We Made it!

Well, we were somewhat worried about today. We left at 9am this morning, hoping that the extra hour would give the sun sometime to warm the roads and melt the snow. It kinda worked! Oregon was the worst part. Heading into La Grande was pretty icy, but managable, but heading out of La Grande just got worse. The Blues, or Meachum and dead man's pass, were very slick! and the 6% grade heading down into Pendleton was slippery as well. Chains were required for all semi-trucks, but not for us, thankfully, we had them and we were very prepared, overly, but are so thankful it wasnt bad enough to use them. Once we got past the blinding wind (which was blowing snow so hard! we could hardly see in some spots!) the drive turned out pretty great, Washington was the best part! Snoqualmie pass was dry mostly, but people were still nervous and went about 40 mph the whole way, so it still took us a good 10 hours to get here from Boise!

What a long day! were just so happy to be here! Abby is running around finding all the toys and Lilly is still nervous because of the other cats in the house... but she'll warm up soon. Brent is excited to go duck hunting some place new, and i'm just excited to see family and friends!

Blessings to everyone for a Merry Christmas and best wishes for a Happy New Year!!

Brent wanted me to show off his christmas present... since he wont be able to use them for another week, he put them under the tree, lol. Lilly doesnt quite know what to think of them yet.

Abby has been sniffing them, but they dont have a natural bird or water scent on them yet, so she's not very interested. She still didnt mind posing for a cute pic with them though.

a little update

Sorry it's been so long! Brent and I had a wonderful time in Sun Valley, forgetting our camera almost everywhere we went, I only have a few pictures on my phone, and havent quite figured out how to upload or send those to my computer yet. We stayed at this great little bed and breakfast, the Featherbed Inn, which we chose because they allow pets, no limit to size or weight. So we were fortunate enough to bring Abby, she loved it up there! Brent has done some work up in the area, so he took me on a tour of Ketchum, and Hailey, what a great area! We went on this great hike out past Ketchum, it had a beautiful view of the ski area, and Abby loved exploring a new trail. We had a couple picnics, enjoying our thankgiving leftovers as sandwiches, and taking in the breathtaking views around us on the mountain. I cant wait to take a ski trip up there, I just want to be a stronger skiier first.

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(Below) The best present under the tree, Lilly. This is her new favorite spot to sleep... all day and all night... she's laying there still as I type this, lol.

Our Christmas Tree!

We have been getting into the christmas spirit around Boise. Last weekend both my mom and Brent's mom came to Boise to visit for 4 days! It was so great having them both here! Last year my mom came, and we did the downtown shopping thing, then also the Boise Christmas show, this is now officially an annual tradition. This year we kicked off the weekend by getting our Christmas tree! It's beautiful! Brent put the lights on, then we enjoyed hanging ornaments and decorating the rest of the house. The rest of the weekend was spent christmas shopping downtown, going to the christmas show, checking out the Botanical garden lights (beautiful!) and enjoying time with our family. This year also brought a special treat my mom had been hoping for... SNOW! Monday morning we woke up with the great white stuff floating down, and a light blanket on the ground. I woke my mom up at 6:30 to show her (I had to work for a couple hours and was up early) She was pretty excited... last year it snowed the day after she left, so we were really hoping she would get her white wish this year.

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Over the night we got a little bit of snow... about 3 inches in 24 hours! We took the opportunity of snow and made it an early white Christmas. Brent and I opened presents sunday morning, he really wanted his and was begging me to open it, when I finally gave in, he was very happy, 4 goose decoys, just what he had wanted, and some hunting magazines, and an adapter for his truck. He gave me some new sweat pants for winter, mine had a hole in the leg from getting too close to the fire while camping this summer, some waterproof gloves, some yummy smelling candles, and a beautiful jewelry box for all my earrings and necklaces. Thanks Hubby!

As we prepare to take our Christmas vacation (9 days at home!) there will be lots to do around here, packing up all the stuff our moms bought that wouldnt fit onto the plane, lol, packing up our own gifts for family, figuring out the best way to travel with both pets... I'm just happy we get to bring them both, I always feel bad leaving Lilly behind. I cant wait to be home for the holidays, I do wish we could bring the snow with us, a white Christmas would be so fantastic, but that might have to wait until our family comes to Boise for Christmas.