The day after Christmas we packed up and got ready to head out to Utah for a little Post-Holiday celebration. After making the trip to Utah 5 times this year we expected it to be pretty standard, but it turned out to be anything but that. We got the car all packed and the kids loaded up bright and early to start the 14.5 hr drive, but when Scott turned the key nothing happened. It turned out to be a problem with the battery that took several hours to fix before we could hit the road. We were already getting a late start and then the road conditions were worse than we had hoped making for slow traveling. We didn't reach the half way point in Cheyenne until dinner time when it had just gotten dark. With how icy the roads had been all day we decided not to press our luck and stop for the night. The kids were thrilled to be staying in a hotel. Scott and I were just hoping our fragile battery would not freeze in the subzero temps during the night. We were relieved when the next morning we went down to breakfast to find several other families from our ward had stopped on their way to Utah, too, and we would at least know someone to jump our car should we need it. Thankfully the car started. We finished the second half of the drive and arrived in Utah! We were only there for a few days and unlike our trip summer trip we didn't have time to see anyone or do anything other than spend some time with family. The main item on the agenda was Grandma's Sleepover. All of our kids complained that it wasn't nearly as special to get to sleep at grandma's house when we were already staying with her, but they got over it and enjoyed the sleepover as much as ever. We gave a family ski trip another try this time with Whitney and I taking the little kids to Lowe's Extreme Airsport while the Dads and Grandma and Grandpa took the big kids skiing. Everyone had a much better time than last year. We spent some time out at the Murray's house playing in the snow which is always a blast. On New Years Eve day we went with all the Hale cousins to blastertag, a nerf arena, and had so much fun. That night our little family ended up just staying at my parents house and getting in the hot tub to ring in the new year (at 9 pm - Shhh, don't tell). The next morning we headed back to Omaha to begin a new year. New Years is a time full of reflection and evaluation. As I think back on and evaluate 2015 all I can really say is, "Phew, I made it through". It wasn't always pretty, but I made it. My only goal for the upcoming year is to continue making it through each day. Who knows, maybe this year things will get better and life will become a little bit easier to be a part of. Maybe. or Maybe not. But I am going to keep on trying. Goodbye 2015.
