Sunday, December 14, 2008

>The tree, the rents, the dogs and the film that rocked my world.

>Last Sunday B and I had the day off and spent it with our parents and his mother. We cut down our Christmas tree and it was, as you saw below, one of the best days of the year for us. We both woke up early and B rushed off to the store to get a few things for Chili, something I had never made before. When he returned, I cut and diced and mixed a slue of yummy veggies and meats together in the crock pot and turned it on low. My parents arrived promptly at 8:30 to take us up to the cabin in Red Feather where we were going to find that perfect tree. The best part: it is Tulo's and Butte's first tree hunting expedition and I can say for a fact that we were just as excited as they were.

When we arrived, our hosts had a wood stove going and banana bread to much on. We let the dogs run around freely and freely they did run! Around the house in circles over logs and between sick (Pine Beetle) trees. Our host marked the trees that were not sick and okay for us to remove. We bundled back up (though it was not necessary once hiking down the hill, we warmed up quickly) and pealed our eyes for "the one". Within five minutes of trekking the hillside, we found our tree. It is full and lush from top to bottom and I did the honors of sawing it away from the ground. B finished the work and within moments, our tree was in hand. My mom took our picture and we tired to get the dogs to sit with us but that did not work out.

After the tree was tied down and my parents found their tree, we headed back home to enjoy the mess of Chili I made. Survey says: the Chili mess was wonderful! It warmed everyone to the bone and we enjoyed watching football on our new TV.

Soon after our parents left, B's mom came over and we decorated the tree, drank egg nog, and I gave her a tour of Fort Collins, complete with a tour of my workplace. She loved it! She also said it was a much prettier and nicer town than Albuquerque (thank God!). We went out to dinner at an Irish pub and enjoyed margs. MMM...she left Sadie, B's brother's dog, behind with us and headed home to prepare for a week-long trip out of state.

Our week with Sadie was really good. She is so jumpy, which made our dogs more jumpy, which made me more irritated with all the barking and growling at the air, literally. She, by far, has the WORST gas of any dog or human I have ever encountered. She cleared the room, but when you live in a basement, there is not a whole lot of rooms to go to. The best part about her being with us, was that she and Butte are best friends now. Sadie still tries to dominate her but is not as aggressive as she had been before. Now they can take turns with the toy and have fun.

Tuesday night, B and I went and saw the most horrifying movie I have ever seen. Worse than any Michael Meyers or Jigsaw flick, The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas chilled me to the bone. It was and incredible film and our first Bollywood flick in the theaters together. The time passed by so quickly that, before I knew it, the film was over and I was stuck in my seat, uncontrollable tears staining my face. Then, all of a sudden, it was all I could do to get out of the theater. I did not want to hear the tainted music or see the credits end any longer. I silenced my horror and could not remark anything about the film until we were almost home. The film was so touching, just as any film is about the Holocaust. However, while Schindler's List was also incredible and horrifying in the same respect, this film knocked me off my feet and I could not sleep for two nights after we saw it. It is like The Passion of the Christ: you only need to see it once. And yes, I think everyone should see The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas. Despite the pain I felt after seeing the movie, the magnitude of the film is Oscar-worthy. The acting, cinematography, and story are near perfect. Even having learned at a young age what the Holocaust has left in our history, I am still moved and sickened by what one human did to many. It's not fair and I am so thankful for understating and acceptance in our country. I know similar events are occurring in Darfur as I write these words and I just cannot bring myself to hear or read about it, as my heart just cannot take the wrenching pain.

The rest of our week was okay. Work was fine as always. B and I had plans to visit friends in Junction, but mother nature interfered with a rearing winter storm that smashed the mountains and is falling lightly on my car right now. We spent a lazy Saturday together in PJ's watching movies and teaching our dogs new tricks.

Have a great week!

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