SPECIAL TREATS:
Ammon got free admission to an event at the TPC Scottsdale course in early December.
Josh had a gift certificate to go to the 28 Club, so we went there for dinner one night in early December. We love their food! Josh's favorite meal is the prime rib.
I went with my Mud Lake friends to see the lights in Idaho Falls one night after I had a job interview at West Jefferson School District. The interview went well, but sadly I didn't get the job. However, I had a wonderful time with my friends afterwards. We went out to dinner and then drove around to several light displays. I had so much fun just spending quality time with my lady friends!
CAROLING and PEP BAND:
At the beginning of the school year, I signed up to be in charge of the music department's caroling fundraiser in December that coincides with the Chamber of Commerce's "After-Hours Shopping Event". The choir walks around town that evening and sings carols in any store that stays open late--the store usually offers special deals for Christmas shoppers that night to incentivize shoppers to come out "after hours". Since it was a musical tour year, the students were trying to earn money to pay for their trip in the spring, so there was a lot more fundraising going on all year. The caroling is a free service the choir provides to businesses, but we added a fundraiser this year by selling cups of hot cocoa and a meal of homemade chili on Main Street during the event, too. It was held the first Thursday of the month, and the timing worked out perfectly for me--since I was in between jobs, I had more time devoted to working on it. To prepare for the outdoor event on Main Street in front of the Real Deals store, I organized the gathering of tables and propane heaters, I bought supplies needed such as insulated cups with lids, boxes of individual-sized bags of Cheesy Doritos, and ingredients for the Chili, I made posters with catchy phrases for students to hold on Main Street as cars passed by, I had band students sign up to help that evening to be cashiers or serve food during the fundraiser, and I advertised by speaking on the radio and posting ads online. That night, Josh, Kanyon, and his friend Sam helped me set up tables and propane heaters, and the Hobbs family made hot chocolate and brought extra propane bottles and stayed for the duration of the event with us. We served hot cups of cocoa for sale individually, baked goods for sale individually, or a meal deal including a drink, a baked goodie, and a bag of Doritos with homemade chili and cheese toppings inside it. As the choir made their way from the grocery store to Main Street, they stopped at our location and sang several songs. It was such mild weather that night, and the event had been advertised so well, that LOTS of shoppers came out for the event, and we sold out of almost all the chili and the hot chocolate! We made several hundred dollars, so it was a success for all involved!
NEIGHBOR GIFTS:
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| I borrowed the propane heaters from a business on Main Street. Josh, Kanyon, and Sam picked them up and Josh set them all up for me. |
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| Kanyon and Sam held signs on Main Street advertising our fundraiser. |
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| Band students took money, opened Doritos bags, poured in chili, or topped the bag with cheese as customers came. |
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| The Hobbs' poured the hot cocoa into the cups as they were sold. |
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| The choir sang carols to the Main Street shoppers. |
Salmon has such an awesome pep band! They sound amazing! I love that they have more room to perform now in the Lynch Center during the high school basketball games, and their band has grown, so the extra space is being used! We went a few times to watch games and enjoyed listening to the band!
NEIGHBOR GIFTS:
This year, we gave our traditional jars of homemade raspberry jam and paired them with jars of peanut butter. I put them in brown bags, reminiscent of a sack lunch, and wrote on each bag: "Good friends stick together like peanut butter and jam!"
WINTERY LANDSCAPES:
We are grateful to live in Salmon, where we experience all 4 seasons. There's definitely beauty in each of the seasons, and I really appreciate how Josh captures the beauty in the snowy landscapes of the sunsets and sunrises he photographed in December.
NEW YEAR'S EVE:
We had game night with Phil & Darcy at their home the night before New Year's Eve. We had SO much fun together, snacking and playing several games! We took Kanyon with us, and he was laughing all night, too! At one point, Phil went outside and rolled around in the snow, which invoked hilarious laughter out of everyone. It was definitely a memorable night!
However, we had ZERO fun plans on New Year's Eve. I worked late at the movie theater for a DFY event for kids to watch a late night showing that got out shortly after midnight, so Josh was home alone. He was quite happy with that--he read the new book written by a local author that I got him for Christmas, soaked in the hot tub, and went to bed early! The Cranney's had their annual bonfire event in the gravel pit right by our house, and the flames were big! They also lit off some fireworks, which I saw as I was heading in to work the late shift at the movie theater.
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