Trip Highlights

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas trip!

I’ll admit, after being around wildfires during our summer in Colorado, the thought of having a burn pile still made me a little nervous! It was still beautiful though.

We found an old accordion in the house and gave it a try. I wish I had the time to learn a new instrument–I would have loved to take it home.

I am now a firm believer in rake roasting. It made the perfect marshmallow, especially since the fire was too hot for a measly stick or extended exposure of your eyebrows.

By the 6th batch, I felt like a pro again. Beth is also a pro now, with over 300 bars under her belt. It doesn’t actually take three of us to pour soap into molds (unless I start to make a mess); we were just posing.

Hornitos, spanish for “Little Ovens,” was our first stop on the Yosemite Adventure. This old ruin was Ghirardelli’s Mercantile back during the Gold Rush. Besides thinking about my favorite percentage of Ghirardelli’s dark chocolate, which happens to be 70%, my favorite part was, of course, the tree growing in the middle.

This is our cabin at the Yosemite Bug! When Payton told me that his dad rented us all a cabin, I automatically imported my idea of a cabin (dirt floor, fireplace, and an outhouse) and became extremely worried since it’s the dead of winter up there. Contrary to my imagination, this was warm and furnished!

No matter how many times I see Yosemite, it’s still breathtaking. It’s amazing when you think that this is the result of God’s judgement during the Flood.

We’re skating…we’re skating…oh, look, there’s Half-Dome. It seems too fancy to have in the background of an ice rink.

This sledding run was tucked away from the crowds and unlike the other hill, didn’t have deadly obstacles like big rocks or a shuttle bus route at the bottom.I had a load of fun sledding, including the last run which involved my niece and I using the “scary” sled. After a noticeable increase in acceleration, we hit the bottom turn, flew through the air and were promptly ejected from the sled in opposite directions. Good thing my large feet were in front and nowhere near here head as we both tumbled to a dramatic stop with all of our accoutrements flung asunder. Oh the joys of snow!