New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve was a BLAST! We started out by heading to mom's house. Sara & mom were going to a movie, and Greg was going to help Aaron with some car stuff. I got some more time in on my new toy (the DS) while they were getting dirty in the garage. Yay!

The car now has a new alternator and some belt thing - which is great for Aaron. Unfortunately, the repairs took longer than anticipated, so Greg missed out on lunch with my friends Brian & Julie. I've known Brian since high school - probably close to 20 years now... (and that dates me for sure - but man, it's *crazy* to think that we've known each other so long.) It was a lovely lunch and we spent hours catching up. The last time we had a chance to visit was almost 8 years ago - the girls have grown lots in that time, and they're so cute! And there's a new baby that I got to meet... We've decided that next time I'm down, we're going to plan an Event - a trip to the zoo, some caching... something where we get to spend more time together.

After lunch, Brian & Julie took me to the grocery store so I could pick up buttons for Salt Lake City's First Night. For $10 (could've been less if we'd gotten the tix earlier), we got to ride Trax into downtown SLC and go to all kinds of free, family-oriented events. There were several different venues, each with lots of activities. We got off Trax at the Gallivan Center, and ended up just staying there. Didn't even get a chance to explore the festivities at Temple Square, the Gateway, or the Leonardo. Which isn't to say we didn't have fun!

We saw fire dancers and the Incendiary Circus; had hot chocolate, fresh mini-donuts, and chili-cheese fries (not at the same time); put a New Year's Resolution in the beehive (I heard they're going to transport the structure with all the resolutions and burn it like a bonfire); watched a hypnotist play with volunteers from the crowd; and watched an artist paint as the band played while we waited for the final countdown. The fireworks were grand! It's been a long time since I've seen a display that elaborate in person. For the whole event, we only spent money on the food (and the buttons to get us in). Super cool!

The ride home was crowded... Waiting for Trax we were packed so closely together that it actually helped stave off some of the winter chill. Then, when we climbed aboard, I was standing in the stairwell holding on to Greg & Sheri, just hoping that we wouldn't have sudden moves and I'd go careening into the people around me. It took a while, as there were several stops between downtown SLC and Sandy, where we left the car. We got back to the hotel after 2:30am - a *long* day, but filled with lots of fun and adventure.

Welcome, welcome to the year to come! May it be better for us all than the one we just finished... =)