Our Slightly Modified, Barely White Christmas

We hope you all had a wonderful and merry Christmas! Our holiday celebration was slightly modified. For the first time since becoming a detention officer Trevor had to work on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. We did get to spend some time together each day, but then Trev went to work from 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. It was a little tough for us to not have the entire holiday together, but we really enjoyed the time we did share. So, we opened gifts Christmas afternoon instead of Christmas morning, and we had a holiday feast on the 26th when Trev was off. Although we were hoping for a white Christmas, we knew it just wasn't going to happen given our unusually warm weather. However, we ended up having a light dusting of snow Christmas night... and we were so grateful!

While Trev was working, I was fortunate enough to have my mom, dad and grandpa here to spend time with. The three of them drove up in my parents' motor home and stayed at a park about five miles from our apartment. It worked out beautifully! We all were able to spend a lot of time together. Having some family here made our first North Carolina Christmas feel a little more like home! We weren't able, however, to be with Trevor's mom and dad. We spent the last few Christmases with them while we lived in Prescott Valley, so this holiday season was a little hard for everyone. Two thousand miles didn't keep us apart completely though... thanks to the wonderful computer video phone program SKYPE we were able to "spend a little time" with them. We thought of them throughout the day and hope to be able to see them next Christmas.

Trevor is really enjoying his new remote controlled micro-helicopter. For its size, it is rather loud. It sounds, and looks, a bit like a giant fly.

Perhaps the best part of the last week is that we were able to see our boys! Taz and Tanner both seemed to enjoy their first trip to North Carolina and we certainly enjoyed catching up on hugs.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

For the two of us, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year. Cold nights, warm fires joyful music, twinkling lights, and an undeniable merry feeling all around. Although we will desperately miss our family in Prescott, Denver, and San Diego, Trevor and I are embracing our first Smokey Mountain Christmas. We would love to end up with a white holiday, but due to unusually warm weather that doesn't seem to be in the forecast. Our freezing, blustery nights will just have to do! We have had to down-size the Christmas decorating this year. Our apartment would look like Santa's village if we put out all we normally would! While the garland may be less abundant and the tree small enough to sit on the coffee table, our Christmas spirit has never been stronger!

This Little Piggy Went to the Emergency Room...

As we all know, Trevor is an eight year old boy trapped in a man's body. Last evening, during a session of tomfoolery, he learned first hand (or should I say "first foot") how little room we have to run around in our quaint little apartment. His goal: to run from the living room into the bedroom and surprise tackle me. The result: due to a misjudgement of the sharp corner, he slammed his foot into the wall and BROKE HIS PINKY TOE (confirmed by the emergency room doctor)! Unfortunately, there's not much that can be done for a broken toe. He's just got it all wrapped up and is hobbling around on crutches. He'll be uncomfortable for the next couple of weeks, but I think he and all ten of his toes will make it through. The one good thing that came out of all this... we discovered that the VA hospital in Asheville is wonderful!

A Day of Feasting and Thanks

We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!! We were lucky enough to have four days off together, so we headed down to Alabama to spend Turkey Day with my mom and dad and our two precious boys. It was a great way to christen my parents' new home, although we wish we could have shared the day with more of our family. The weekend was full of yummy food, great company, and lots of rest and relaxation!! We are so grateful for all of you and our many blessings!

It's Official...

Trevor is now a certified detentions officer for the state of North Carolina. Last Friday, he took the state exam and passed with flying colors!! His graduation ceremony was held on Monday November 19th at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (known as A-B Tech around here). Now he has a couple more weeks of further training that is specific to Buncombe County... he is very anxious to get back to his shift and out of the classroom!Trev was the president of his class (he says that just means he was a secretary for the instructors) and he received the Top Physical Fitness award as well. This graduating class was the highest scoring academy class the county has had. They should all be very proud!

All in a days work

Well, well, well here are some fun photos of me 'voluntarily' getting electrocuted and sprayed with pepper spray. This was part of the training that I had to go through in order to use and carry a TASER. The TASER is 50,000 volts and lasts for five seconds (that is a really long time to have an electrical current pass through your body). Let's all count together
...0...1...2...3...4...5)

I also had the pleasure of getting hit in the face and eyes with pepper spray (OC). Basically this is liquid cayenne pepper plus some other fun and hot ingredients. I had to get sprayed, wait for it to go into my eyes and then go hit a few bags, allowing ample time for the OC to really set in. Only then could I get to the water hose. (If you look really close I think you can see some snot coming out of my nose)

Grandfather Mountain

After a long week at work, Trev and I decided we needed a little slice of good ol' mother nature. We visited, and conquered, Grandfather Mountain - the highest point in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

At the entrance to the park we were told that the weather today included gusts of wind up to 80 miles an hour. The skies were clear and blue with temperatures of 38-40. However, the wind chill brought the temp down to a very brisk 10 degrees!! Buuurrrrr! The first thing on our agenda was to see the Mile High Swinging Bridge. The 228 ft suspension bridge spans the 80 ft chasm between the visitors center and Linville Peak. Due to the strong wind, the bridge did sway a bit but we had some great views on the other side!

After the bridge, we headed toward the trail heads to do some hiking. We opted for The Grandfather Trail. It's 2.4 miles of spruce and fir trees, jagged rocks, and ridiculously steep escarpments that take you to the top of Calloway Peak.

Along the way, there are ladders and cables in place to use to climb the rock faces. They are very helpful, but they certainly do not make the journey less scary!

The last two pictures are taken at the summit. As you can see, there are times when you literally have to hug the rocks to make it around the edge of the jutting cliffs. The wind was howling, the temperature was frigid and the view made it all worth while!