Tree hunt

I have always wanted to cut down my very own Christmas tree so since the rain let up today, my mom, Dominic, Roxi and I took a little road trip into Valencia by Magic Mountain to a tree farm to do just that. Wow, that Christmas tree scent was thick in the air. After walking through a maze of trees, we finally found one we could all agree on...a 9-10 foot Monterey Pine. We have a really high ceiling in the living room so each year I try for a tree a bit taller than the last. Next year, it will be a 12 footer for sure.

I busted out the saw and began to get instructions from Dominic on how to use it and to effectively saw the tree. He used to work at a tree lot for many seasons so it was very useful to have him there with his helpful tips. I get a little excited when playing with tools.

Okay so sawing a tree stump is NOT easy! I had a lot of trouble doing it smoothly, it kept sticking in the stump and Dominic tried the best he could to patiently instruct me. I worked up a sweat and became frustrated a few times but I finally got it. Dominic helped hold the tree steady and saw a few times.

No pain, no gain. It was totally worth the physical work once the tree came down and we all had smiles on our faces. A job well done. Then we had the task of carrying the tree to the truck. It was a bit of a walk. Dom and I carried it the first half and then my mom gave me a break and carried it the last half. There she is helping below. She's a pretty tough lady :)

We put the tree on a shaking machine and it shook the tree to empty any loose needles and bugs. My mom thought it looked like the tree was having a seizure. Silly. We also bought a stand and had them evenly saw the bottom of the trunk. We ran into one of Dom's friends, Tom, and he helped load it onto the truck. We brought it home and we all helped set it up in the living room.

I hope to do this again each year. It was a pretty cool experience, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Thanks Dom and Mom.

Go Team :)