Sunny Sunday

first, a christmas update. please make that SIX happy-first-christmas-together ornaments. there was one more hiding under the tree. also hiding under the tree HALLELUJAH were two more boxes of chocolate-covered marshmallow santas that were not affected by the abysmal weather (and the original box has now recovered).

i made gingerbread cookies (the word "made" being used very loosely to mean that i took the dough out of the gigantic rod and rolled it into fun shapes to bake) and fell asleep on the couch. when i awoke, aaron had decorated them with white frosting and red hots -- into mormon missionaries, creations reminiscent of pablo picasso, beatnik hippies, 666 calls to satan, etc. hee hee. this one's my favorite, with it's red toenails, lop-sided stare, and bloody fangs.

my in-laws ate bagels with smoked fish and raw onions for breakfast on xmas. weird. although i did spend the entire rest of the day devouring warm jalapeno-artichoke-cream cheese dip so i should keep my mouth shut. and really, does breakfast matter when you get to wear the diamond and tahitian pearl earrings your husband gave you!?! they are simple and classy and gorgeous and perfect. *dreamy* they do not, however, photograph very nicely, but since i'm bragging i had to try. if you look closely, you can also see the sun setting behind the jail and the HUMONGOUS mounds of snow outside. christmas day was nice and relaxing until we had to drive back up the mountain in the "wintry mix." i guess the wintry mix is a novelty here, because the residents feel they are entitled to nice clean powdery white snow, albeit gigantic mounds of it. our apartment could easily double as the snack bar at a skating rink with all the xmas goodies we have stashed inside and four solid inches of ice covering the lot.

anyway, aaron was feeling claustrophobic under that sheet of ice so we escaped to sedona for the day yesterday, where sunny and 50 degrees feels like heaven. and what better way to start the day than trying out your new coffee-flavored beer -- lagunita's cappuccino stout. kelley says: chewy. followed by an actual cup of coffee, the slow winding decent down to oak creek, and a looooong, leisurely stroll down the bell rock pathway in the crisp sunshine.

walking around this for a few hours helps clear your head and put things in perspective ...