The hubby's early Christmas Present

My husband got a wonderful early Christmas present yesterday.  We signed up for a Thanksgiving celebration and tree cutting over at a local development I work for thinking a pretty tame event, lunch and a tree.  Lunch was great in front of a huge BBQ pavillion, everyone huddling by the fire as it was 24 degrees outside, then it was time to go and cut a tree.



Cut to director, he walks by us and says, "you're fine" then goes and talks to a few others in minivans, they all park their Baby Buses and climb in with him in this HUGE hummer.  We proceed up the mountain on a paved road then start down the backside of the mountain on a dirt road.  My husband goes from yelling at the boys to childish glee as he says, "I think I need to put it in 4 wheel drive".  You see his truck is new and this is his virgin backcountry drive.  He says, "The truck is equipped with automatic sensing but on roads like this I think we'll all be safer with 4 wheel drive."  He explains to me how the sensing the road stuff works and that it's something special (that was translated for us women, from the technical lecture I just received)

Nik our smore hot apple cider guy

We continue down a hill, climb over some rocks, slowly go over a ditch all while I hear commentary how the other trucks are "much slower" than his, that they must not sit as high - he purchased an off road package that has the truck sitting higher, "I am glad I got that package going back through here."  His package (no, his truck package) includes some type of red thing that makes it stiffer, of course my mind went right into the gutter with that lecture - package, stiffer, easier ride?



Do these trees make my butt look big?



We stop at a fire ring sitting in the middle of a valley, and more guys come out - they are our tree cutting guys.  They pick off the guys in the acura and tell us that our Avalanche is fine and I think I see my husband puff up in pride.  Hearing "You'll make it all the way" makes him nod at me and say, "see that off road package was a smart purchase."   We go down more narrow roads, up a hill and end up at a secluded Christmas Tree Farm nestled on the hill.  The boys jump out and run and disappaear into the trees, yelling and screaming with other children.

I'm freezing (it's 24 degrees) as we're walking looking at trees, the kids are lost in the maze screaming, I hear a chain saw going and am glad that it's not followed by a scream(you know Jason thing)  We're followed by guys with axes (luckily no banjo music) waiting for us to pick our special holiday decoration.  When we do pick one, two men make quick work of bundling then cutting the tree AND taking it and putting it in our car!  Of course we're glad they were there because we came woefully unprepared with out an axe, or saw or even string.  But we got the truck  and the off road package to get us there!

He takes us a little quicker on the way out, the kids squealing as we slide a little bit, my honey with his manly, 'Don't worry the wheels have special shocks that (i can't remember what they do, insert something about mud and dirt and torque and whatever here) we stop and look out over the mountains with smores and hot apple cider and as I watch them enjoy this I know that a memory is made.  I think, "this is it, this is the holiday season" as I hear about the red something shocks added to the truck for just those ditches we went through and the special mats that hold the mud and water after off roading - the kids got a memory of a great ride and actually cutting down a Christmas tree this year and my husband got an early Christmas present, a great ride using all the cool stuff that comes with a new truck that makes a man feel like a man.  Sometimes it's not about the truck but about how great the ride is (insert snicker here.)