The Year In Review (Part III)

Well it is now 2007 and for our family this promises to be a year full of changes and new adventures. Our first trip of 2007 was back to Bozeman for us. This is our favorite place in the world so far. This is were we started dating and we have spent many vacations here already. This time we are tackling the slops of Bridger Bowl with my cousins.

Our first day there everyone played hookie from work and we all went skiing on what turned out to be the most incredible powder day of the year. Up until the day before we arrive we were sure if we were even going to get to ski because Bozeman had hardly had any snow. But right before we got their they got 8"+ of the fresh new white stuff. Ten the weather decided not to cooperate for skiing and it warmed up almost into the 50's. For us the 50's felt almost like summer as we had been in negative degree temperature back home for more than six weeks straight. So instead of wasting such a beautiful day went on a hike up to Sype's Canyon (not sure about the spelling). The first part of the climb was rather challenging as it was a pretty steep vertical climb but then it got better as we went on. A little more than half way up the canyon it started to snow and the temperature dropped (its a good thing I brought my new North Face jacket). As the snow was falling and I was enjoying this hike it dawned on me how quite and amazingly breath taking the view was.

When we got to the top we were suppose to be able to see the whole Bozeman Valley but the snow was coming down so hard we could barely see anything. By the time we got down to the bottom of the canyon and back to our car there was almost two inched on the ground already, and by the time we got done with dinner there was nearly five inches on the ground. It made us so nervous that the snow was coming down so hard that Kevin and I decided to leave that night to make sure that we could get thru the pass.

After we got home we had several snow storms that really piled up the snow. I think the person in our family most excited about all the new snow was Kaya. She would get so excited when she would got to go out and play in the snow her tail could not wag enough. The snow was so deep in the field behind the house that she had to hop through the snow and hope she would. Another fun thing she loved is when daddy would toss her into the deep snow.

Right: Kaya flies into the deep powdery snow

Left: Kaya and Elisa sitting in the deep snow in the backyard

In February Kevin got the distinct honor of attending the Annual Awards Ceremony as an Honor Guard nominee. It gave us a chance to get out of the house and get dressed up.

We sat a table with his squadron commander and the other nominee from his squadron. For each person nominated their squadron would yell a special chant or a cheer, but for Kevin's squadron they had this huge industrial size air horn of which I happened to get seated right in front of it. I think that thing went off more than twenty times that night and it was amazing I had any hearing left at all after the night was over.

March came and for me it became the toughest month of the winter. I think I was just ready to have the long winter over with, but up hear it just doesn't want to go away. The weather teased us the last week of February with temperatures above freezing but then the next week temperatures to a huge dive and for about two weeks it stayed really cold once again. By this time I just want winter to be over. But then a huge snow storm hit and Kevin had a lot of shoveling to do.