As for Christmas day, once again this year we made the annual trek to Arizona for some festive fun. This year was especially memorable as Matt and Sara were to be sealed in the Arizona Temple (Congratulations Matt and Sara!!!!)
Being our first time making the trek from Albuquerque for Christmas, we were both excited (it's 1/2 the distance as Modesto was), and a little nervous (driving from higher elevations that are more prone to nasty winter weather conditions). As the time drew near we found ourselves checking weather.com regularly for updates. On Christmas eve our search of weather.com revealed that our best shot was leaving early afternoon on Chrismas day and that if we waited until the day after Christmas we may not be so lucky. We had some plans with friends, but we knew they would understand.
The drive was interesting. First off there was very little traffic on the road (I guess everyone else was having Christmas dinner with family). We stopped at Burger King in Gallup for an early dinner (we had no choice, BK was the only spot open we could find). We weren't the only ones at Burger King, it was packed. Nothing like a Whopper and fries in lieu of ham and potatos,......right? The only spot of concern that was difficult to navigate was between Heber and Star Valley in Arizona. The rain turned to sleet/snow, and although the thermometer read 34 degrees in the vehicle, the snow started to stick and create a very slick surface to drive on. The sticking snow perhaps largly due to the fact that there was little to no traffic on the roads at the time to keep it slushy. Fortunatly for us this only lasted for about 30 white knuckle miles, and we were in the clear.
We visited with family on Friday, and were able to hit our endeared mexican food joints. That night we were able to go to dinner with Tim and Melody as well as Landon's childhood friend Jeff Frazier and his wife Antonia. A very uneventful yet relaxing day to say the least.
Saturday was the "main event" so to speak. "Everyone meet at the temple by 11:30" was the message from Mom. Matt and Sara were so beautiful together as once again they were newlyweds. Tuff, Rowdy and Brazen all looked so angelic in their dress and attitude (I know Sara, hard to believe your 3 boys names and angelic in the same sentence). The large amounts of family on both sides there in support of the momentous occasion. That night we all went to Brent and Helen's place and enjoyed some BBQ and time with family.
Later that night we went to Grandma Biggs place where we were to have a white elephant exchange with other family members. A special twist to the game as everyone was tasked with bringing a gift that meant something special to them. For instance Todd brought some Lays potato chips and a bottle of Franks Red Hot Original sauce as that is his favoriate snack. John was especially creative as he packed a round stone with dry ice (as well as a ColdStone gift certificate). All in all it was an event that drew us all closer together and created a lasting memory.
