Grab a cup of hot chocolate and a few leftover Christmas cookies for this one...it's a doozy!
Friday, December 19th - Leave home to drive to Lacey to spend a couple of days with Mom & Dad B., Uncle Mark (back from BYU-I), Aunt Megan & cousin Kate (in from Oklahoma). Snoqualmie Pass looks iffy and a huge "Winter Blast" is expected over Washington and Oregon, so we head out a little early and make it in five hours (as opposed to the normal four). Make it just in time for the Lacey 1st Ward Christmas Party - always a good time.
Saturday, December 20th - Enjoy the winter wonderland that is, uncharacteristically, western Washington. The boys enjoy being pulled around on a sled by Daddy and Christmas gifts are exchanged early, since we were to spend Christmas in Dallas* with Peter's family. Parker and Tyler LOVE their gifts from Gran & Gramps. Thank you!!
*Brian, Peter's brother, was to wed Amanda Brown, a native to Dallas, on
December 27th - Peter and I's seventh wedding anniversary. In an
effort to avoid any of the family missing the wedding due to flight
complications right after Christmas, we all were to spend Christmas together in
a vacation home in the Dallas area.
Sunday, December 21st - Snow is still falling and is not quite so pretty today, as we have to travel down to Portland in it to get to Peter's parents house in time for an early Monday flight to Dallas. While packing our car, we discover that our 4-wheel drive is not working. Since we are dealing with 14 inches of snow on unplowed roads, this is not going to work. So Dad B. lends us his truck and we begin what is normally a two-hour journey, all chained up. After removing/breaking/replacing chains four times and six hours later, we arrive in Portland! We found the parents & the groom-to-be fairly stressed yet still optimistic about our expected departure out of the Portland airport the next morning, of which there were many reported cancellations.
Monday, December 22nd - The next morning, we wake early to find that the flight is still scheduled to fly, despite 18 inches of the white shroud and off-road driving conditions on the freeway. Our typical 25 minute drive to the airport takes us an hour, and we are happily in line to check in when we are told that our flight had been canceled. Stressed groom, stressed parents!! We are told to go home and re-book online or over the phone; that staying at the airport was useless (I concur; I run in to use the potty and find what appears to be a homeless shelter for those who had no where to go after learning their flights had been canceled until AFTER CHRISTMAS!!). Upon returning home, we find the groom very distraught, as he needs to be in Dallas by the close of business day on Tuesday in order to sign the marriage license in time for them to be married on Saturday. Eek! So after much drama, he heads back to the airport in an effort to beg his way onto an airplane - any airplane - and make it to his fretting bride! In the meantime, the only flight we are able to find and book for Mom and Dad S. and our own little family is a flight on Friday, December 26th, out of Seattle. The plan now is to spend Christmas with Mom & Dad S. in Portland, driving up to Seattle on Christmas day, stay at a hotel Christmas night and fly out early the next day. Seems to be a solid plan, pending no more crazy weather on or around Friday. Brian eventually makes it on a flight that would take him first to New Jersey, then Austin, and to Dallas in the nick of time. We enjoy a game of Bohnanza that night with Mom & Dad S.
Tuesday, December 23rd - I wake with a sense of urgency for Mom & Dad S. - they need to be in Dallas! Peter's brothers' families are still planning to be in Dallas for Christmas at the vacation home, and the parents need to be there! We end up finding a flight for just the two of them to Dallas that very day out of Portland! Our Christmas plans change once again, as we brave the trip back up to Lacey to spend the holiday with my family. Another five and a half hours back up in the same crazy snow, this time adding a flat tire to the mix! Luckily it blew out right near a tire store!
Wednesday, December 24th - Christmas Eve day! We are all excited to not be in a long car trip over the next two days. The boys spend the day playing with Daddy and the newly-arrived Uncle Jason. I spend the morning shopping with Uncle Mark - a very fun little trip that I'm glad we got in there. The girls then spend the afternoon baking in anticipation of the Christmas Eve festivities at my Uncle Loren & Aunt Karrie's house. It is great to see a lot of my dad's side of the family there and be part of the fun. The night ends traditionally by putting on Christmas pj's and putting out cookies for Santa & food for the reindeer. The boys are SO excited for Santa to come.
Thursday, December 25th - Ah, Christmas! It is a great morning, filled with gifts and goodies and lots of love. The boys love the scooters and other gifts they receive. I do the "Twelve Dates of Christmas" for Peter and he gets me lots of "spa" stuff for my soaking tub. We have dinner that night at my Uncle Dallon & Aunt Monica's house with the whole fam damily - another fun time - and then pack up for our trip the next morning to Dallas. We discover that night that there is no long-term parking available whatsoever in or around the Sea-Tac airport, so we devise a plan to have my dad take us to the airport (at 4 a.m., poor soul) and for Meg & Jason to drive our car up on Monday, park it in short-term, and hide they key, as they were to fly back home that day.
Friday, December 26th - We miraculously make it out the door and up to the airport on time, and make our six-hour flight. We arrive in Dallas exhausted, but ready to drive another hour to hit a party at Amanda's parents house in honor of their wedding. It was 80 degrees in Dallas that day - how froiling was I in my turtleneck and fleece vest? Very. We had a BBQ there and a good time getting to know Amanda's family a little better. We then trekked it another hour back to Arlington (the vacation home) and crashed after some kibbutzing with the Stewarts.
Saturday, December 27th - Wedding Day! And Happy Anniversary to Peter and I! We drove the 40 minutes to the temple and witnessed a very beautiful ceremony. I ran into my old college buddy, Elise, who was Amanda's Young Women's advisor there in Texas. It was fun to catch up. We all get pictures, then drive across town to a luncheon, which was also very beautiful and fun. Peter & his brothers wrote "The Book of Brian," scripture style, in honor of their youngest comrade and read it with great hilarity. We then traverse another hour back up to Denton for a quick break before the reception. I think Tyler's official rebellion happens at this point when I wake him from his nap to get him dressed in a tuxedo. Yeah, that does not go over well with our tiny boy. We manage to get most of it on him and hustle over to the reception hall for pictures. The reception goes well - the boys have so much fun with their cousins, Peter loves hanging out with his brothers and I just adore my SILs. We trek it back the hour "home" to Arlington that night.
Sunday, December 28th - We say farewell to Jared & Heidi and sleep in!! Well, at least, I do. Thanks, honey :). We spend the day munching & chatting, exchanging some gifts and head to sacrament meeting. Poor Mom & Dad S. are sick that day, so we play a low-key game of Balderdash that night to end our fun time together.
Monday, December 29th - We wake at 4 a.m. to make our early flight back to Seattle. Everything goes off without a hitch - only a one hour delay on the flight and we're able to catch a few winks on the plane. After that six-hour flight, we find the car (thanks, Meg & J!) and hop in to hustle back over the mountains home. Another five hour trek! This one is a little scarier, as the Pass is pretty snowy. But, we make it home by eight! Miracle! We are SO happy to be back in our little home, in our little town!
If you've lasted this long reading, congratulations! Peter and I logged over 42 hours of travel time in our ten-day trip! I think we are ready for our New Year's Eve at home with friends tonight! Hope your Christmas was as crazy as ours, as crazy Christmases are the most memorable ones...
It made me laugh when I went to go make Parker's bed this morning and found this.
We were very lucky to have spent Thanksgiving this year with my parents, my sister Mollie and her family, and Uncle Mark! They braved the pass to come see us and we had a great visit.
The cousins had such a fun time together - Kennedi and Parker wrote "newspapers," organized "parades," and ran the "store," while Klare & Tyler did whatever they were told by them. Here they are as Indi...er...."First Nations People."
I don't know how the whole weekend went by without one single picture of this handsome devil - my ADORABLE nephew, Krew. Probably because I was happy holding him instead of taking his picture. He's so cute, I could eat him for breakfast.
After all - and especially with the arrival of fall's cold, blustery days - 
