Ring-a-Ling: A Christmas Poem

I haven't attempted poetry since 10th grade creative writing class, so be warned. I wanted to summarize a story that many of you will ask me about, and what better way than a Christmas poem?! And begin...

Christmas arrived with nary a sound
A bit of snow on the ground, no kids to be found
Just me and my girl and our bright Christmas tree,
and Disco the Kitty with her new “busy-bee”

We’d planned on relaxing ‘til round about ten
Then family and presents would call us to them
So coffee in hand and a movie on queue
We cozied the couch for “The Godfather: Part II”

As Michael and Fredo in Cuba did play
I tried to conceal my jitters that day
For under the tree lied a gift of great meaning
Twas meant for my love and would soon leave her beaming

But how to convince her to open that one
Without letting on to the trick that I’d done?
Like a child I said “I wanna open a present,
So let’s pick one out for each other” I meant

I knew to go first, so I dove to the tree
She pointed way back to a box marked for me
With hands a bit shaky I tore through the wrap
For a warm winter coat, very nice one at that

Then her turn, “Which one?”, I pointed out a long box
With silver paper, a bow, much too large for a rock
Inside, a hiking bag - a meager fanny pack
“Gee, thanks” said she, I thought she might give it back!

But then, in the pack she could feel something else
I watched as she opened and looked for herself
Another box, quite small, with a jeweler’s mark
A treasure of sorts, but will it create the true spark?

As she opened the ring, I let a few moments pass
“Do you have a question for me?”, no patience, this lass
I leaned in on a knee, and spoke four famous words
And after a kiss, her reply was heard…

“Of course I will." She said the right thing!
Relieved, we looked at her shiny new bling
A marvelous ring, let’s hope it will fit
And barely it did, after sticking a bit

So that’s my story of Christmas this year
A morning engagement with mobsters and tears
Romantic? Maybe not, but memorable, yes
Suffice it to say, we feel truly blessed

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and were able to spend time with family and friends. I miss my family and everyone back home, and I hope to see you all soon – with my fiancée!

Love,
Steve

If you only knew...

It only took me 29 years, 3 months and 11 days to hit the slopes for my first time. Annie finally convinced me that Utah has the "Best Snow on Earth - for you to crash into over and over again!" Here is where I shout out to brands I had seen frequently at various snowsports and outdoor retail trade shows over my 6 years at Grabber. My first set of rented gear: K2 skis, Nordica boots, Scott poles. I had my Rudy Project goggles (thank you, Pro Ski Instructors of America conference in 2005 for that gift), my new Columbia ski pants, and then a bunch of other mismatched gear. If I didn't look like a beginner, I proved it moments after leaving the bunny hill chair lift for the first time. I pushed myself off the chair, went down the tiny hill thinking, "this is great!", then realized I didn't know how to turn or stop, so I continued upright until I neared a drop off, and just laid it down. This became an important lesson for me: When in doubt, just lay it down. Because it will hurt less than letting gravity and downhill momentum slam you down.

Let's just say I enjoyed the bunny hill. Annie did a great job showing me the basics, and after a few practice turns and plenty of snowplowing, I could zoom down comfortably. The minute we left that lift, however, I turned into a runaway train, rolling and sliding down more slopes than actually skiing. Too much, too soon. Solitude Mountain's lift ticket says "If you only knew...", which has my brain thinking of all the ways I could finish that sentence: "...how many 5-yr-olds will laugh at you."; "...how ridiculous you'll look trying to lock your boot back into the ski you lost, while balancing precariously on a slope you can't handle."; "...how badly your thighs will ache tomorrow!"; "...how much your girlfriend will enjoy being better than you at an athletic endeavor." But I finally did it, I'm walking upright today, and I'll do it again.

Here are some pics of us recently, enjoying the Christmas season in Utah. Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas season

Have some decency

Thanks to all of you who so discretely commented on the subject of my recent post "Rockin' the 80s". It's PROM. P-R-O-M, like the dance you got dressed up for back in high school.

And for the record, I had the stache for all of 8 hours - leading up to and during the party - and it was shaved immediately after. I have no new career aspirations or secret identities. Please people, my mother reads this blog.

Elfed Up

This is a little Christmas message to all of you out there, from me, Annie, and the kids!

Check it out HERE. Give it a minute to load up...

Rockin the 80s

Annie and I went to the IKEA 'holiday party' this week. The theme was "80s Prom".

Here is our Prom Picture.


That is my real facial hair, and what you can't see is the tie maintaining its skinny width all the way down. She was rocking a shiny faux-wrap dress that came together at the hip with a huge round buckle. Totally Awesome!