The first weekend in October Chris' parents came into town with their friends from Canada. They were both celebrating their anniversary with a little getaway. I love playing hostess to visitors and I had fun cooking for more than two that weekend. We enjoyed their company and of course the spirit of General Conference. Chris' brother's wife Trisha and two of her kids came into town for other reasons the same weekend and stopped by and visited for a few hours. We love it whenever we get the opportunity to have family in town because it normally doesn't happen very often.
My in-laws came again in November for the Professional Bull Riders, Inc. that takes place here in Vegas. Kel had a sister and brother-in-law that were in town for the PRB as well so we all got tickets and went. We didn't have the greatest seats but it was fun none the less. During the PBR and NFR Vegas goes country and there are several free events to take part in. Before the PBR we went to browse around and found a mechanical bull. Of course Chris couldn't pass up the opportunity to give it a go, thanks to the dares from his dad and uncle. It was comical relief for the thousands of PBR fans that were strolling by. He even had some war wounds afterwards. Although I enjoyed watching the PBR this year and the NFR last year I still don't understand why anyone in their right mind would want to do this for a living. Thankfully people are crazy enough so that we can be entertained!
Sorry that the video is sideways, I couldn't change it.
The following weekend my brother Levi and his wife Kara and their adorable little girl Marley came to town. My brother is a firefighter in Idaho Falls and also plays the bagpipes with the IFFD Pipes and Drums. The Firefighter Combat Challenge was here on Fremont Street that weekend and the IFFD Pipes and Drums were invited to come and play for the Combat Challenge Finals. Chris was out of town but I was able to go down and watch him play and witness the numerous firefighters that come to compete. I couldn't believe how many firefighters there were. There were even teams from Germany and New Zealand competing. My brother did an awesome job but unfortunately I didn't get great pictures because we were standing behind hundreds of firefighters. The next night one of the Idaho Falls firefighters was competing at the EnduroCross that takes place at the Orleans Arena. They invited my brother and his wife to go and since I was hanging out with them I got to go as well. It made Chris jelous that I was there since he loves riding and would have loved to have gone but he was in Utah paintballing with his dad and brothers. (Just as a side note Chris is on a paintballing kick. He went to a charitable paintball tournament in Mesquite a while back and since then jumps at any opportunity to go. He now has his own gun and gear so now I can't use the excuse that it costs too much money to rent all the gear to keep him from going. He really enjoys it and it makes him happy which makes me happy. He gets to take all his agression, frustratsions and anger out on complete strangers, what could be better!) Now back to my weekend with Levi and Kara. Since Levi and I both served our missions in Argentina I thought it would be fun to take them to an Argentine restaurant that I love here in Vegas. Levi and I got our fill of great Argentine food :) It was great to be able to hang out with them and spend time with my niece Marley. Thanks for the visit you guys.
(I had to post a website to show off my bros mad bagpipe skills. Here it is if you want to check it out. Copy it and paste it in your address bar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2RWcTmpfBI
On November 10th my sister Shyla had another little girl, Avery Jayne. That makes three adorble neices on my side of the family. She's got the chubbiest little squeezable cheeks. My brother-in-law was in Denver with my dad and brother for the Denver Bronco's game and almost didn't make it for her big debut. Luckily my sister-in-law and mom were able to book him a ticket back and he made it just in time. She'll make a great addition to the Aaron family and to the McAffee family. My mom was happy to get a little grand-daughter as a birthday present.
It seems that with the good comes the bad as well. My grandma was diagnosed with cancer in November as well and went through surgery right away so the Dr's could remove as much as possible. She is doing well and is constantly in our prayers. She is a prime example of a righteous courageous woman. She has raised 10 children, served 2 missions and continues to be a rock in the gospel. Her positive attitude and witty humor continue to bless our lives. She is the glue that holds the McAffee family together. We are grateful she is still with us and that she continues to fight this cancer.
The week of Thanksgiving I had an aunt and uncle, their three kids, and my uncles father come and stay with us. My uncle builds and designs his own cars and was racing his car Thanksgiving weekend at the Las Vegas Speedway. Luckily they came a day before we had to leave so we were able to spend time with them. They took us out to dinner and we had a nice visit with them. Like I've said before we love having visitors and this time it was a bonus because they stayed at our house throughout the whole weekend while we were gone so we didn't have to worry about anyone breaking into our house or worrying about it while we were gone. For Thanksgiving Chris and I went to Idaho Falls to spend time with my parents. Luckily Alegiant Air for Thanksgiving and Christmas moved their flights to Wednesday and Sunday instead of Monday and Friday. So we left Wednesday afternoon and arrived 1 hour and 45 mintues later in Idaho Falls, much better than flying to Salt Lake and then driving the rest of the way or driving the whole way. Tradition has always been that we spend Thanksgiving at my grandparents house but due to my grandmother's recent diagnosis and surgery we decided we wouldn't make her host it this year so my parents hosted everyone at their house. We had 30 people at my parents house for dinner on Thanksgiving Day. Out of my grandparents' 10 kids 7 were able to make it. I am so blessed to have the family that I do have and for the closeness that we have been able to maintain throughout the years. Like I said earlier that's mostly due to my grandmother. It was great to visit with aunts, uncles, cousins and my grandparents. Chris and I were the only ones home this year out of my immediate family besides my brother Levi and his wife Kara who already live in IF, but Levi had to work so Kara spent Thanksgiving with him at the station. After everyone left around 7pm Chris and I decided we would go stake out Best Buy to see if lines had already started to form for the following Black Friday. To my surprise, this being the first year in my life that I was even somewhat willing to go out to shop, there were already 20-30 people in line with their tents pitched and all. The doors didn't open until 5am and I wasn't about to spend 10 hours outside in the freezing cold in mid Idaho winter just to save some money. We turned around and went home to a nice warm house. My dad and Chris talked me into going out around 4:30am to see if we could still get lucky enough to get in and find some good deals. Chris and I didn't find what we were looking for but my dad did, so all in all it was successful. But I will NEVER do it again. The remainder of the weekend was relaxing and fun. We went bowling with my parents and also saw The Blindside which I would highly reccomend. We also went out to dinner with some extended family members at Hard Hat. A newer restaurant in IF. I survived the cold weather and was reminded yet again of how blessed I am when it comes to family.
On December 11th Chris had his company party in Utah and on the 12th a yearly dinner tradition with his family. We drove to Utah on Friday and were lucky enough to not run into any bad weather. My sister Darcie just bought a home in Kaysville so on our way through to West Haven we stopped at her house for the grand tour. It's a beautiful home and it was nice to see her. My other sister, Shyla, also lives in Kaysville and came over with her four kids, Hadlee, Camden, Kael and Avery. I got to see my brand new niece for the first time. She's a doll and has three older siblings that just adore her. I was able to go out with my sisters the next day and hang out as well. I miss having them so close. I'm definitely blessed in the sister department and couldn't ask for better ones, that includes you Kara! We had dinner that night at Maddox (they have rolls to die for) with all the KOZCO employees. The next night was the yearly family dinner at The Roof at the top of the Joseph Smith building. It's always great food and nice to feel the Christmas spirit on Temple Square. We left late morning to head home due to the blizzard and all the snow that appeared Sunday morning. The drive from Ogden to Provo proved pretty trecherous. We had to stop for new wipers in Centerville but when we hit Beaver it was sunny and dry roads for the remainder of the trip. Chris had stayed up till 3am with his brother playing x-box so I was the lucky one who got to drive the rest of the way home while he slept. I feel lucky to have in-laws that make me feel welcome and loved and that I can talk to and feel comfortable around. The same goes for my brother-in-laws and sister-in-laws. I may not show it or let them know verbally as often as I maybe should but I love and appreciate all of them and I'm grateful for the things that I have learned from them in the short four years that I have been a part of their family.
The 16th of this month was our 4th Anniversary. It fell right smack in the middle of the week which didn't leave us many options in terms of celebration. We both obviously had to work and I had to go to scouts later that night. (Just a comical side note... 2 weeks ago I was called as the co-bear leader in our ward. I know absolutely nothing about my role but I'm sure it will prove entertaining and challenging.) For the last month I have been planning a little getaway for Chris and I which I planned on making a late anniversary gift. When he got home from work we had dinner and then I gave him a brochure that I had made which outlined what we would do on our little getaway. We are both excited to go and to celebrate these four years. We have definitely had our ups and downs, just like any marriage, but when it's all said and done I truly feel blessed to have found Chris and was lucky enough that he wanted to be by my side for eternity. He is my best friend and I know I can always count on him to be there for me and that he will always do his best to make me smile.
The 18th was Chris' birthday. The big 30! Because our anniversary, his birthday, Christmas and my birthday are all within a month of each other I figured our New Years trip could be a time to celebrate everything. What better way to celebrate turning 30, saying goodbye to the 20's, 4 years of marriage and many more to come, and welcoming in a new year and hoping that it brings joy in the form of little ones :) with a relaxing little get-away with just the two of us. Even though we are celebrating with our trip I still wanted to do something for Chris. I had to work but it was Chris' day off. So Chris does what he does when I'm working and he's at home...probably a little wii, maybe some paintball, playing on the laptop and watching movies. When I got off work I made some lasagna and garlic bread and we had a nice quiet evening and opened some presents. (It's just not as exciting opening present anymore.) On Saturday we went over to our friends house, Kevin and Melissa, to have brownies and ice cream. (Chris prefers brownies over cake.) Kevin and Chris left us girls with the kids while they went and played some paintball at a new indoor paintball place near our house.
On Monday the 21st we went to the Forgotten Carols (thanks to some left over tickets from our Bishop). I love the music and the Christmas spirit that comes along with the show. I really wasn't in the Christmas spirit until I saw it. It doesn't feel like Christmas here in Vegas, especially when there is no family around and no decorations out :( I have seen the Forgotten Carols more times than I can count and it still is enjoyable to watch.
Well that wraps up the last three months. I won't wait three more months to blog about Christmas and our New Years trip so check back soon. Merry Christmas and Happy New Years to all of you.
2 comments:
my goodness! busy! busy! :) i'm glad you finally updated!! It was good to see you guys around thanksgiving! it's been awhile. we hope you have merry christmas and have a fun new year's trip! that would be so relaxing!!! :)
Fun fun fun! Where in Argentina did you serve? My husband served in Neuquen. (I hope I spelled that right) We only know of one Argentine place in town, and haven't been there in years. All I know is they had the best flan I had ever had. LOL
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