Kenny Gone Gekko

Kenny's hair has reached epic lengths. Which urged several male members of our ward to encourage him to slick it back Gordon Gekko style.

And wear it to church.

King of my Heart

This was found in Kenny's Valentine's Day mailbox a few days before the big day! Idea courtesy of my friend Adrienne, who treated her husband to the same, we trekked out to the United Center in the hopes that the Bulls would beat the Kings but that Jimmer would play well.

Unfortunately, Jimmer didn't play, being under the weather, but we still had an enjoyable time. And came away with awesome Bulls shirts.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Little Piggies

I was accosted one day after work with a "Look what I made! SMELL!" and this small potpurri sack:

Afterwards, Kenny could hardly suppress a giggle before out came, "HAHA! You just smelled a pig's bum!"

Kenny would like me to add that he made this at a wellness fair held at the law school, and that his days are not all fun and potpurri. He would also like me to add that everyone else was decorating theirs with flowers, but that he wanted his to make a statement! I'd say he succeeded.

I love you, a buschel and a peck...

Grandma Helen Moss Shaner died Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012.

You are very loved and will be missed.

http://www.magicvalleyfuneralhome.com/sitemaker/sites/parkes0/obit.cgi?user=547193Shaner

Christmas Cheer

This being the Shaner's year for Christmas, everybody came and crammed into our little apartment for a week over the holidays. Nothing makes one feel more Christmasy than lots of food, family, and less privacy.

This visit, we did actually manage to leave the house, however, and ventured downtown to see the bean, the magnificent mile, and the Christkindlmarkt in brisk Chicago weather.



(yes, that's Kenny off to the side, and no, we don't try to consciously exclude him from family pictures)

Our Shaner Christmas Eve buffet was appropriately large and fattening, and full of creamed cheese.

We tried something new this Christmas Eve (it was hotly debated--anything that deviates from the norm on Christmas Eve is to be dreaded), and trudged out to the Rockefeller Chapel on campus to participate in the local community Christmas Eve production. We heard beautiful organ music, watched little children squirming in a nativity play, and (my favorite) got to light and hold candles while we sang Christmas carols. Anyone in Hyde Park over Christmas should definately add this to their traditions.

(be sure to get there early...)

On Christmas morn, after attending our ward, we came home to the bounteous Christmas tree. I won't bore you all with lists of goodies, but I will share some of the more colorful pictures that were taken, many of them courtesy of Kenny.

 

And although it is several months too late, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and is looking forward to next Christmas! (only ten more months to go!)

Anniversary in Amish Town

Three years already! Can't believe it.

We decided to venture into Amish town in Indiana, as a change of pace from our usual dinner, movie, and gift formula for the big day. We stayed at a delightful bed and breakfast

called the McKenzie House, as you can see, and which we highly recommend, and the first morning we woke up it had snowed! What a complete package.

We spent our weekend exploring around the quaint little town, getting stuck behind horse and buggies (which actually have the same rights as cars, we discovered), sampling cheese,

eating noodles over mashed potatoes (a local delicacy), exploring local shops,

(our most exciting find)

and visiting the college football hall of fame. Kenny occupied himself mostly with trying to find BYU, which was sadly underrepresented (most irritating to Kenny was their and Utahs' absence from the biggest rivalries wall), but the most fun was probably their training area, where we kicked field goals and tested our speed and agility. I wouldn't want to embarass Kenny by saying his wife was better than him at football, but one of us did kick several field goals in a row, and she did not have a Y chromosome.

(to give him his due, I couldn't figure out how to get the football into the little T-thing until Kenny demonstrated, which, according to him, "is half the game right there")