Did you guys know Ben is a fantastic guitar player? And we have a lot of the same music tastes, too! It is so fun when Ben pulls out his guitar, puts some music lyrics on the projector screen, and we sing together. Maybe a little Brady Bunch, but that's how we relax :)
See how happy he is?!?!?!?!
Don't stop believ' ! Hold on to that feeeeeeeeeelin........
Here a few pix of just a couple things we did during our break!
Snowmobiling:
Cross Country Skiing!
Awkward at first, but this could be my favorite winter activity!
And New Years!
Thousands of people came out to the town center of Traverse City (the cherry capital of the world) to watch a giant cherry drop at midnight! The town had beautiful lights set up everywhere, most of the stores on the block stayed open until midnight, and there was a good live band!
We bought a ton of glowsticks from Target earlier and spent the drive over cracking them in the car, and Ben tried selling them to the crowd. He made enough $ to cover our investment, then we gave the rest away to kids! Really fun.
We had an amazing 2 week holiday! Last year we were in Columbia with my fam for Christmas (before we were even engaged), so we planned early to spend this holiday season with Ben's family. It was crazy:
We flew, drove, and explored all over the midwest!
12/ 22 - 12/ 24: Milwaukee, WI (Steve and Tamara + girls, Betsy)
12/ 24 - 12/ 26: Rockford, IL (Entire family at Sarah and Danny's)
12/ 26 - 1/ 3: Petoskey, MI (Mom and Dad, Betsy)
As you can see, we spent the most amount of time in Ben's hometown of Petoskey, MI. I was so stupid excited to see the fam and visit his hometown! Everyone who knows Michigan said I was crazy to make my first trip in the winter, but what did they know-- Petoskey is gorgeous any time of year, and I had tons of fun in the snow.
We took so many pictures of our time up there, so I had to condense them to collages to fit everything in! I hope this does it justice!
Showing some love all over that town...
One of the first things we did was take a hike through the snow in one of their downtown parks. It was so beautiful!
Ben and I spent an afternoon driving up to the bridge to the Upper Peninsula, and walked out onto the rocks to search for Petoskey Stones.
We found one!
Petoskey is a very small, beautiful, classy, laid-back resort town. Ben's family lives close to the town center, so we had a lot of fun taking random walks into town for some really terrific food, good views, and unique stores.
Here are some of the town highlights:
One of the really unique things about Petoskey is that the awesome town center (with the really terrific food and unique stores) is across the street from the famous waterfront; an area the town has really beautified on the edge of Lake Michigan.
Seriously... I am in love with this town!
We had a lot of other fun things we did there, like snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowboarding, hiking, New Years party, etc... so I'll try to get those pix up too :)
Suz: "You know... Christmas cookies. Every year my mom would spend an entire week doing Christmas baking. There were always new cookies. She made peanut butter cookies with Hershey kisses, Chocolate Mud Cookies, Pecan Sandies, Shortbread cookies, Sugar cookies..... I'm getting ready to start Christmas baking, and I need to know your favorite Christmas cookies."
Ben: "Um... that one."
Suz: "You didn't do that at Christmas?"
Ben: "No, but if you want to start that tradition its fine with me!"
And so I have. I have spent this past week making TONS (ok, dozens) of cookies of all different types! I L.O.V.E. this time of year!
I've made chocolate truffles (for the first time... but I think they turned out ok), gingerbread cookies, shortbread (one of my favorites), jelly-drop cookies (one of Ben's new favorites!), and sugar cookies (that we still need to frost together)
Here is one of our favorite recipes, in case you want to try these!
Ben and I offer to babysit for families in our ward pretty often, so parents can have a free night out and we can get a feel for that life.
There is a family in our ward we just love, and they happen to be out of town this week and asked us to stay overnight with their three kids; Hayley, 13, Caron, 11, and David, 7. They are such great, fun, easy kids and we love being invited over!
But seriously... is this what it's really like to be a mom?!?!
Wednesday:
6:30 am: Wake up, make sure 3 kids are awake 7:00 am: Drive girls to school (15 mins away!) 7:30 am: Back at the house, get David ready for school 8:10 am: Drive David to school 8:30 am: Over to my house to do some vinyl work 9:00-12:00 am: Design, cut, and prep for mail 2 vinyl orders 12:00 pm: Design and make our own Christmas decoration 12:30 pm: Grocery store for special "1st Day of Channukah dinner recipe" ingredients 1:00 pm: Post office to mail vinyl orders 1:30-2:30 pm: Back at kids' house, begin making Challah bread 2:30 pm: Write new blog post for uVinyl blog 3:00 pm: David gets dropped off at home 3:10 pm: Leave with David to pick up girls from school 3:45 pm: Back at the house 3:45 - 4:00 pm: Help David with his homework 4:00 - 5:00 pm: Begin making soup for dinner and finish Challah bread 5:00 pm: Ben gets home 5:30 pm: Eat dinner 6:30 - 7:30 pm: Ben takes Hayley to church for activity 8:45 pm: All kids go upstairs to get ready for bed 8:50- 9:15 pm: Read scripture stories with David, help him fall asleep 10:00 pm: Go to bed.
When do you have time to shower?!?!?!?!
At least I got to spend a long time kneading something.
My mom called to wish me Happy Birthday this morning, and she reminded me of my birthday a year ago. Yes, I remember. In detail.
A year ago I had been home for a week from a head-spinning 3-month cross-country trip to visit family and friends trying to distract myself from the typical bad luck of coming home from my mission. I was completely depressed, and left on that trip just a day after meeting you. You stayed calm and patient, though, building up a friendship and understanding of me while at my most vulnerable over the phone during those three months.
Eventually we talked on the phone every day, and had our first "real" date the day I came home-- a Monday. We went to the single's branch FHE together. Kind of boring for a first date, but it was something we both loved and wanted to do.
We celebrated my birthday on Monday a week later. After knowing me over the phone for three months, and in person for 1 week, you already knew you loved me. I thought I knew I loved you. But I believe I fell in love with you for real... or just all over again... that day.
You surprised me with a special birthday playlist on my iPod I was to discover later that day complete with some of my favorite songs (which you had to know about and take the time to download earlier), and some of yours. I love music, and believe it is a wonderful way to express your emotions. Thank you for opening yourself up to me in such an intimate way after such a short amount of time!
That night we went to FHE, as expected, where they spontaneously announced my birthday and sang. I had been home from a long trip preceded by a mission for only a week-- most of the people in that room had never even met me, yet here they were singing me happy birthday! I had never been to an FHE where they sang!
You tipped off the Activities Committee that it was my birthday, and they also surprised me with a cake-- white on white, my favorite. You even arranged to have the cake thrown in my face, reminiscent of the birthday I'd spent with my kids in Cambodia, where it is tradition to food fight with birthday cake. I'd been thinking a lot about my birthday celebrated in Cambodia that day, and was so touched-- repeatedly-- that you thought to honor that special memory.
After FHE we got a small group of wonderful new friends together for sushi at a nearby Japanese Steakhouse. We were on top of the world sitting at that sushi bar, and the person on my right offered to help you pick out the "perfect diamond engagement ring", stunned to hear that we had only been officially dating for a week.
When they sang to me at the restaurant (which you made me dance along to.. .I'll never forgive you for that!) and gave me a cupcake and took my picture, you were in the picture. You had known since July (according to my mom) that you loved me, but that night I figured it out, too, and knew we would be spending eternity together.
Thank you for all your thought, sweetness, kindness, understanding, and love on that day a year ago, for someone you barely knew and who was very vulnerable. This year we are married, and it's because of that day.
Knowing I don't like the attention of celebrating my birthday, this morning mom suggested we celebrate our "Love Day" instead. I think that sounds like a fabulous idea. Will you go to dinner with me to celebrate the day I fell in love with you?
I love you!
This is one of the songs on my birthday playlist, and describes that day perfectly!
