The Twelve Days of Christmas - Celebrate the Merriment!

As many of you know, moving to Jackson Hole was a bit out of my "comfort zone." Yes, in my "Grand Plan," if I was going to move it was going to be to a big city - New York, Boston, or Chicago! Funny how life can be so contradictory. But, this move has actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise - a beautiful and exciting place to call home for the past four months. We have seen and done things that I never would have imagined, and still have so much more exploring to do. The people are friendly and extremely worldly. This may be a small town, but the folks here are truly city folks.

I must admit that as the holidays approached I feared that it would be hard to find traditional holiday things to do - but JH once again did not let us down! Here are some of our Holiday endeavors - some unique to the area, many unique to being a Nelson!

1. Rocky Mountain Bank Christmas Party - This was one of the first nights that Derek was in town. Although it was a scaled-down party this year, we enjoyed meeting all of Barry's colleagues - they are a fun group. And we walked away with two of the ten gift drawings....unfortunately I was the only loser in the family!
2. Tile painting @ Snake River Brewery - The local brewery invited Jacksonites to make their mark on the pub, painting tiles to line the walls of the newly added dining area. We went to the Center for the Arts, not knowing how well -attended this event would be - but JH residents proved that they LOVE their brewery, the place was standing room only! We each painted a tile (and I also did one for Ashley, since she was not in town yet). It was a really fun evening - and of course they had brought 3 kegs of freshly brewed beer to the Arts Center for the event. We followed our painting session with a trip to the brewery for dinner and some more good brew!



Standing room only at the Ceramics studio!



Rudy Borrego - brewer and Ceramics teacher! If you want some good brew, try the Snake River Brewery beers - sold nationwide.My favorite is their Pale Ale or the OB-1.



Our soon to be famous tiles - artistic ability does not run in the family necessarily! Derek seems to have "won" this competition!

3. Danish Dinner - To celebrate our Danish heritage, and allow Derek to enjoy some of his favorite foods from his trip abroad, he looked up some recipes and I went to work! We had a fabulous meal of Frikadellar and Rodkal and a dessert of Aeblekage. It was all delicious, thankfully, since I didn't pay attention to the servings in the recipes and prepared enough for 12! Barry & I will be enjoying a few more Danish dinners in the weeks to come.
4. Holiday Mixology @ The Wort Hotel (Historic hotel in downtown JH) - We thought that this would be a fun event to attend with Derek. The class offered tips and recipes for making holiday drinks including how to prep the glasses (lots of fun ideas from dangling candy canes to putting chocolate kisses in the bottom of a martini glass), measuring the the alcohol, and mixing ideas and the best part - tasting the creations! My favorite was The Evergreen - 1 oz. Tequila, 1 oz. heavy whipping cream, 1/2 oz. creme de menthe, 1 oz. creme de cocoa. Shake in an ice-filled martini shaker. Pour into martini glass rimmed with chocolate sprinkles. Delightful!

5. Hanukkah Dinner - We decided that it was more important to celebrate Hanukkah as a family, rather than during the 8 nights that it fell on, since Ashley was not yet home. We had our traditional dinner and lit the candles and enjoyed an evening of celebrating all being "home" in JH!

6. Elk Refuge Sleigh Ride - okay call us "tourists," but it was on my bucket list and my kids obliged and went with me. Yes, we were the only locals on our sleigh, but I would say that it was enjoyed by all! Something that I would definitely do again when you visit us this winter! The sleigh actually takes you out into the refuge, where thousands of elk migrate to winter, and we were face to face with these beautiful creatures.
 
 

7. Walks on the Snake River Levee (I've already shown you all those pics)

8. Movies - We saw "The Fighter" - awesome, true story and "True Grit" - probably my favorite move of the year! Both worth seeing this holiday season.

9. Celebrating the Winter Solstice by attending the Gallery Event for Tom Mangelson. He resides in JH and is a world-renowned wildlife photographer. His works are amazing. After a fun evening in the Gallery we enjoyed a fabulous dinner on the Town Square at the Cadillac Grille.


High Five



Windswept

10. Skiing - LOTS of great skiing - Derek logged 11 days on his visit home! Jackson Hole has proved to be a fun place to enjoy lots of great skiing. Even in the "busy season" that we are in now, there are still no lift lines or crowds to speak of, maybe because we stick to the blue runs! Actually Derek & Barry have navigated their way down a lot of double blues and blacks too - Ashley & I stick to the greens & blues &!

11. Mountain Athlete - yes I got Ashley to join me at Mountain Athlete for a workout and she did awesome. Crystal commented when I went back this week on how athletic Ashley was & that she can't wait to train her over the summer (was she surprised at the athleticism since she was my daughter??).

12. FAMILY TIME - we enjoyed lots of fun family time together (although Derek may say that 21 days home/away from friends was a bit extreme)!

Mountain life is good!

Ringing in the New Year!

It's hard to believe that another year is coming to an end - where does the time go? Looking back at 2010, there have been so many changes in our lives, it is hard to imagine that we conquered them all in one year! So now that we are settled, or should I say "hunkered down," for the winter  months in Jackson Hole we have lots to look forward to in 2011.

My first wish for 2011 is that Ashley & Derek have a fabulous journey through Spain and Portugal and return home safely...and without new found "loves" from another country!  I know that their trip will be full of lifelong memories for the two of them. According to an AOL story on New Years celebrations today, "In Spain, revelers are gathering in town squares, where at midnight they'll pop 12 plump grapes into their mouths to mark the new year, making a wish for every month to come. In nearby Portugal, it's the same routine but with raisins." Well at least I feel better now, knowing that Derek & Ashley will not be out all night in a club - ha!

My next wish for 2011 is that we will get visitors out here in beautiful Jackson Hole! No need to wait until summer, the winter provides lots of opportunities for fun and it is absolutely breathtaking - the scenery, not the sub-zero temperatures!

Sunrise on New Year's Eve morning. I know that you may think, "why does she keep sending the same picture over & over," but I still can't believe that this is my view as I sit at my computer and blog!

As the year draws to a close, the celebration begins.  You can feel the excitement in the air, as its crispness jolts you out of your reverie - yes, we are supposed to have a chilly New Years weekend! Tonight we are headed to the Village for the Glow Worm and Torchlight parades which will snake their way down Teewinot, followed by a spectacular fireworks display. And no doubt after standing outside for those activities we will be patronizing one of the Village bars for a warm libation or two! We have dinner reservations at a few different places in town - waiting to see what we feel like later. No big par-tay plans this year, as we have to be up and ready to ski in the morning!

A few New Years ideas for you to ponder:

• For those with New Year's resolutions, a handy website from Britain has been set up to help you manage your promises. Dubbed "Hassle Me," the site will send you free e-mails every day or week to remind you to call your mother or go to the gym...or book your trip to visit the Nelsons!
• Dictionary.com word of the day: hogmanay, noun, a gift given on New Year's Eve - use this at your party tonight & you will sound quite studious! Better yet, get your spouse a hogmanay!

As the year slowly fades away, there are a few other things that are nearly out of sight here in Jackson Hole due to the rapidly accumulating snow!

Santa is "snowed in" in our front yard!

Bella making her way out in the back yard - thank goodness that we have indoor plumbing for humans - I would be in deep doo-doo if I had to go out!

Our post office is quickly disappearing from sight! Surely this won't make our mail service any slower than it already is! Speaking of mail, I just ordered my Holiday cards - so they will be VERY late!

Have a safe and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Silent Night

I am sitting in a very quiet house tonight. The kids both left this afternoon and have arrived safely back in Dallas for the night. They depart the U.S. tomorrow for an 11-day trip together to Spain and Portugal (more on that later). Barry worked a 1/2 day this afternoon at the office and is playing basketball tonight at the rec. center. And Bella is laying around like she has lost her best friends, since she can't seem to find Derek & Ashley anywhere...and believe me, she keeps looking!

The unsolicited peace and quiet gave me time to reflect on our first Christmas in Jackson Hole. This was probably the most relaxing and beautiful Christmas that we have ever had (although we did REALLY miss the noise, commotion, and excitement of the family all being together). It was also our first Christmas in a long time where we were not with my entire family to celebrate together (thank you Barry for being so good and letting us enjoy this holiday together for so many years) - it was a big adjustment for me and I will admit that I shed a few tears through the week. Needless to say we started some new traditions, kept many of our old traditions and of course missed being with all the grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins as well as our friends from KC to celebrate our long-standing Christmas traditions. Hopefully we will not have many more Christmas holidays apart.

We waited until Ashley got in town to trim the Christmas Tree. Derek used some of the "skills" that he learned in our Holiday Mixology class (more on that in another blog) to make us some spirited hot chocolate for our evening of tree trimming!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Bella doing a celebration dance since the tree is decorated!

Our first new tradition was to ski together for the holidays - and we live in the perfect place for that tradition addition! We enjoyed two beautiful days of skiing together on the 23rd and Christmas Eve.   

A picture-perfect day of groomed runs!




A Happy Ski Family atop the Gondola



Ashley & I at the top of the tram (would like to say to ski, but it is all
expert terrain up there...we came for the hot chocolate! Took tram back down too).

  

A beautiful sunset on the Tetons
as we drove home from the village.

Bella was happy to get Derek & Ashley
home from their day of skiing!

We thought that a Christmas Eve dinner of take out Chinese food would be an easy new tradition - we just need to find a better Chinese restaurant before next year! To stick with the theme we thought it appropriate to celebrate the evening with Sake Bombs...sake, sake, sake BOMB (ask Derek & Barry about nearly breaking their hands pounding on the granite counter top)!

Just BEFORE they almost broke their hands!

OK, we admit it - we just posed for the picture!!

 

Merry Christmas Eve! On our way out to candlelight service at
The Presbyterian Church of Jackson Hole

Twas the night before Christmas and
they all had on their matching pajamas!

We got up on Christmas morning and enjoyed our traditional Danish breakfast of ebelsquiver, before the guys headed out to the village to ski. Unfortunately Ashley had twisted her ankle at school the week before she arrived home (the story is she was heading to the gym and twisted it on the stairs in her dorm trying to avert a spill on the steps - who knows if there is a different story that we will learn about in the coming years). Anyways, after two days of skiing, her ankle had enough, so her and I opted out of skiing on Christmas day and enjoyed a scenic walk on the levee with Bella (who thought that this was the perfect Christmas gift) while the guys skied.

 When we got home from skiing we had our neighbors down for some Christmas cheer, then we finally got around to opening our presents. A BIG change in tradition, especially from the days of the patter of little feet running down the hall to wake us up to check if Santa had arrived, before the sun even came up! Yes, Santa did find us in Jackson Hole and left plenty of good stuff - everyone was definitely on the "Good List" this year!

Christmas was very nontraditional, yet very fun! We sat down to enjoy our Christmas "feast" of filet mignon and lobster at 9:00pm...more new traditions! We all agreed that doing things differently this year made the holiday really fun.

Sorry if this blog got a bit boring....I know that the Nelsons in their pj's is not newsworthy to all, but felt it necessary to update the family on how we survived our Christmas without them! From our new home in Jackson Hole to yours - hope that you had a Merry and Bright Christmas!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun!

Bella thought that life couldn't get better once she met Derek...then came Ashley! As our neighbor keeps commenting, "Bella hit the doggy jackpot" by being adopted into her new family. I actually think that all of us feel like we have hit the jackpot with the addition of Bella! She is an amazing dog and has shown that she has plenty of love for the whole family:)

Bella's heart expanded immediately when she met Ashley - they were girlfriends for life. Bella spent her days and nights wandering between the kids' rooms to nap. Having two new "siblings" who were always willing to give a tummy rub or go on a walk and play ball - Bella was in doggy heaven. Ashley adapted to training Bella right off the bat, so it made it easy for Bella to know just how to behave at all times! So many masters, but so much love & fun too. Bella did an amazing job listening to both Derek & Ashley.

Here are some pics of Ashley & Bella out & about in Jackson Hole:

Bella catching some air...and snowballs
with Ashley!

 



Two girls who love the snow!



Bella took the opportunity to sneak a kiss on Ashley
while we waited for the automatic timer to go off on the camera!

Ashley & Bella enjoyed a beautiful day on the levee on Christmas Day.
There were tons of dogs and people and even a family of four moose! And not
to mention picture perfect views of the Grand Teton Mountains.

Ashley had some special Christmas presents for Bella,
including her new TCU Horned Frogs collar!



Ashley took Bella on her first trip to the ski Village - she
was a very good pup & loved all the excitement and the skiers.
Bella hung out in the car while we enjoyed Apres Ski with Barry
and Derek at the Mangy Moose after their day of skiing.

 Life in Jackson Hole with the whole family together and the addition of Bella is a REALLY GOOD THING! We are truly blessed~

Oh, Christmas Tree!

There are many options for getting Christmas trees in Jackson Hole....

OPTION # 1

• National Forest Tree Permit - $5.00
• Hiking into the forest to find the perfect tree - invigorating
• Cutting down the perfect tree - exhilarating
• Sledding the tree out of the forest - breathtaking
• Over-the-top experience that brings over-the-top joy - PRICELESS



The choices are endless in the National Park



OPTION #2

• Driving to Smith's Grocery store - Easy (it's close by)
• Choosing the perfect Christmas Tree - Tricky (the tall ones were bound together with twine and frozen)
• Getting the tree on top of the car - Interesting (since the tree was much taller than Manny, who helped me get it on top of the car and "securely" tied down....$5 tip to guarantee it wouldn't fly off the top)
•  8-foot tree - $35.00 (plus tip)

Yes, you guessed it - the "city folks " from Kansas took option two! We figured that we would leave some adventures for next year. The lack of a saw, sled and knowledge of where to go to get the perfect tree led us to the Smith's parking lot!

 



Our half frozen tree (looks more like a torpedo)!

Amazingly enough there were over 1700 tree permits sold in the Bridger Teton National Forest this year! And there were over 400 trees sold at Smith's, lots of Christmas trees in this small town. I am happy to report that we have a beautiful tree that is from a tree farm in New Mexico or something, but it is really pretty. And the best news is that it is still standing - traditionally our tree falls over a few times (I shouldn't brag so soon, we haven't put the million ornaments on it yet)! We had to de-bug" it when we first brought it home, but all is good now. We are waiting to decorate it when Ashley arrives home. It is family tradition that Derek & Ashley vie for the "best branches" for their favorite ornaments!!

Oh Christmas Tree!

CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE!

Speaking of beautiful trees - the Capitol Christmas Tree arrived safely in Washington D.C. and was lit last Tuesday night for the season. It is an exquisite tree - how wonderful to have our "home state" of Wyoming in the spotlight this year!

The Capitol Christmas Tree - Washington D.C.

Hope that your holidays are merry and bright!

Buddies

The pictures say it all - Derek & Bella have become best buddies!
 

We took Bella on a walk on the levee today.
Both she & Derek had a great time!

  

Bella is doing a great job with her off-leash training.
She would follow Derek to the end of the Earth I think!

  

Life is GOOD in Jackson Hole!
Two winning smiles :)

Derek has been great at working with Bella on her training. She responds really well to him - the deep voice and towering stature are a bonus (along with  the fact that Derek is always available for a game of fetch and a tummy rub). Bella has taken up residence in Derek's room - or wherever he is at the time!

All of the hours of training are paying off for everyone. We have been working with a fabulous trainer in town named Thomas Mikelson (I want to give "props" to all those who have made our move JH a positive experience - maybe some of you will follow us out here and need a great dog trainer). Bella is really turning into a well-mannered, Jackson Hole dog (i.e. off leash trained). We even took her into town a few times this week to practice shopping on the Town Square. All of the stores welcome dogs, and many even have treats!  Next I need to teach her to carry my shopping bags :)


Sitting all the way down in the snow is too cold for Bella!

Bella can't wait to get Ashley home this weekend - Bella has LOTS of love and kisses waiting for her!

Keep your tails waggin' as the Holiday stress may try to creep up on you!