And so I'm back, from outer space

Two months without a post is a long time. I have a lot to say. I have some projects to show you. And some pictures that I want to share.

First I want to say Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Anniversary to TC, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year.

Whew! I covered a lot of ground there.

This is us on our anniversary. We eked out a few minutes to walk to Temple Square and enjoy the lights.

Thanksgiving was nice. We spent it with my family. 

After Thanksgiving our pre-Christmas/pre-trip rush started. TC worked mucho overtime to prepare for our upcoming trip to Argentina, we had our Christmas shopping and trip shopping and other trip prep to work on. Plus we had church related stuff. I was in charge of putting on an activity for the ladies in my ward (congregation) on the 14th of December (our anniversary and the day before we traveled). I get short of breath just typing this out. It was busy, stressful, but thanks to great people that helped with the activity, and a great husband that helped and supported and listened despite his own busy-ness, the activity was a success.

And afterward TC and I took some time to walk around Temple Square and reflect on our 12 years together. 12 years people!! I've started telling people that I got married when I was 14. 12 years is just such a long time. But it's been 89% joy. And it keeps getting better.

So after our brief jaunt we returned home and finished packing, preparing the house for an extended leave, washing clothes, etc.

The next day, the 15th, we traveled. We flew from SLC to Dallas/Fort Worth to Buenos Aires. True story: there was an elderly flight attendant on our flight from Dallas/Fort Worth to Buenos Aires who was especially crusty and rude to the passengers. I realize the working for an airline right now isn't the best of jobs, but really? You're going to snap at us with a sarcastic remark about not having 300 pens around your neck because we asked to borrow A pen (one)? And really? You're going to yell at people to sit down when the seatbelt light isn't even on and they are heading toward the lavatory? Yikes. 

Anyway, besides the crusty flight attendant, the trip was uneventful. I slept a lot and TC... well, he didn't. He can't sleep in moving vehicles. We had some trouble getting through customs in BA, and immigrations took forever, but we made it, and Carlos, el suegro, was on the other side waiting to drive us home.

While there...

We went to a Parrilla (where they serve all sorts of grilled meats). It's funny because as a kid I hated red meat. And my Mom, hoping to encourage me to like meat, said, "You're going to get married and your husband is going to like meat, and you're going to have to make it for him. So you better like it now." How right she was that I would marry a man who likes meat! (For the record, I do not "have to make it for him.") I have found my love for meat.

Beatriz, la suegra, and I are ready for meat!!

MEAT!!

TC enjoying his asado.

Besides the asado, we ate and ate and ate all kinds of delicious foods, like empanadas, and roasts, and mignon, and media lunas, and ñoqui, and facturas, and alfajores, and sandwiches de miga, and milanesa, and fruit salad, and ice cream, and matambre, and cantimpalo and the cheese! and ... and I'm getting fatter as I type this out. Yum.

This is one of TC's awesome panoramas. He takes a series of photos and stitches them together in Photoshop. It's his specialty.

We also spent some time at the beach. Not much, however because we both got sunburned. I know what you're thinking: use sunscreen you doofus. Well, this doofus did. 45 spf. This doofus spent 20 minutes making sure that every last inch of her body was covered in sunscreen because this doofus has been burned by the sun a few too many times before. This doofus remembered the skin right under her heiny because she forgot that area before and couldn't sit comfortably for days. This doofus remembered the tops of her ears, and the back of her neck, and behind her knees. But this doofus somehow forgot her arms, and, more painfully, the skin that connects one's arms to one's torso. So I spent the next several days groaning in pain whenever I had to move either arm. TC also got sunburned, which is odd because with his complexion he rarely does. But this time his shoulders, neck and chest were in bad shape. We spent a lot of time rubbing aloe vera on each other (believe me, it was not, in any way, erotic).

TC and I at the beach almost one full week after our terrible burns. Now we are molting and shedding. It's pretty gross.

Our Christmas Eve involved delicious food (again with the food, I know), gifts and firecrackers.

 

Papa Noel brought TC a book about Utes fans. Man, that Santa knows his stuff!

Gordita scored an awesome studded leather belt.

Carlos lighting a firecracker.

We lit firecrackers on Christmas Eve and New Years Eve. I was mostly behind the camera, but I even got to light a few myself (no photos).

TC shopping.

We went shopping. I got some great accessories that I'm excited about, including a gorgeous green leather purse.

We spent a lot of time scanning photos. We scanned 2000 photos in total from one grandmother. And we scanned 300 works of art from the other grandmother. Now that all those photos and works of art have been scanned, I have some major cropping and organizing to do. 

I managed to hold down my non-alcoholic cider this year (unlike in past years). I suffered no ill, nor funny effects from enjoying some.

We came back last week, and unfortunately the next TC had to start work. It was admittedly hard to go from spending 24/7 with each other to 14/7. I miss him. 

Now that the trip deets are all posted and shared, I have some projects to post about, a year in review that I'd like to share and some other fun stuffs. I hope your holidays were happy.

love, Gordita