The Hazard Chronicles

First of all- Merry Christmas! This has been a great time of year for our family, and though it's been less than a week since school got out, it feels like we have been on three vacations already. In a nutshell, we had a few days in BC and Alberta, where we stayed in one of our favorite hotels and got in some great skiing. We were back at home for Christmas where we fulfilled many of our family traditions surrounding the holiday season. And then we took a quick getaway to our place in Wallace where we had a really fun family game night, woke up to new snow, and had just a really good and joyful day on the mountain. Rachel and I capped off the long weekend by going out to dinner last night, where we sat at a table and talked for over two hours. Overall, it has been a lovely mix of fun, silly, peaceful, and exciting- just the way it should be.

In upcoming weeks we'll do a family recap of our year with a little update on each person. We are also looking forward to a quick trip this next weekend to visit my parents. It should be fun. For now though, I'll just leave a bunch of pictures and wish everyone a happy New Year- It's seriously crazy that 2024 is just around the corner! Also, today has more sunlight than yesterday, so that is yet another reason to be happy. 

Have a good week!

Lindsey's class did a Dr. Seuss display. This was Lindsey's contribution.

This hotel always provides baked beans for breakfast (among other things), and we think that is funny

Jackson has been really into the "spread eagle" pose lately. At least it's easy to find him on the mountain!

These lunchtimes together have become one of my favorite parts of a ski day. They are almost always full of lots of laughter and good stories.

I think that Lake Louise may be one of the most perfect resorts that we go to. It has all the things.

The swimming pool, sauna, and hot tub are always nice to come back to after a day on the snow. 

Addy and Maren forgot their swimming suits so they stayed behind. They found ways of having fun on their own though. Weirdos.

Pizza dinners are always a staple of these trips- but that is especially the case at this restaurant attached to the hotel. We have year-round debates in our family about "Silver vs Gold pizza," because of Silver Mountain and this hotel in Golden, BC. Both make good food- but it is unanimous that "Gold" is most likely the best pizza in the entire universe.

Just being a little bit silly after a fun day outside

I don't remember everything that led to this picture. It had something do do with a dare during dinner, after which everyone ran outside for an interlude to our meal. Beyond that, the details get fuzzy.

I had left something behind in the car which I had to go back and find. When I got back to Sunshine Village I couldn't see anyone in our family. I stood there looking around for entirely too long before finally realizing that the statue I was standing right next to had a Lindsey attached to it.

Of course it isn't all just laughter and fun. There were plenty of warm contemplative moments this season as well. When it comes to Christmas itself, these are my favorite times.

Our kids helped usher the evening candlelight service at our church. I'm not sure what people thought when Jackson offered for them to take one of his Wolverine-style candle claws. I think they were happy to see kids who were involved? But still...

 Good food is definitely part of the holidays, and we didn't hold back. I don't think I need to eat anything else for the next four days.

Christmas Eve PJs

Christmas Eve movie. The Muppet Christmas Carol has become a beloved tradition for us. "After all, there's only one more sleep 'till Christmas."

The aftermath of Christmas morning. We opened presents from about 5:15 until around 10, with some stops along the way for morning treats. This was all cleaned up by the time we had our Christmas brunch, and the rest of the day was delightfully "chill."

Evelyn got up early to get some reading in before starting the day in Wallace

After a great holiday vacation we are all ready to drop into the new week with smiles on our faces.

Have a good week!