a Wii bit interested...

I’m not a big fan of video games. Despite what Nate might tell you, I don’t hate them, I just hate the idea of us having them. I think I’d like video games more if they were handled how a lot of us used board games growing up. We got them out on an occasional Friday night or for Family Home Evening. But it wasn’t every day after school, for three hours on a Saturday or something we chose instead of going to bed.

When this new Wii craze hit I didn’t care. What’s the big deal, right? But when Nate’s work gave one as the grand prize at his Christmas party, Nate’s family got one, and our friends, one right after another, seemed to have this new system, I started taking note. Not becoming a part of the madness, just taking note. I was content as an observer for a long time, but it was only a matter of time before I got roped into a four player game of bowling on Wii Sports. And you know what? It was pretty fun. I scored better on the Wii version than I usually do at a real alley. Maybe that bowling class at BYU really was worth it.

So, just the other day I came across Cooking Mama Cook Off, a Wii game where the remote becomes the ultimate cooking utensil allowing you to chop, grate, slice, stir and roll. There’s a cooking challenge mode where two players can engage in a cook off and the one with the fewest mistakes wins. You mean I could be competitive and cook at the same time and not have any mess to clean up when I’m finished? This is my kind of game! With 55 dishes from 10 different countries to choose from it’s like virtual culinary school. O.k., that’s probably a stretch. Now all we need is Nintendo to develop a way to produce the real meal after these virtual ones have been created! Annie? Becky? Are you up for a culinary challenge? You can see a short video demonstration of the game here.

I’d definitely like to try this game out. Notice, not buy, not have, but TRY. Kind of like borrowing your friend’s board game. You’ll play it a few times and return it. And you aren’t going to play it until the sun comes up tomorrow. By the way, don’t ask me in ten years if we have a game system. I’m afraid what the answer might be.

Some serious baking...

Holidays in my family have always been drenched in tradition, especially Christmas. It all started as soon as Thanksgiving dinner was over. That's when the Christmas music in our house started and the festivities officially began. Some of our traditions have changed and evolved over the years, but one thing has stayed the same: the Hall home becomes a literal cookie making factory for the month of December.
Every Christmas I can remember has included baking a very large quanity of sandbakkels, a rich, buttery Scandinavian cookie that has been passed down the generations in our family. It's hand pressed (not cookie pressed!) into tart-like molds, baked and then popped out to be eaten and enjoyed.
As a kid I thought it was fun to be mom's helper, although in more recent years I've discovered that my cookie forming technique back in those days was horrible and my mom used to have to go back and redo my cookies. As a teenager I helped out, but constantly wondered when, if ever we would be done. Now as an adult, I love it. I call it our version of quilting. My sister, mom and I get together and instead of poking ourselves with needles we get an occasional burn from a cookie mold just out of the oven. And, of course, we love that it gives us a chance to just spend time together.
As the years have passed, our 'fan base' for these cookies has grown. Our friends start dropping hints in mid-November that they're excited to have a Hall delivery in the coming weeks. This year we started early. Thanks to a lot of freezer space and the dairy farmers for all of the butter we used, I'm excited to report that we produced about 1500 cookies. That's right -- one thousand five hundred. I know, you're wondering how in the world could you give that many away? But, once you start putting 12 or 24 on a plate they go FAST, I promise. And, don't worry, we didn't do it all in one day. We actually spaced it out over 4 different afternoons.
This year we had an extra special treat when Kristina's friend McCall joined us after their fun day together. It was so great to have someone else join in the fun. As a nine year-old McCall's dough-pressing skills far exceed what I was able to do at her age. We'll definitely enlist her next year if she's interested.
So, I hope your holiday preparations have been filled with tradition and fun as well. Christmas is right around the corner, and I feel like I've been bursting with Christmas cheer for a week. I'm just loving it all, even the crowded stores and parking lots, this year!

One Year Later...

Today is our first anniversary. I can't believe it! Part of me is amazed at how quickly time has gone, and another part of me feels like we've been married for a lot longer than just a year. In fact at almost this exact time a year ago I was walking into the temple. The men at the desk looked at my recommend and said, "Boyce, huh? How did you manage to snag a Boyce?" Nate hates that story, but I love it, because it just shows what a great guy (and husband!) he is. Of course, I reminded those nice gentlemen that Nate was pretty lucky too.

I keep reflecting back on that day (hey, I only get a first anniversary once, so if I ramble, just be patient with me!) and remembering the feeling I had when we walked into the sealing room. I have never felt feelings of love just flooding a room like I did then. To our family and dear friends, I'll never be able to thank you enough just for being there. You are part of the most special memories I have of that day. Looking around that room just took my breath away, and I'm so grateful that we were able to share it with so many.
The past year has been awesome. People say that the first year can be so hard. I guess it can be, but we've really found that with patience, determination and love everything, even the really hard things, can and do strengthen our relationship. I'm grateful for the big things that marriage has brought us, like always having my best friend around and experiencing first hand the daily blessings of being sealed in the temple, but also for little things, like eating and making dinner together, walks on the bike trail and Nate watching an occasional episode of Oprah with me, even if he'd rather be watching The Office. Of course, I only pick ones I know he'll like! In fact we were watching it a few weeks ago when Jerry Seinfeld was on promoting Bee Movie. I loved his comments about his marriage and how it takes work to make it successful. He said, "People are lazy and I'm tired of it. Everything's work. There's nothing wrong with work." I agree. Work translates into love, and I feel so blessed that Nate and I both were taught to work hard in everything we do, including our marriage.
So, here's to a great first year. Maybe we'll thaw out the top of our cake that my mom has so graciously stored in her freezer for 365 days. I can't wait to see what adventures we'll find in year two! Nate, you're the best!

Happy Halloween!

*Nate took this cute picture and I just had to blog it on this most appropriate day!

Here's a little 'slice' of what I made for Halloween dinner:

Fall Fun!

Last weekend we made the annual Hall Family pilgrimage up to Apple Hill. I think we've only missed it three times since my family moved to California twenty-six years ago, and that includes the BYU years. This time last year we were buried in wedding planning, and we just couldn't find the time. There's a lot of fun things up there for kids: hay bale mazes, pumpkin picking, face painting, pony rides, the usual festival type stuff. But since we're lacking a bit in the kid population we had to go for the next best thing -- the food.
This was Nate's first visit as a Hall (if I'm a Boyce now doesn't that make him a Hall too?), and he quickly found out how deeply rooted in tradition we are. Sure, pretty much all of those farms sell pie, but when you're a Hall you only get a slice from Able's Apple Acres. Apple cider donuts? Only at Rainbow Orchards. And caramel apples are only to be purchased at High Hill, which is always the last stop of the day. I think Nate was curious to see if I'd relive my indulgent childhood days and munch down on a half dozen donuts. Thankfully this time I exercised a bit more self control than I had back then. But they really are that good.

Being up there was, of course, the perfect opportunity to load up on apples. My students have even noticed that they're a staple in my every day eating. Is two a day excessive? Thanks though Nate for carrying my twenty-pound box. I may have to go up there for another box full before Thanksgiving.
It still amazes me how a hearty, healthy apple can be turned into such sugary goodness. We (that would be all of the Halls, not just Nate and me) had pies (buttermilk apple and apple crumb), apple fritters, apple strudel, apple donuts, caramel apples, and apple cider. It was a little like Forrest Gump and the thousands of shrimp possibilities.
Anyway, we had a great day seeing the beauty that fall brings with the colors changing, spending time with family and munching on all things apple. It feels like the holiday season has officially begun!

Are you ready for some football?

It's been too long since I've been to a football game! Last weekend we headed down to Bakersfield to visit Annie, Joey and our incredibly cute nieces AND to drive even further to Pasadena to watch BYU play UCLA at the Rose Bowl. The Cougars had a rough start, but made an amazing near comeback in the third quarter. Even though they ended their 11-game winning streak, we had a great time. I loved catching up with an old roommate and seeing how much her kids have grown. We even ran into Nate's cousin Brandon and his wife. We were reminded how small the BYU alumni world is, even though it's a school with 30,000 students. Each of us saw a handful of people whose names we didn't know, but who had very familiar faces. Was it the same ward, apartment complex or class that we shared? It was just funny seeing everybody else do exactly what we were doing -- looking around constantly (people-watching as my mom calls it) to see if there was someone from our Provo days that we knew. The whole thing just reminded me how great it is to be a Cougar. BYU is part of some of my greatest memories and to just experience a little part of that again was too much fun. In fact, in at least one way it was better than the original days as a Cougar because I was there finally with my husband!

one more thing: I got a miracle in the form of 18 third graders who magically enrolled at my school. Two days before the school year started I was again 'held back' in third grade because they needed another teacher (Did you know they call it a 'bonus year' now so that kids don't feel bad?). This group is a handful, but I'll take third grade handfuls any time!

Another trip to paradise

We're back from our first Boyce family vacation, at least it's my first one. What a great time! Maui was beautiful, relaxing and adventurous all wrapped together. I could have said it before the trip, but since I didn't I'll say it now: I love being a Boyce. In fact, I'm willing to bet that in some obscure dictionary I haven't found yet, 'Boyce' is defined as 'love and fun in abundance.' Besides my own family, there isn't another one I could love or laugh with more. We just have a great time together, whether it's Tyler barking out the window, Olivia singing songs from the Little Mermaid in the back of the van, or Shauna, Becky, Nate and me at Costco after arriving in Maui. That alone was an adventure!

We did have our challenges traveling as a group of twelve. Despite the delayed baggage coming home, Sammy throwing up on the road from Hana, and my twenty-something mosquito bites, it's probably one of the best vacations I've ever taken. We're already starting to think of next year's destination!