Christmas & New Year's 2006

Ah, the holidays. The mad bustle of shopping, the screaming and yelling of cooking, and the mad cacophony of a dozen simultaneous conversations 'round the tree. Such is Christmas at the Woltman house.

It was actually a fairly typical year. KW's flights were canceled so she had to spent Christmas with her family. Bummer. Well since you can't have KW without the posse, the posse did indeed drop in. This was something of a special Christmas. All of us - the Woltmans, the posse, and the extended Brooks family - went together to get a guitar for TB. No ordinary guitar, this instrument was hand-made by KK, and looks beautiful (in the pictures at least).

So TB's present was a guitar strap with our names signed on it, and a collage of the guitar being built. He was speechless, to say the least. When he finally found his words, he only said "I guess I have to learn to play again."

After the hubbub of Christmas, we (myself, Mom, Dad, and SW) flew out to Denver to visit my grandmother high atop her mountain lair. She had completed a new house several years ago, which I had not yet seen. After a long and tedious flight in coach we deplaned at Denver International, one of the world's unnecessarily largest airports. Hopping in the rental car we arrived at Grandma's after a four drive. The day shot, we ate dinner and went to bed.

The next day we drove down to Walsenburg, a thriving metropolis at the base of the mountains. Ate at Alys' restaurant, a nice little place downtown. The lunch was tasty, but if you go, be sure to go early because she sells out of the best stuff quickly. We walked around town a bit, saw what there was to see (not much) and decided we'd seen enough.

Well, it's a shame we didn't spend more time in town. Little did we know that it was the last time we'd see it. DB and YB decided to leave early in case the forecasted blizzard hit the house. They were wise to do so, because the flakes soon started to hurtle down from the sky, eager to coat the ground in treacherous snow.

So what did we do? Nothing. Nothing at all. For three days. I'd say it was boring, but that would be a lie. I finished a good book, "The Time Travelers Wife," read some photography magazines, watched Mom put a jigsaw puzzle together (yawn) and lost some money at poker. It was very relaxing. Eventually Mom and I went hiking (while it was snowing). Apparently we have no short-term memory because we went out again after the storm stopped, getting soaked (again) and chilled (again) in the process.

I may write a little more later on, or I may not. But I am tired, and am going to bed.