things perfectly; that's my aunt Kathi.

Here are some of the familie cutie pies. JJ's girl, Coley, and Chubby Fat (my sister Amber's daughter Serenity).

My cousin Emmy and I giving eachother some LOVE. Ya, she's a pretty cool chick. Very talented singer. She's going to be persuing an operatic career. I think my sister Sunny is the one who did the bunny ears behind us.

Some more Chubby Fat. I know it's a harsh sounding nickname for such a cutie pie, but it can actually be somewhat endearing. Serenity, her real name, was born about 7 months ago and was only 5 lbs. 1 oz. Ya, talk about small. We were a little worrie about her gaining some good weight, which is why once she started to gain some pounds and baby fat we were excited and gave her the nickname.

Papa (Dad) getting a good laugh in for some random reason.

"Talk to the hand!" The drama queen (my niece Kristin)

Some more magical Christmas moments. 1- We tried to fit as many people as we could on a couch. Darlene, Spencer, Katie, Kristin, then Elise finished the experiment by laying down on everyone. We are a really close family.

My mom, Jan, and brother, Phillip, decided two was a good number for their loveseat.

"Sisters, sisters, never were there such devoted sisters." My cousins Trisha and Missy. Both blond, both married to lawyers, and both pregnant again.

Here I am with all my Christmas loot. My car broke down so I had to squeeze my way into my dad's truck. It was a little tight, but better than walking in the snow!