New Year's Recap

Aaah, New Year's Eve. How I look forward to you every year, and how I look back on you for days and days after.

What a whirlwind that was! It was really great to be able to spend another New Year's with old friends. It was the perfect combination of people, and the perfect location, with no trauma as yet revealed, and from all appearances good times had by all. Paul and Jen are the best hosts in the universe, it's official. There was alcohol in abundance (although some or most of that was provided by Dave and Mark, thanks guys!), champagne toast at midnight, and scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and bloody mary's in the morning. Does it get any better than that?

I am seriously in love with the Dale Family Cabin as well. It's actually Paul's parents place, up a dirt road, in the juniper trees. It has one of the most beautiful views I've ever seen. I got to wake up to the sun coming up over the red mountains bordering Kolob Canyon. Of course, that was after only 2 hours sleep, and with the sun right in my eyes, but I'm not complaining one little bit. Paul's parents have a tradition of ringing in the new year on Catalina Island off the coast of Southern California, and I just can't say how much I appreciate their generosity in letting us crash their pad while they're away.

I didn't see too much of my Smith family while I was there (sorry Katester!), but I did get to spend some one on one time with Sweet Sophie Gene. I realized the first night at Becky's that I'd NEVER got to do that before. I always had my kids around whenever I got to spend time with her. We bonded, it was fabulous. She's so cute, and so funny, and says the darndest things, but you all know that already.

I found out that I'm better at Foozeball than I thought I was. (How the hell do you spell foozeball? that just doesn't look right. oh well) I played some with Janzen, and some with Becky, and while I didn't win, I wasn't as bad as I thought I'd be. I didn't get the chance to see if I could still lay a beating on Dave at the pool table, but we did reminisce about the days when I did.

I never thought I'd have friends from college (and high school, wow) that I'd still be partying with in my 30's. With all the moving we did as kids, I didn't think I'd ever have friends for more than a year or two. I have more fun with those people now than I did then. Of course, now we're much more able to acquire those 'social lubricants' (you know what I mean, dirty minds), and much better at handling it, AND there is Karaoke, which I never, ever would have thought these guys would be into to the degree they are. I'm trying to remember what I sang, and it's a tad fuzzy, maybe Kodi and Missuz J will help. I remember 'Fly Away' with both of them, which was so beautiful, and me making a bit of a mess of 'Just A Girl' with Kods. I also did 'Walk the Line' with the little girls. (Is 11 and 13 years old still considered little?) Dave did a stellar rendition of 'Super Freak', and as part of that deal, Erik did... ummm... what was it? DANG! Whatever it was, it was fun, and I got a picture of it on Becky's camera which she did not post. Maybe I'll have to try, I think she did send a copy to me. Jen sang and sang this year which was very cool, but I wished we would have heard more from Mark. Apparently he started drinking at about noon, and crashed early. Oh well. I also can't remember what Paul sang, other than the Prince marathon he and Jen did later on when everyone else was downstairs ;) , but he rocked the house as always.

So, there's my New Year's Recap, at least what parts of it are fit for public consumption. It was awesome, and I'm so glad I went. I was SO tired yesterday, so much so that I fell asleep on the couch while waiting for it to be time to pick up Madeline from school, and the school had to call me to wake me up to go get her. Embarrassing. Today is better, even if I still feel like a little part of me is lurking downstairs at the cabin, desperately trying to hold on to the Good Times. Oh well, I guess that's just how it goes.