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V-Day Surprise

I had been planning for months to wisk Dave a way for a Valentine's Day surprise.  I booked a cabin outside of Tahoe that is accessible only by snowshoes. To split the cost of the cabin, my sister Cassie and I went in together to spoil our men.  We informed them the night before we left to pack for a snow adventure!  They were left in total suspense. Of course, it didn't help that I took a few wrong turns on the way up.  I really had them lost (and me too!)

We planned all the food for the trip and left the next morning.  Our first stop was Cabelas in Reno, NV.....a outdoorsman's dream!

Lunch at Cabelas consisted of Bison wraps and buffalo burgers.  We told the boys we would follow them around and show genuine interest a whatever they wanted to try on or play with (this is more of an effort than it seems). After Cabelas we drove the to entrance of the park where we strapped on our snowshoes, threw on our packs, and began the 3 mile hike (all uphill might I add) to our cabin in the woods. Once the boys knew what we were doing, they were as giddy as little kids at Disneyland.  We knew this surprise would tap into their love language.

We arrived at the cabin just as the sun was setting.  We made sure to snap a few quick photos before we lost daylight.

The cabin was perfect. Small. Cozy. Warm.  It came stocked with wood and a wood burning stove.  Downstairs was a futon that turned into a bed, and upstairs in the loft was a queen bed.  We cooked up some dinner over the stove and spent the rest of the evening drinking wine and playing board games.  It was awesome!

The next morning we made breakfast and packed our bags for the hike out. Snow flurries dusted our heads as we hiked back.  The cabin in the woods was the perfect Valentine's adventure.

And he's off!

My brother David just joined the Navy. We dropped him off at the recruiting station yesterday with many tearful goodbyes and watched him drive away with nothing on him but the clothes on his back.  Can you believe they even issue him underwear?  Yep, they own him. He got driven to Sacramento last night for paperwork processing and is on a plane this morning to Great Lakes Illinois (about 45 mins north of Chicago) where he will spend 8 weeks in boot camp.  Our whole family will be flying out to see him graduate late March. After graduation he goes right into "A" school.  He schooling is somewhat unknown, but it is in the field of computers. Possibly ballistics, possibly radar. If it were his choice, he'd be on a submarine. Given that he scored so high on his tests and that his schooling is more intensive than most, his enlistment was a required 6 years.

Feelings of giddiness mixed with nostalgia flooded him over the last few days as he said his final goodbyes.  I can't wait to see him proudly in his uniform in a few short months.  I am sure going to miss my goofy younger brother.

Family

This weekend my entire family was together for the first time in years.  The celebration? Finally getting to see my niece from Alaska and my brother's departure. He ships out on Monday for a 6 year stint in the Navy.  As we laughed, ate, and played board games all weekend, I was reminded at how different we all are, yet how much we all love one another. Up until we moved away for college, our life experiences were relatively similar - we all grew up in the same town, went to the same church, had similar friends, etc.  But since then, I moved to Australia, Nepal, Thailand, and NYC, Brittany lived in L.A. and San Jose, Cassie went to San Francisco, and Eirik to Alaska.  We all met and married the loves of our lives who brought additional life experiences.  All this richness and personality shapes and molds us into who we are today.  I am so thankful for the changes that have occurred in all of us, for it adds spice to the family! This does mean an increased amount of differences, philosophies on life, and goals for the future.  It would be so easy to judge one another, get frustrated with one another, and expect that everyone should be like us.  That, of course, would rob us of the joy that comes from learning from one another and reveling in our differences.

So, today I am thankful for my family in all their similarities and differences and all the spice that comes with being together. Here we are in all our uniqueness.

Dave and I love the outdoors.  You can usually find us hiking on a mountain somewhere, skiing down slopes, or snowshoeing through ravines. We'd usually rather sleep in a tent in the great outdoors than in our own beds. Our summer plans consist of backpacking through Europe.

Bill and Cassie love their baseball!  Cassie is a die-hard Red Sox fan and Bill an A's fan - a cause for tension in their marriage =)  Bill loves to hunt and is an Environmental Science major while Cassie prefers the luxuries of a good shopping mall. I love these guys!

 

Brittany and Anthony probably spend more time at the gym than at their own house.  They have each competed in multiple marathons and their latest is a body building competition where they will be competing as a pair. Anthony is a personal trainer and Brittany teaches aerobic classes.  They are a great match for each other.  I love these guys and the diversity they bring to the family!

 

Eirik and Lauren spend much of their time with their new daughter Alexa. She brings so much joy to the family. Eirik fixes electronics on fighter jets for the Air Force, and Lauren, once a real estate agent, now a stay at home mom.  Eirik usually has us in stitches with jokes while Lauren rolls her eyes and laughs at the husband she has chosen.  I love the positiveness these guys bring to life and the joy they are to be around.

 

David walks to the beat of his own drum.....as you can see.  He loves the outdoors and the rigor of challenging himself physically.  David also loves acting and singing in local theaters.  He joined the Navy and ships out in a few days.  His quick wit and complete randomness makes him so much fun to have around.  We will all miss him dearly.

 

Here's the whole clan all together. I love each and every one of them in their unique way. My prayer is that as we grow older and make different life choices that we can remember that it is our diversity that brings life to the family. 

Dogs

There were LOTS of dogs during our Christmas celebration.....5 to be exact......in one house.  Here's  some documentation of the chaos.