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.

Once a Mountain Boy, Always a Mountain Boy

'Tis true: you can take the man from the sticks, but you can't take the sticks out of the man! Above you can see straight into the heart of my dear Drew. During our 5 days at Priest Lake, he 4-wheeled with my dad, swam with the dogs in the lake, took walks to Soldier Creek & read... & read... & read... all with gorgeous views of the Selkirk Mountains.

Our first 3 days a the lake we spent with our Strait 'rents, some of our best friends & (THANK YOU for coming out Brent, Erin, Troy, Jenny, Jesse & Britlese!) & Drew's sister Kinzie. Many magaritas, martinis, chapters read & naps taken. (photos to be inserted here as soon as we get them!)

For the next few days my parents drove over from Olympia with the dogs (yay!!!!). It was my dad who revved Drew us for the 4-wheeler trek. The dogs had a good time: Dodger & Mollie were friends at the lake... while Toby & Mollie... well... Toby's always been a bit of a crank!


Yup. Nothing better than the lake.