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.

God Bless La Canada

Vancouver, British Columbia. We thank you.

a) Thanks to Dave Ormesher we found an airline that flies direct, Chicago to Vancouver (as opposed to using Seattle or Portland as the pacific northwest hub). We purchased brand spankin' new one-way flights for the 23rd.
b) A snow storm was predicted for the 23rd in Chicago, to begin just hours before our flight. Awesome.
c) Because the snow storm did, in fact, arrive it was impossible to call a taxi & all our nearby friends hit the roads early to avoid the bad weather. Not wanting to bother those not so nearby, we used our luggage as snow plows (literally) to make it out to a main street. I'll spare you the details, but in the end--we made it to the train. And, for you Seattle-ites without snow shovels (looking around it seems they're sold out???), we recommend heavy rolling luggage. Sure helped out our neighbors.
d) Made it to the airport. Gate changed 3 times. Got on plane. Could not see out plane windows due to white-out snow storm. Said "There's no way..." many times. But guess what. There IS a way. Because our plane took off in the middle of a snow storm, leaving 500 other flights canceled & many passengers stranded overnight at O'Hare.

Don't know how we got out, but we've enjoyed a full 24 hours with family already. We're at 2 Christmases & counting (both in Anacortes), & it's not even the 25th yet! 2 more Christmases tomorrow (1 in Seattle, the next in Olympia). Must... eat... more... food!!