Brrr....

Once we made it to Washington we were so very thankful for such romantic Christmas weather! The photo (of me snow-shoeing at Priest Lake) is a fabulous example of such weather. Although it made getting out of the house difficult (we were snowed in with my parents in Olympia for days & then on to Spokane for more snow)... there's just nothing better than sitting around in peace with the family you've missed for so long. We loved the Hamblet fire that Dad had perpetually roaring in the fireplace, plenty of hot cocoa, big breakfasts, wearing pajamas for much of the day & bundling up to head outside. Here in Chicago we don't have a magnificent amount of snow but the cold keeps us inside. It felt WARM in Washington!!

Once in Spokane we had plenty of outdoor fun. We shoveled 2 roofs (well, I helped shovel 1 & Drew helped with 2), took an overnight trip up to Priest Lake for snow-shoeing with Debbie & Kevin and loved all the time we got with friends (thanks to the Raskas, Readys, VanAnrooys, Joe Hewa, Johnsons & Barbours!) and family (both of the Strait sisters + Janie's husband Chris were in Spokane with us). PLUS we enjoyed a rowdy Gonzaga game at a classy tavern. What could be more fun??

Here are my favorite father-in-law & favorite husband clearing the roof of the cabin bunk house @ Priest Lake. 70" of snow--oh my!


Here are the guys show-shoeing out at Soldier Creek. Check out my view from the other direction--breathtaking!!

Oh how we loved our trip.