December 30 Snowy Trees

December 30 Snowy Trees, originally uploaded by NedraI.

My husband pulled over twice today on our journey home so I could try to take some pictures. The scenery was beautiful for this whole trip. It was a spectacular winter wonderland. These pine trees lined many of the roads and were so pretty with the heavy snow on them. The pictures just don't do it justice!

December 29 Sled Dog Ride

December 29 Sled Dog Ride, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Our original plan was to do a bobsled ride today. But the kids decided they'd like to learn to ski and it was only $40 more for ski school and a pass to ski all day than it was to ride on a bobsled for less then 2 minutes. So at the end of the day my husband and I found something else to ride instead. The dog's feet and tails were looking a little cold but they were still ready to go. We were the last passengers of the day. It was a chilly but quiet and beautiful ride on the lake. It was a fun way to end our trip to Lake Placid.

December 28 First Wine Tasting

December 28 First Wine Tasting, originally uploaded by NedraI.

I debated about which picture to use today. Something showing the Olympics or something showing what we did as a family. I went for the family. Our son has been to wine tastings along the Finger Lakes with us before but this was his first time to actually try the wine. Two of the Finger Lake wineries have a tasting room in Lake Placid. He enjoyed the experience and at this one you even get to keep your glass so he has a memento. Our daughter entertained herself by texting her friends while waiting for us.

December 27 Blue Bird of Happiness

December 27 Blue Bird of Happiness, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Today my husband and I are celebrating our 29th anniversary. At one of my bridal showers the guests were asked to bring an ornament. That was such a great idea. I still have several of those ornaments and they always bring back special memories. This one was from my Aunt Bettie. She was a very special lady and I miss her. It's nice to pull out this ornament and think of her and remind my kids of her generosity and kind heart with a story or two.

December 26 Alumni Game

December 26 Alumni Game, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Tonight was my son's 4th alumni game. It was also the most popular. In the past the games have been held early in the morning and there's only a few die hard parents and fans in attendance. But tonight there was a big crowd and close to 40 players on the bench. It's basically the team that won the state championship the year my son was a freshman against everyone else. The championship team ended up being the winners tonight. With just a few exceptions most of the players were looking mighty tired by the end of the game. I'm sure there will be some sore muscles tomorrow!

December 25 Family

December 25 Family, originally uploaded by NedraI.

I debated on which picture to use for Christmas and decided to go with family. After opening presents and eating cinnamon rolls we headed out to the rink for a skate. We had a nice relaxing day together. Phone calls were made to various family members out of town. Later in the day A'nna joined us for dinner. Merry Christmas!

December 24 Christmas Eve Dinner

December 24 Christmas Eve Dinner, originally uploaded by NedraI.

Our daughter wanted Italian food for Christmas but my husband nixed that idea so we settled for a compromise. She could make it for Christmas Eve instead. My husband and I are not huge Italian food lovers but our daughter is, I'm sure she's been influenced by some of her friends and the huge Italian community in which we reside. It's hard to find a restaurant or go to a banquet that doesn't serve Italian food! Kira contacted her friends for some food ideas and came up with the menu of braciole, antipasto, bread and cannolis. She met me at the meat market when I went to buy ham loaf for tomorrow's meal. She didn't know how to pronounce the meat that she needed and the man behind the counter said he'd never heard of it. Then he asked to look at her phone, she was reading from a text message from her friend, and then he figured it out. She took her meat and headed to her friend's house for lessons on how to prepare it. She enjoyed the cooking and we all enjoyed a tasty meal. Our son worked until 8 and then headed to his girlfriend's house for the evening and missed the tasty treat.