thomas turkey bowl

the holidays begin, as do the family traditions. One of my favorite family traditions is our thanksgiving turkey bowl. i know, most people think of football when they hear turkey bowl, but we actually bowl. we are not a family of bowlers, with league nights and personalized balls, we bowl once a year, on Thanksgiving. It's all that a tradition should be, everyone can participate, regardless of age or skills, and it brings the family together. oh, and there is some fierce competition for that trophy.

Our started long before most of us who bowl were even a thought in our parents minds. My Grandpa took his kids to bowling to get them out of the way so my grandma could make thanksgiving dinner, without children under foot. Decades later, and many new additions to the family, we still bowl on thanksgiving, my grandma now joins us and cheers everyone on. We gather with grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, brothers, sister, parents and bowl for the coveted Thomas Turkey Bowl Trophy. Those who aren't able to come, bowl in whatever city they may be in, and call in their scores- this is serious stuff. The high score has the honor of placing the trophy on their mantle for the next year. This year, my sister-in-law won with a whopping 157! congrats.

oh the excitment!

The Zobell bowlers (most of them)

the younger cousins bowl for the "kids" trophy.

a few of the aunts and uncles

sometimes it just takes so long for that ball to get to the pins

grandma and amy- the winner of the slc tournament. she held the trophy for a few hours until the other scores were called in.

home again

i feel like a went home again. i spent the weekend in LA visiting friends. ok, the real reason i went, was to go to Keith's wedding. i got a rough start, my flight was 2 1/2 hours delayed leaving denver, which got me into LA right in the middle of Friday night LA traffic. sadly, i missed the ceremony, but made it in time to wish the couple congratulations, see a few friends, and eat! i was a little out of sorts and missed all the great pics of keith and leslie, but dana got great ones.

it was great to see and catch up with friend that i have not seen in months, well, other than through their blogs, which i have been stocking regularly. i can't believe it's almost been a year since i left LA. it was home for so long.

i was able to get together with other friends on saturday. it was a beautiful day in santa monica (day like this that i am trying not to wish for, now that i live in a city that enjoys winter). it was great to see everyone and catch up.
i stayed with kim and rich- they are very gracious hosts, picking me up at the airport in true to LA traffic, giving me a bed, and lending me their car to drive for the weekend. thank you!


and these little gems- parking tickets! i got 2 in 2 hours. i've gone soft living in denver, where they don't have parking signs you have to spend 5 min reading before parking or vigilante meter maids. i used to be so careful.

even with the rough start and tickets, it was a great weekend. i loved seeing everyone again and remembering the great times i had there. LA will always have a soft place in my heart.

Heather Feather's visit

Heather came to visit last week! it was so great to spend time with a friend that i've known for years, and can just be myself around. heather just moved to Lincoln, Nebraska and is a mere 6 hrs drive away! we're neighbors again!

we tried the grilled cheese shop, Chedd's, i think i found a little slice of heaven. and did a little exploring of downtown. the weather was amazing- walking around denver, in november, in short sleeves. Colorado has been very nice to me, easing me into the cold that i know is coming.

the fake interview

i write this- not to brag, but because i was again surprised at the the desperate need for nurses. i applied for a job at children's hospital last week, thinking it would be a good idea to have as much exposure to the kiddie's as possible as i embark on my new career path. i went in for an "interview" today. The woman "interviewing" me showed me around the OR and procedure rooms and then asked which area i preferred working in, and what days i wanted to work. what happened to "tell me your strengths and weaknesses?" "why should we hire you?" i have no interviewing skills, i hope i never have to use them in the future. i guess that's the benefit of being in high demand. unfortunately, there will always be sick people. fortunately for me, i will always have job.

Spoo-kane and the cutest girls ever!

i am on a quest to become "favorite aunt" i figured a trip to Spokane to visit the nieces was due, to do a little campaigning. ('tis the season). i think i have this one in the bag- the other candidates didn't show up.
it was a great trip- so nice to be with family again, the fall foliage was in full force in spokane, and it was just nice to get away for a bit. we just played and played and played.


we went to the park in downtown spokane. played on the blocks.

slid down the giant wagon slide

fed the garbage eating goat

played at the park

took naps

played and played and played in the leaves

went to the japanese gardens

ate cupcakes

and made scary faces

Fall

"The winds will blow their own freshness into you,
and the storms their energy,
while cares will drop away from you
like the leaves of Autumn."
- John Muir

i love the fall, i forgot how great this season is (it kind of gets skipped in LA). The air is crisp, clean, and cool. Everything is a little more vibrant with the changing of the leaves. i went on a sunday drive this afternoon up to see the changing leaves. i love seeing the bright yellow aspen, it looks like they are glowing among the pines.

i found this great decrepit cemetery along the way. it look like the perfect sight for a halloween night.

Heather's married!!

i went Phoenix this weekend for heather's wedding! yeah! it was a great weekend (minus the mind-numbing heat of phoenix). i got in Friday a.m. and got to spend the day with heather, helping her with last minute wedding stuff. i was introduced to everyone as the "one that travels with heather." heather and i share a b -day (Jan. 8, mark you're calendars) and we love to travel- a friend for life. we've had some great adventures, i can't wait to hear about heather's new adventures.


isn't she pretty? the is her hubby, james. (and her parents) in front of the Mesa Temple
and the girls with the lady of the day!
it was a great weekend, so much fun to see old friends and familiar faces. congratulations heather!!

rocky mountains

i made another trip up to Rocky Mountain National Park. i have a little free time in the middle of the week. i maybe should use it for studying... or exploring the area! the mountains are amazing. being from utah, i always thought our mountains were far superior to the Rockies- who needed those when you have the wasatch? uh, that was before i saw the rockies. these mountains are beautiful, huge, and look different every time i go. they may have something over the wasatch.

This week i went with my new friend Joie, her husband Richard and his cousin Darren (visiting from utah). I met joie and richard at church, and joie is in my program at school. they moved out here a few weeks before me from Phoenix, and love to travel. kindred spirits!
we did a little hike up to some lakes (we saw 3), it was a hike that would be so easy at 5,00o ft., but at 9,000ft. i got a tad bit winded. i wonder if i'll ever get used to the altitude. we got stuck in a little hail storm on the way down, wasn't really expecting that.

we also drove the "highest paved road in north america" at 14,000 ft. it's cold and windy, but very pretty.

here i am, trying to stand straight in the wind (that's the excuse i'm giving for my retarded pose), at 14,000 ft. come visit- i'll take you there too.

Peanut M&M's

if i had to pick one candy to eat the rest of my life, i think this would be it. it's chocolate. it's filling, because of the little peanut inside. and the hard candy shell keeps it from melting- a perfect travel candy.

the end of an era

I had a chance this weekend to go Fort Collins to see some LA friends. Their feature film, Coyote, was showing at a film festival there this weekend. It was so great to see them again, and i am so proud of them- The audience loved it and loved them, and i am so excited to see them succeed.

One of the guys kept saying that it was the end of an era, no more Sarah in LA, and no more Miriam- she just moved to Oregon this weekend. Times are changing, but we had a great run. I'll look back on my time in LA as one of the best in my life. It's a great city, I made great friends, and we had some great times!

It's sad to think that there are people that have been such a big part of your life that you may never see again. And then there are those, whose friendship will last a lifetime, no matter where you are. I am grateful for all the friends that I've had in my life, for however long I get you!

more visitors!

i had more visitors this weekend! i really love people coming out to visit and i love that i finally have the space to have them stay and feel comfortable (if you can call an aerobed comfort).
I met the Carabello's at church in Los Angeles. They are one of my all around favorite families, and i was lucky enough to have them stay with me while there were here visiting family and attending a wedding. they even hooked me up with some of their families members, so i'll have new friends here in Denver!

this is matelin and her tiara. she got it from her aunt after the wedding ceremony.


this is alex. he asked me one night if i was a kid or a grown up. i asked what he thought- he said i was a kid. sorry to disappoint, but i told him i was grown up. he then asked if i was a parent, when i told him "no". he responded: "oh, you're a grown up kid!" i'll take that!

my first visitor

miriam came out to visit this weekend. it was great to see her again. we watched a lot of olympics waiting for the rain to stop, i just can't get enough if it. at moh's request a made her a "special" dinner- you'll have to read her blog to see what she thought of it. the rained cleared and we were able to get out to the mountains. Rocky Mountain National Park is only a couple hours away- and it's beautiful, i can't wait to go back and explore a little more. we did a great hike to Mill Lake (see pics below)- it was surprisingly easy, and great views. we spent the night "camping" in my car- another reason to love the sube- no need to put up a tent. we spent the next day in Boulder at the Dashanbe Tea House, and toured the Celestial Seasoning tea factory. we learned more about tea than we ever wanted to know!



this is Boulder Falls. "the Yosemite of Boulder"! uh- ok.