Night out on the town!

For my niece Allison's birthday, I decided to take her out for a night on the town! We had such an absolutely fantastic time. After giving Alli several choices on where to eat for dinner she decided on The Olive Garden. She had so much fun. I think she thought it was really cool to be able to order from a menu and get whatever she wanted. Initially she was not going to get a drink, but I talked her into the frozen raspberry lemonade which was absolutely delicious (she let me take a sip). Yum! She ended up ordering Chicken Fettucine Alfredo and I ordered Chicken Scampi. She loved the salad that they initially brought and absolutely loved the warm breadsticks. I told her we could get more and she was pretty excited about that.
We had a great time talking about boys (Noah) and about school and friends. It was so much fun to chat and the food was delicious!

After our delicious dinner, we headed to Barnes and Noble where I let Alli browse through the young readers section. She was able to pick out a great book which I got for her. After that, we headed out and got some delicious dessert. Then she got her other gift from me. A fun new springy dress. I couldn't resist. It was so cute and fun. I think she really had the time of her life tonight, I know I did.

Winter Fun

One of my favorite winter sports is now snowshoeing. It is so incredibly enjoyable! I love being able to get a good workout while enjoying the sounds of nature, the warm sun on my face, and my cute dog Jack! I have gone snowshoeing several times and Jack always enjoys every minute of it. On one of our little hikes, he found the water first thing. I don't know how he didn't completely freeze to death! Once he went in, it was hard to get him out. He had such a great time. Afterwards, he was wet and had to be cold. He started digging in the snow with his snout and then he started rolling around in the snow. He honestly looked like he was having a seizure. It was so funny. I wondering if he was trying to dry himself off after being so wet.

I have had so much fun just being up there myself. The weather has been fantastic and the mountains are gorgous.

I have been trying to convince some of my friends that snowshoeing is the way to get winter exercise. I might have a permanent convert in Christy. She came with Jack and I and she had a fantastic time.