Our Humble Tree

I really do like a big tree. But, we just don't have room for it in our tiny house. So, here it is. I set it on a small table so it would feel a little bigger. Benjamin and I did most of the ornaments, and got our hands poked a lot in the process.

On Monday, the 8th, (Kannon's last day off work) we drove to Carson City to get our tree permit. The lady gave me a map and told me how to get to this road. I can't believe she didn't tell me what a rocky road it was. If we had been in a smaller vehicle, I really don't think we would have made it. I had had a dream the night before about having all 4 tires on the burb flat at the same time. So, going up the mountain I had that worry in my mind the whole time. Even one flat would have been bad. But, our car did okay. I really don't think this picture comes close to what it was like. On the way up the mountain, I just hung on tight to anything. At one point Kannon wanted me to look at our other maps for a different road. We were moving so much, I couldn't see anything on the map. Finally we found a good place to stop and look.

I went slowly up the hill with Sarah's hand. I was afraid she'd fall down. We even saw some cacti and that would be bad to fall on! Ben was hurrying ahead of us. Finally, Kannon called to him to come back where we were. On his way down, fast, he fell and hit the same knee he'd scraped up a few days before. So, we quickly found a tree - and it was perfect for us.

(I love this picture of me!)

Last year we had to hike in crotch-deep snow, shake the snow off each tree - only to discover it wasn't good enough. Then we only had a hand saw to cut it down. I was so grateful for the convenience of this years event.


Kannon - carrying Sarah and the tree back down the mountain. I took the chain saw.

We had brought a nice little picnic with us, but we ate it around 10:30, on the drive, when we were all hungry. We still had some hot chocolate, though, so we drank that and warmed up a bit.

We were listening to Christmas songs on the radio. Here are Kannon's and Ben's reactions to the song "The 12 Pains of Christmas". There was a lot of laughter. It was a great time.

On the way back down the mountain, I decided not to hold tight, to just swing with the vehicle. From the seat behind me, Ben asked, "what are you doing? It looks like you're dancing." I'm not really sure which way was less stressful on my body. All I know is that my neck and shoulders were stiff for a few days. I also taught the kids about the "oh crap" handle and decided to change it to the "oh no" handle. (I think [hope] they don't know what crap is yet.) Sarah was a bit bothered that she couldn't reach hers. She would let me know when I had let go of mine - it kind of concerned her. We stopped to visit Kannon's uncle Mike, in Dayton, on our way home. Then we set up the tree, ate dinner, and decorated it. It was a really nice day and a good family memory.