dec 24 - 29 and we're home!

1 It's the night before Christmas eve and we have changed our alarms so we can be up nice and early for the ferry. After all it is Christmas eve and ferry traffic could be heavy. But as luck would have it, his clock was never reset after the power outage and mine, well let's just say the time was right but the alarm button didn't quite get selected. So we are late risers but oh so grateful for the couple of hours of extra sleep.

2 There is a warning sign on the freeway letting people know there may be dense fog sections on the road we are traveling on. I thought I knew what that was until we actually drove into a wall of fog.  It's so thick there is zero visibility and we slow to a crawl. The car in front of us has obviously been in this type of fog before because he put on his hazards and slowly kept moving and we followed. Just an aside: We had been politely snacking on potato chips but as we moved behind the fellow and were deep into the fog, suddenly we were stuffing it into our mouths like popcorn while watching a scary movie!!

3 We are treated to a family dinner of Classy Chicken and Caesar salad when we arrive. After dinner, it's apple and pumpkin pies. Good to break bread with our loved ones. So grateful they waited for us.

4 Christmas morning and we wake in a hotel. It's a first for me and it was kinda fun. The kind of moment when you realize, a holiday vacation might be really fun one of these years. 

5 Present opening is wild, fast and the little ones are overwhelmed. Kes stays with his momma but Izzy comes to me and we find a spot and play tea while the others make chaos. Grandpa is the picture taker today.

6 We take Nick, Sara and Izzy to the school hill for some sledding. I had planned to be an observer in the car but before I knew it there I was sledding with Izzy and pulling her in her sled all over the hill. As soon as the sled went down the steep parts she would let go and just barely hold onto my legs and scream with wild abandon. It was so much fun!

7 What's a Christmas day without fun in the pool and water slide. Well, that's what we did next. So fun to play with my little fishie! She swam to each of us and wouldn't come out until we saw blue lips... then it was a warm up in the hot tub and up to the room for some quick cuddles and chocolate.

8 Christmas dinner is a turkey extravaganza. They put a lot of effort into the whole meal, turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, potato salad, gravy, and veggies. Delish! Thanks to Chris and Michie for the amazing dinner, and for hosting such a wonderful Christmas for us all. 

9 Izzy is very interested in Grandpa. She is constantly saying, hi Grandpa, Grandpa, what's going on Grandpa and he loves it. She helps him at his truck and wants to spend lots of time with him.

10 It's a relatively early morning and we are on the road by 11. It's a four hour drive but with snowy roads lasts a bit longer. We make lots of stops, eat lots of junk food and take turns napping along the way.

11 A visit with my sister and brother is perfect for this holiday. Nick and Sara are with us too and we have another present opening, dinner and this time we play hearts. Sara is just learning it but just like the adage goes, first time lucky and wow she's caught on darn quick. She and Nick win.

12 We visit Nelson and our good friends there. They put on an amazing dinner and we have the best of visits. Short but so very glad we had the opportunity to see them. Some people will always be in our lives.

13 Our ride back to the coast is fun fun fun. Sara gets her picture taken on the summit, jumping off of a snow bank, we have a snowball fight in the restaurant parking lot and we all nap except our driver thankfully! Russ did a great job of getting us through the mountain pass safely.

14 We meet our niece for dinner at the hotel in Vancouver. She is busy with her life and work and yet makes time for us. Grateful for family.

14a Heights are something that have been difficult for me in the past. It's been a goal to try to desensitize from the fear and so this is the time. Hotel one and our room is on the fourth floor and it feels surprisingly comfortable.  Hotel two and we are on the eighth floor. It has floor to ceiling windows and it's good too! On the ferry I look over the side of the boat...we are on the highest level and it's good. hmmm Feeling good about this success! 

15 Well, it's their last night in Canada so they want to play the board game Monopoly. Everyone is doing relatively well, but soon Nick is going bankrupt and he gets hilariously dramatic. He pulls out his imaginary violin, begins playing and says he's busking and passes around the box for donations. It felt so good to laugh that much and that hard.

16  Nick says to Russ, "I call you Russ but I always think of you as my dad" 

17 At the airport it's time for goodbyes. We take a few photos, hug and it's so hard to let go, knowing it will be another year before we see them again. I hold back the tears because I want it to be a happy moment. As they walk toward the gate Sara let's me know he is crying. He is tender sweet man. She's  a sweet girl. We can see them on the other side going through the metal detector and getting organized. We wave and wave and wave until they must walk down the hallway towards their gate. One last wave and they are out of sight. Time for us to leave. My tears come later. Grateful for the visit and blessed to have such a wonderful family.