The North Pole

For the second year in a row now we have climbed aboard The Heber Creeper to take a trip on "The Polar Express." As an adult, it may sound silly, and in all reality it totally is, but I try to imagine it through the eyes of a child and what I see is something magical, it truly is.

Our departure turned out to be on the same night that the first big snowstorm of the season slammed the Wasatch Mountains. I'm not complaining, I was in my element, I love everything about a big snowstorm, even driving in it. It was dumping so hard on our way there that it looked and felt like we were driving to The North Pole. There was easily a foot of snow in some places and the snow was coming down hard and heavy in huge, beautiful, thick flakes. Mmmmm... Snow makes me happy... I love it!

We are always the rowdy bunch, no matter where we go, so of course they stuck us in the very back of the train car again. It was Grandma Beth and Gary... Jake, Jen and Shea... Me, Greg, Zach and Cam... Bryan, Annalisa, Brexton and Max... I was a little worried at first because the back of the car is also where the cook keeps the chocolate chip cookies. The kids had their eyes on the cookies from the second we got to our seats. (I'm not gonna lie, I did too)

There are Elves on the Polar Express, a Cook, a Conductor, and even Mrs. Claus. The elves served us hot cocoa and cookies and then we all read the book "The Polar Express." That's all fun and good, but my favorite part of the trip was looking out the foggy windows with Zach. The snow was still coming down hard, when suddenly there were no more banks on the side of the track and the river below was fading further and further into the distance when Zach said "Mom, it really is a magic train, look we are starting to leave the ground!" I just love the mind of a child. There is no price tag you can put on a comment like that. Those words alone paid for the cost of the tickets. I was right there with him, we were on a magic train. Destination... The North Pole.

Cam was all over that train. He was running in the isle, slipping and falling, hanging off the back of the seats, and jumping on the seats, but I think the part he enjoyed most was making the elves feel bad by not even almost cracking a smile when they would try to make him laugh. I have to admit, I was also very entertained by that.

When we finally made it to The North Pole, there was Santa, standing out in the cold snowy night, waiving to us as we crept by, you could even see his village out in the distance. You should have seen the look on all of the kids faces when he appeared on the train. Every child got to meet him and he gave them all a bell. Cam was actually very nice to Santa, I guess he has been paying attention when we tell him "Santa only brings presents to good boys." Unfortunately, he doesn't understand yet that Santa and his elves are "always watching." Maybe that one will be more affective next year.

The ride back was full of excitement, singing Christmas Carols all the way. It was enough to just about drive anyone nuts! Zach tells everyone his favorite part was doing "the dinosaur dance" that was when he was dancing up and down the isle hand in hand with an elf. Something tells me he is going to hear about that one a few years down the road from his cousins for sure!!!

The train eventually made it back to the station and it was still snowing. It's almost like it was all just for us. Nowhere else got as much snow as there was in Heber that evening and as soon as we drove over the hill and out of Heber Valley the snow stopped falling.

It really was like magic.

See more pictures on a slide show by Grandma Beth HERE.