First of all, sorry for the delay in writing. As I get into the swing of things here I find myself getting busy and not doing a great job of prioritizing.
Christmas here was beautiful. It was a little sad with Andy away and me not going home but I still had a great time. I woke up to a beautiful clear day and the mountains visible, snow covered and beautiful. Andy surprised me with a canvas print of one of my favorite pictures he took on our trip to Mount Rainier and mom got me a pair of heated slippers of which I have made good use. I had a great relaxed day with the pups and dinner with some friends I met here…overall a super nice time.
We have discovered an amazing restaurant here, less than a half hour into the mountains in Eden. It is called Jutta’s Fine German Food and we have been going there every couple weekends. The couple who own the place, Owa and Jutta are super nice and surprise us with different dishes she prepares for us. Owa will come to the table with a dish and tell us that his wife (“the boss” he says) thought we would enjoy this dish or that. They both smile a lot and are clearly grateful to be in the U.S. She makes the most amazing meatballs I have ever had, along with a super tender schnitzel and bratwurst unlike any I have tried. The chocolate cake is completely unique and was a huge hit at my office Christmas party. I have not yet warmed up to sauerkraut but keep trying!
Earlier this month I went to the Mac plant in Ohio which was FREEZING but the Hyundai plant in San Diego and Tijuana last week made up for it with temperatures in the seventies. It was a lovely couple days and interesting to see a different culture. We had a terrific meal on the ocean Thursday which some unique menu choices. My favorite was a Lemongrass Prawn Beignet, which, after getting a description from the waitress, my favorite grumpy old sales guy here ordered as a “fish doughnut”…the waitress was not amused, but the fish doughnut was amazing anyway!
It has been a super exciting few weeks at the house with all the Packer’s excitement. It is funny to think that a few weeks back we were worried about even making the playoffs, then concerned about the odds of a Wild Card team making it past the first or second round. I was stuck in Denver for the Philly game, which worked out great since I was almost able to see the whole game in the airport. There were Packer shirts all over Denver and there must have been over a hundred people crowded around the TV I was watching. The crowd erupted at the last play of the game and there were cheers and celebration throughout the airport. It turned out to be a great day despite spending almost 14 hours in two airports!
The next week I was home (yeah!) for the Atlanta game and we had a blast watching and cheering, though we scared the little dogs into the laundry room with all the noise.
This week was a bit more subdued as we watched a game whose outcome seemed much less certain than the week before. Green Bay versus Chicago involved less cheering and more four letter words than against Atlanta but we’ll take the win any way we can get it!
This week I head to Vernal, Utah, which is known for having one of the largest collections of dinosaur bones in the world. I may go to one of the museums this time, since I discovered on my last trip that there is little else to do there. Vernal has a large number of trucking companies who haul for the oil fields, which is the reason for my trip, which I hope is a productive one!
In two weeks we have a friend coming to visit from Fort Wayne. We are looking forward to a good time which will start with Andy and Ben skiing in Park City on Friday. I was invited to go but assured the guys that they would be spending the day with me in the emergency room rather than on the slopes if I were to attempt anything but cross-country skiing. Ben used to bowl with us in Fort Wayne, so I am guessing there will be a trip to the alley at some point. Also, Andy has been wanting to go down to Saint George for a hike, so he and Ben may do that as well.
Andy has discovered that he makes amazing chicken wings so we have enjoyed them several days as they seem especially appropriate for football season. He has also perfected the recipe for a “girly-wing” which is much less spicy but delicious! I have done some cooking as well, my favorite so far being a white pizza with alfredo, pesto, chicken, bacon, artichoke hearts, goat cheese, and both fresh and shredded mozzarella on an herb crust….tasty stuff.
This year for the first time ever I won my Fantasy Football league. It was a huge surprise considering I barely squeaked by the last couple weeks and got into the semi-finals by the skin of my teeth (.30 points). It was perhaps the smallest margin of victory ever in the league, but I’ll take it!
I hope all is well with you. Please send updates. I love to hear how the rest of the world is doing outside my little valley!!!! Love to all.
Jen
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