...I love our Christmas Cactus.

Our holiday cacti bloomed just in time for Christmas and the New Year. I love the diversity and symmetry of cacti so much that I used them for center pieces at our wedding.

I love how the Christmas Cactus blooms in the middle of winter--bringing some vibrance to our home in juxtaposition to the white winter land outside. Happy Holidays!

...sorry to continually interrupt our run.

I couldn't keep my camera out of my pocket when Dave and I would run in the morning in California. Here are some of my favorite finds...

Woodpeckers peck all these thousands of holes in the oak trees and then stuff acorns in them. The woodpeckers that did this are actually called Acorn Woodpeckers and they're found in the hills of California as well as other places in the southwestern U.S. Acorns are a large part of their diet and they store them in trees as a kind of granary. The woodpeckers will try storing their acorns in almost anything. Kent has fought them for years as they peck the wood siding on their house to bits. He finally put up this net all over the house and it has worked. No more Woody Woodpecker! This vine likes it though.

This last picture is a rock pile where Dave used to build forts. There is a ledge where he had a nice place to build fires and practice being the outdoorsman that he now is :) 

Dave has told me many times how grateful he is that his parents decided to live somewhere he could have some space to roam around fishing and shooting his pellet gun. I'd say he was a very lucky kid!

...what a beautiful home!

Kent and Ella Madsen have one of the most beautiful homes (house + location) I have ever seen. Enormous oak trees can be found all over their five acres and they even have mossy tiles on their roof. Kent and Ella say they chose the house because of the rocks, and I agree, the rocks are magnificent. I guess it's not always this green...but I've yet to see it any other way. So to me, it's always the most beautifully green spot to live I've ever come across.

I love these small accents that make the place unique and colorful. How wonderful to not live in a stucco mansion with no character!

...great day skiing in your old stomping grounds!

Dave, Paul, Anne, Ryan and I went skiing at Sierra at Tahoe today. It is a beautiful mountain with huge trees everywhere. The snow is a little heavy, but soft and silky nonetheless. Dave pointed out the cliffs he used to huck off of as well as his favorite mogul run that he would ski down with no beanie and his mullet flying free. It was super fun to see where Dave grew up skiing and to be out in the sunshine with the Madsen clan!

...Merry Christmas!

Dave and I went for a run this morning. Instead of a white Christmas it was incredibly lush and green. Here are a few Christmas gems from the surrounding houses and the Madsen's front door. But nothing can top the cuteness of Lindsay's excitement on discovering her dog Pillow Pet under the tree!

...your family has talent!

Christmas Eve concluded with a beautiful ham dinner by Ella and amazing performances by the musical Madsens (which did not include Dave and me). With all the talent on both sides of our family, we really need to step it up and represent! Garrett did a great solo of I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus and Anne played a fantastic duet on her flute. There were also great vocals performances and piano pieces by Brooklyn, Maya, Garrett, Lindsay, and Ryan. We all sang some Christmas songs together and watched a Nativity movie. It was a wonderful evening.

...good thing you've acquired some redneck!

To start out our Christmas Eve, Dave rousted us out of the house and we all went up for some good redneck diggin' and sledding. Kids were sledding behind the trucks and getting their faces scraped on the icy snow, boys were throwing each other off hills and getting kicked in the head, and the uncles were bouncing all over in their Toyotas. Great start to a fine Christmas Eve!

...do you want to move to the Salt Flats?

The salt flats were stunning as we drove to California for Christmas vacation. They are always mysterious, but I've never seen them quite so beautiful. The pics do not give justice to the beautiful day. As we drove I felt like we could be in Tajikistan or somewhere similarly exotic.  Metaphor: Tree of Utah has always intrigued me. So I finally looked it up. I like it. And I like the salt flats. I also really like this last shot of the sculpture by Declan McCullagh.

...haven't you always wanted to be a rock star?

Dad said Dave looks like ZZ Top with his beard, so I had to look up the band. Wow! I don't think Dave has made it to this level of hairiness...yet. If we had been successful in convincing Dave to dress up like one of the Three Amigos for the Christmas party, ZZ Top would have replaced the beardless loser in their band with Dave. My little buttercup...

...don't you want 10 of these?

We had a Sorensen Christmas party last night and April and Scott's kids were so cute! They dressed up for the Nativity and got presents from Grandma. Dave and I got a present too...the Minerva Teichert painting of Christ at His second coming. We had a wonderful dinner of asparagus and meat balls and made caramel apples too. And of course...we had to play fruit basket turnover. Dave wrestled with Beau until they both almost threw up. My favorite was Chet coming to the door at the beginning of the party with his ski goggles on. He looked so serious and he wouldn't smile. Then Sonora had to try them on too. I also caught the classic Scott picture with his eyes closed.