Christmas in Clinton

Christmas in Clinton had all the right ingredients for a perfect holiday: lots of food, lots of family, and most importantly, NO SNOW (not even frost on my windshield!). Twas truly wonderful.

We made a pre christmas trip to Bountiful to see our pals the Streeters. They successfully escaped Gloom Mountain in July and Monterey hasn't been the same since. Also, they decided to be traitors and went ahead and had a baby. Just kidding, he's a cute little guy and we're very happy for them. Really.

Christmas Day we slept in, leisurely opened presents, and relaxed. Molly made out like a bandit.

Dan said it was his "best christmas presents" year ever!!! Highlights: tomahawk (pictured above), giant knife/(ka-bar kukri machete), shooting earmuffs, fine north face clothing, gun scope, and new five fingers! The tomahawk was immediately taken outside and thrown around the yard. Boys and their toys....

Dan and I got this beautiful Minerva Tinchert painting of Christ for our house (those are my gel fingernails going strong there). 

Later Dan's relatives (2nd cousins and the like) came over for a nice Christmas Dinner.

I was the dessert czar: coconut cream pie, chocolate budnt glazed with peppermint, and a gingerbread pumpkin cheesecake.

A christmas miracle occurred when Dan found a way to make Molly like him: throwing her high in the air, plopping here on the couch, tickling, signing for "more", repeat. Pretty cute.

I didn't have to resort to cheap tricks to get Molly's love. I simply provided her with a "mink" (my binky = mink). This little monkey made us seriously consider getting one of our own. She was so much fun. No worries, we came to our senses and are back to baby hating.

Posing for a picture with Dan's Nana before departing. Except departing got complicated when our trusty Civic decided to have problems... Three jump starts, one mechanic trip, and replacement battery later (December is the most expensive month ever!) and we were on our way south.

We stopped in "Happy Valley" to meet up with our long lost friends, Jesse and Danielle.

I'd been holding out for Cafe Rio (still haven't had it yet) but Dan was "DYING OF STARVATION! PERSHING AS WE SPEAK!", so Jesse guided us to the nearest Mexican joint. It was pretty delious, especially the above fatty nachos. Never mind that there were a few hairs found, "added fiber". Plus the company more than made up for it, we miss the Richs (fellow co-patriots in the Childless and Proud Club). We are now enjoying every minute we can in the STG before our inevitable return to the torturous trap of Monterey. Let's not think about it. Let's think happy thoughts. Cafe Rio. Cafe Rio. Cafe Rio. 

Find joy in the Journey. Except when the Journey is 13 hours.

It's been over a week since I blogged. Don't worry (I'm sure you weren't), we survived the grueling drive and made it to the land of promise! I am writing this from within the Zion state. We made it here just in time for some birthdays ("So close to Christmas? That must have been hard."*).

My BFF Branda turned the big 23! To celebrate we ate sandwiches at the Great Harvest and got gel manicures. Side Story:
I may have drunken 90 ounces of Diet coke.
The Asian nail lady may have not let me use the bathroom in fear I would mess up the polish.
 I may have peed my pants... Like noticeably peed my pants. Just maybe.
Anyway, I miss B. And her little guy even kind of likes me now! Good times all around.

My Grandpa (who now lives in the STG) turned the even bigger 78! Kat and I made him a Carrot Cake. Even though I am morally opposed to dessert that A) doesn't have chocolate and B) contains vegetables. It was actually good. After our stop in STG, we continued onward.

(had to take a pic of Dan's plate. So much color! So much nutrition!)
Along our journey up to the Northern Parts, we stopped at the illustrious Chuck-a-Rama in Draper, for the "Benson Family Gathering." My family (the Stan Benson family) is known as the "late family." In the words of my dad: "We haven't been on time since 1986." So you can imagine his elation when we arrived to Chuck-a-Rama EARLY. Like 15 minutes early. Like before everyone else early. So early, that he went and got a plate, ate it all, and had it cleared before his family arrived. He is still currently reveling in this fact. 

We were very excited to see our niece (who we haven't seen since she was 3 months old) and our brand new nephew! The little guy is just a couple days old.

Dan is obsessed with trying to win Molly's affections. Really though, how can one resist the darlingness that is our little red headed, piggy tailed, big blue eyed niece?

Though I have done a lot of trash talking about STG's preeminence, it turns out that I love Clinton! Between going to Body Pump at Gold's Gym in Roy, and finding my beloved Fage Yogurt at a Super Target in Riverdale, I am ready to become a northern Utahn. Dan and I want to buy us a foreclosed townhouse in Syracuse right now. We'll cut our losses and not even make the 13 hour drive back to Monterey for our belongings. Just leave it all there... Sorry Mr. Bitey.
(* Arrested Development Quote. You really should watch it.)

Christmasing

In exchange for food and an occasional pat on the head, Mr. Bitey submits himself to torture. Dan picked up this lovely cat beanie on our ornament Target trip. Christmas Cat, it is simply hilarious.

On Friday we attended our Ward Christmas Party. It was fun to see all the decor, as Bonni was in charge of it and we got to help a bit. I got to hold a santa baby, watch my beamers sing songs and hit each other with "rhythm sticks." Good times.

I think the differences in families and the merging of them in marriage becomes most apparent during the holidays. Everyone does Christmas differently. I tried this year to find out more about Dan's family holiday traditions in an effort to incorporate them into the far superior traditions of my family. (kidding.)

Dan and I both agreed that some of our best childhood Christmas memories involve doing a "Sub for Santa". (The good memories even include the year my family did it for 3 old people in a care center. And my sweet old man that I visited and took presents to died. And then one of the creepy nurse aide guys took the nice clothes we gave the little old man and wore them....)  I was ecstatic this year when we found a "Sub for Santa" assignment for two little girls. However my hot pink, sparkley, Barbie, Polly pocket filled dreams were dashed when we were informed there was a mistake: instead, they were two little BOYS! Ugh. At least Dan's nerf gun filled dreams came true. It was fun. And warm and fuzzy. "Sub for Santa" is an important tradition we will carry on.

Lo: "Are there any traditional holiday treats I can make for you? Stuff your family makes?"

Dan: "Nope."

Lo: " Like my family makes caramel corn wreaths. What did your family give to neighbors?"

Dan: "Frozen turkeys."

Lo: "This isn't working."

Nothing says Christmas family traditions to me quite like treats! But working everyday this month has cut into my bake fests. All I've made so far is peppermint frosted brownies. Sadly I don't think i'll get all the way through my two page "Want to Bake For the Holidays" list. It's probably for the best though, certainly my thigh circumference will benefit.

{my family's card this year}
Christmas Cards & Yuletide Letters. Every year my family sends out a picture and a hilarious letter written by my Dad. Its possible that the Yule Letter is only funny to my family, but nevertheless, it is awesome. Dan and I decided to hold out on sending out cards till we have a kid to feature in it. Or at least a dog. So consider this our Christmas Greeting to Friends and Family:
Merry Christmas. Love, Dan & Lo

Ghetto Wal-Mart Tree. Year 5.

{danielle w/ pink tree. Year 1.}
One cold snowy Provo night, as an overenthusiastic (and overweight) BYU Freshman Co-ed, I ventured to Wal-mart, at midnight, with all 6 of my roommates. We were in search of holiday cheer in purchasable form. I found a $30 artificial tree and got it for our apartment (we decked it out in sparkly pink decor, much to the chagrin of one particular roommate). I went cheap, supposing it was a one year venture. Little did I know that the tree would go beyond the horrible semester.... 

{it certainly didn't help that Zaza liked to hang out in it. Year 3.}
 Said tree is in our apartment right now. Going on year 5. And lets just say, its not going strong...

We decided to continue the tradition started last year of each picking one new fancy ornament. We made a whole date night out of it and ventured to several locals in search of THE ornaments. In the end, Dan got a robot. I opted for the Abominable snowman petting rudolph in an homage to my favorite Christmas movies. Beat that.

Next year we shall have a real tree. So be it if I must personally go to Pioneer Park and cut one down out from under a homeless man. It will be real. There will be no Ghetto Tree Year 6, so help me. 

We're getting in the christmas spirit here as we count down the days till our return to Zion. A Peppermint Twist candle, some candied almonds, and Pandora providing holiday tunes make our apartment down right festive. Also, it's a good thing that Santa no longer brings me things (the ultimate sacrifice in getting married), because I'm not sure he'd like this year's wish list. My wants are rather unsleighable:

1) A brown Doberman Pinscher. 

The one I see on Saturday morning runs. I will love him more than his present owner. I promise.

2) Acura MDX. 

Call it a Soccer Mom Car. I call it true love.

3) An Apartment in the Avenues. 

With a washer/dryer, dishwasher, wood floors. And allows my Doberman. And doesn't have noisy/crazy/messy/cross-dressing/trashy neighbors.  I'm really not asking too much here. 

4) Dan to magically become an officer and us to be stationed in Germany, so I can spend my weekends in Paris gorging myself on croissants. 

Yes, that is what I want more than anything. 

Maybe there will be a Christmas Miracle....I'm trying to be REALLY good. Because as my mom always used to say/threaten: "Santa's Elves are watching! And they're taking notes!"