That's a Wrap!

My goal was to blog a bit more, yeah, I kinda suck at it!

So here is the last half of the year and what took place. Teresa started the Accounting Program at BYU. Needless to say, we weren't hanging out much together at nights. Heavens, she was slammed with homework, group projects, tests, and the never ending pages of textbooks to read! Kind of fun to see it on the other end (I did the EMBA a few years ago). I would chuckle at how on Sunday nights she would start getting all antsy and stressed for the upcoming week of schoolwork. BUT... she rocked it and got phenomenal grades in her classes! I knew she would; she is brilliant.

Madalyn started junior high, which freaks me out a bit- she's my little girlie getting all grown up! Hard to believe. She's 12, in Young Women's, went to Girl's Camp. Just as long as there are no boys in the picture, I think I'm okay.
Abby is driving. Now that seems scary! I will always think of Abby as 10 years old. I'm sure she'd be happy to hear me say that. But she has ditched the glasses for contacts and is looking like a babe!
Chelsea is a Math major at BYU. She and her sister both work at the Print & Mail Department with their dad! It is so fun to see them in the bindery. We have had Chelsea stay with us during the Thanksgiving break and she has been here during Christmas, too. She is a funny girl, but stays out waaaaay too late! Get to bed!!! Why doesn't anyone believe me when I say if you go to bed earlier, get up earlier, that you'll feel better? Blimey, I guess I will always be background noise to some. Oh well.
So Chantel just finished up and is done with college. She will have to do the Graduation thing in Spring. Broadcast Journalism. It has been so fun to watch her do the weather on channel 11. AND, she is pregnant and due in March. Way to go, turning us into grandparents!
Austin is trying to decide what he wants to be when he grows up. He did run with us at Ragnar. I'll say more in a second.

In September I was able to attend a big print show in Chicago with a big group from work. That was my first time in Chicago. I really liked downtown Chicago. Surprisingly clean, as compared to Manhattan. We had perfect weather, too. We were taken out by some vendors and ate at some really nice places. I did have lobster for the first, and last time. I still can't figure out the big deal with lobster. Jeeze, just gimme a steak! Anyway, it was a pretty cool experience. I was roaming around alone one night taking pictures when suddenly I thought to myself, Snyd's, you're all alone at night, if you disappeared, no one would ever know! And, it is Mafia Central. So I called it a night and went up to my room. Fun trip. I was able to bring home some HUGE posters for my girls.

I reached a huge goal for myself this year- I read 7 books! You gotta understand, I don't ever just sit down and read! I would rather draw. One of the problems of not getting through a book is that I usually start reading a non-fiction book and after a while, i just can't take it anymore. So I borrowed the Hunger Games books from my neighbor, Laurie. It was so fun to be involved and rip through a book! I got done with those three and read a few more. WHo knows, I might even try and read 10 books in 2012.

In October we ran the Las Vegas Ragnar Relay Race. Austin ran with us, and so did Matt's sister-in-law, Stephanie. Kinda felt a little bad for her- she's the only girl stuck in a van full of stinky dudes. We spent the night in St. George at Austin's parent's house. I didn't even want to say anything around them for fear of sounding like an idiot (I think I said too much during the wedding). We got up early and headed out to Lake Mead. I ran into Janell from high school She was shocked that I recognized her. Well, she added me as a friend on Facebook a long time ago and I see her updates occasionally. She said Oh my gosh a couple times and walked away. Hmm, oh well. Anyway, Stephanie was runner 1 and I was runner 2. My first run was close to 8 miles. Matt took a cool picture of me with the rocks in the background. We had a fun time with our first go around. We swapped Dan for Jeff, who had flown in from Nashville! I don't think his wife was too happy about that, but, as we have learned, Ragnar Ruins Families!
We hung out at the Lowes Resort again, even in a cabana! My second run was just as it started getting dark. It was a 3.5 miler, but went up and down little hills. Austin had a fast 5 miler for his second run. We finished up that leg at the Gold Strike Casino and slept for just a few hours. The other van got there at around 2, so they called and woke us up at 1:30 am. I went to wake up Austin and wasn't sure it was him- he had his head in the sleeping bag, it was dark and the funky parking lot lights don't do a whole lot to help you make out colors! It was funny that he, Carl and I walked over to the casino and all used the bathrooms at the same time. Warm, friendly, and smelled like cigarettes!
So my las run was at 3 am. 4 miles straight uphill then 3 straight down! It was hectic. As I was running up Carl leans out of the van and shouts It's just around the bend! Yeah, 2 miles around the bend. Holy cow. It was a hectic run. I got passed going uphill by some old dude! Man, made me feel like a slacker. I had to walk once or twice, too. But those 3 miles downhill, I was flying and passed a bunch of people. Carl had to run in the dirt that I had last year, but this year it was dry and there was dust everywhere! Austin did the last leg and was having some major leg pains. It was nice to be done, though. We cruised into Vegas and ate at IHOP.
We ran to the finish and picked up our medals. We got the Saints & Sinners medal because we ran the Wasatch Back race this year, too. But, and I didn't notice until my wife said Why does yours say Pennsylvania? that somehow I didn't get a Las Vegas medal, but a Pennsylvania medal! Classic.

Carl, his son Michael, and I went to California to visit my Aunt June and to see my cousins Debi, Jeanine, and their families. We also went to a 49er game. Debi's daughter is a cheerleader for the Niners, so we got some free passes. Carl had some business in San Francisco, so while he was doing that, Michael and I went to the Castro District, to Safeway, and hit the Nut Bar! I love the maple almonds. Beautiful. We cruised around, walked around Fisherman's Wharf, etc. Lots of fun.
We met up with the family at Cicero's Pizza. I haven't seen my cousins since 1985! It was a lot of fun. We had some delicious pizza, laughed, then went back to my Aunt June's house. I brought a bunch of old photos with me. Jeanine has done a lot of genealogy, but had never seen the pictures of all these old ancestors. We spent a couple hours looking through them all, laughing and having a great time. It was so awesome to reconnect with them after so many years. And I am excited to look through all the genealogy that Jeanine has uncovered. Carl is lucky with his traveling- he gets to visit them often.

We went to Santa Cruz and went on the Giant Dipper. I haven't done that in years! Beautiful weather and big waves. We went to dinner with Matt Kakaio and Lalani Nailau. We ended up at Chevy's and hung out for a couple of hours, telling stories. It was a lot of fun. I told Lalani of my first experience with her was when she ripped me a knew one for making, what I thought, was a harmless comment about why her friend who wasn't at school that day. (How was I supposed to know she had cancer?) Matt & Lalani are quite the couple and it is real cool to see Matt look so happy. We hope they can make it out this way sometime.

Of course we did the Turkey Trot 4 mile run on Thanksgiving morning. The weather was soooo much better than last year, by 35 degrees! Carl and I had signed up and had the shoe chip to record our time. Austin was there to just run. When we started, some older dude fell and it was a big pile up! I felt bad for him. Anyway, the run went real well and I posted my best time of 26:58. I was pretty happy about it.
The bad part of Thanksgiving was the 49ers playing the Ravens at night. Kind of ruined the fun of the day.

Christmas time was a bit weird this year. Teresa was so busy with school, finals, etc, that we didn't get much decorating done. I put up the tree the day after Thanksgiving and got the lights up on the house, but Madalyn and I kept saying, It just doesn't feel like Christmas, which it really never did. You know, I think we forever try to get back to feeling like we did when we were kids; trying to capture the nostalgia feeling. I don't think it really can happen again, so you gotta create the nostalgia for your own kids, the stuff they will remember and tell their children. We went to Carl's for Christmas Eve and had a lot of fun & delicious finger foods. I think only Teresa and I ate the stuffed mushrooms that she made. Man, everyone missed out! They were awesome! Bacon-wrapped Lil' Smokies, too. Serena made some spicy dip (jalepeno's in it!) that was real hot, but so yummy, you couldn't stop eating it! I made Carl a Ragnar calendar that turned out pretty nice.
We were going to wait until after church to open gifts on Christmas morning, but Madalyn would have none of that! She woke everyone up at 7:45. I had already showered, you know, go to bed early, wake up early, the way God meant it to be! (D&C 88:124). We had a real fun time opening gifts and everyone was real happy. Chantel & Austin were down in St. George.
Anyway, the tree is down, and so are all the lights and stuff, and here we are waiting for the New Year.
I just hope that we end up with a new president of the USA. I don't believe in the direction the president has led us in. To me I feel we have lost the feeling that America is a special place. If you don't believe it is, go live out of the country and see what you think. I remember when Reagan got elected, it was like we were proud to be Americans again, after the Carter fiasco.

So, onward and upward and God bless us, everyone!