Pow Wow '09

One of the biggest challenges for a Michigander living in the south is hearing all the Christmas songs about snow and seeing christmas movies where the Christmas miracles only happen when everything is covered in white. One of the world's greatest atrocities is when children in the south sing about a building a snowman and watching it melt in the sun HAVING NEVER EVEN SEEN IT!!! I guess they may have seen it before...but not enough to build a 10' snowman or have a snowball fight.

In order to help me cope with this anti-pow-itis, my beautiful girlfriend thought it would be great for us to head north on a quest for snow and some snowboarding. I'm not expecting killer, waist deep powder...I'll take whatever I can get and am going to LOVE it!

Here are some pics and quotes from the drive up start of Pow Wow '09.

"Wow...that was a lot of snow!" -Suz, pausing from singing J Mraz as we passed our first pile of white crusty stuff.

"Look! A mountain. AND snow!" -Suz, looking at a brown grassy knoll speckled with white.

"Ooooo....preeeeeetty. Look at the icicles!!!" -Suz

Things you can only find in North Carolina:

-Snow

-Jack in the Box

-Ben and Susannah on New Year's

Yay for homicides!

Clinton Homicide video

Ring, ring...

"Mom! Guess what!"

"What?"

"There was a homicide at Ben's office!"

"WHAT?!"

"No... I mean someone who used to work at Ben's office was murdered."

"Oooooh... That's so sad...."

"Well, yeah, but guess what!"

"What?"

"This means he's getting the day off and he's on his way over right now!"

"But, Honey, someone was shot."

"You don't know that. They may have been stabbed."

"Or fell into an electric fence. I watch BONES. I know how these things happen."

"No, Mom. He would have had to have been pushed into the electric fence. Falling into one isn't homicide, it's stupidity."

"Hmm..."

"I'm just glad Ben gets to come home early!"

"That's terrible."

"I'm just trying to find the silver lining..."

"But someone died."

"One step closer to God."

"I think you found the silver lining."

A Very Similar Christmas Story...

It's always a hysterical mess when the Fields Family gets together....

First, my sister, Brett, and her two kids, Catherine (Cat) and Jackson (Jack) spent a few days with us. Brett had really been looking forward to seeing Ben do a backflip in person, but was disappointed that he still isn't willing to :(

(For all those who have missed it... Zan's Favorite Video Of All Time)

The first thing Cat did was run to the gingerbread houses we had made. Notice the pink sparkly crown. She never takes it off. I love

that kid!

Our newest piece of furniture wasn't a "Fragile" leg lamp (we already have one of those) but Ben's Love Log! (Or "Love Turd" as Megan has dubbed it)

A Christmas tradition is to

decorate sugar cookies every year. This is one of my favor

ites! My older sister, Megan, and her kids always start an assembly line of one color and one decoration to do as many as possible while my brother, Andy, always spends the entire time working on just two

or three masterpieces. Ben was the

"new Andy" this year when he des

igned the SC flag on a star. Andy had to compete and design the Cali flag on a star, too. It was fun to watch them!

The best costume of the season wasn't a snowsuit ("I can't put my arms down!") or a giant bunny outfit ("Why was she convinced I was a four-year-old girl?"), but Andy's Christmas gift- a very tight wetsuit he was all too proud to show off.

After going to see Sherlock Holmes Christmas afternoon ("YOU

wear a jacket!") Ben and Andy worked on figuring out their newest toy, a combination safe found under my carpet. Not quite as cool as a Little Orphan Annie De-Coder, but still entertaining ("Is there an app to figure out a combination?")

Believe it or not, we actually messed up the turkey a

nd had to go to the only open restaurant for Christmas dinner... Ya Food Chinese Buffet. Fa Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra Ra....

"Um... guys... the oven is on fire. What should I do about that?" - Ben

And I DID get the gift I've always wanted. Not a Red-Ryder BB Gun, tickets to WICKED!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

We should have started a blog earlier :(

We went to Charleston last Saturday. Don't you just love street vendors and little tiendas? And men willing to be pictured wearing awesome hats?

Ben bought a digeridoo while I was consumed by new beads and played it down the street. Third pic: We went to Ft. Sumter (who really cares that it's off the Charleston harbor and not in Sumter?). Ben hasn't really been somewhere until he's climbed over it and done a handstand there.

Our friends Ana Karen and Will were in charge of planning the YSA regional Christmas dance and it was AWESOME! We had so much fun together and with some our closest friends. Below are Melissa and Will... fingers crossed for them... Ben picked out my dress (of two) and supported me wearing my sparkly converse tennis shoes. Match, Point :)

"I promise I love you despite what my body language says." - Ben

Ben arranged for our FHE group to sing me Happy Birthday, have my favorite cake, and smeared me with it just like they do in Cambodia :) I totally fell for him that day!

Ben helped our family put up Christmas decorations and even got into a marshmallow war with my brother-in-law and my nephews! Poor Mom... she never saw them coming...

We got to know each other over the phone for SIX WEEKS before I was home for good in South Carolina. Our first weekend together Ben and I drove to North Carolina for some hiking and climbing-- something we both enjoy :)