The Search for the Perfect Tree

We left early in the morning on a Sunday with some good friends from Idaho, Clarity and Bill, and headed towards Mt. Rainier in search of the perfect Christmas tree. On our way there, we sipped on coffee and baileys to keep warm. Before we began our hike, we stopped in a small town outside of the park and had the best breakfast ever. We headed out into the rain and foot and a half of slushy snow in search of our tree. We didn't hike far before we found what we were looking for, which was a good thing because we were completely soaking wet all the way through. It was a great day and we enjoyed catching up with friends from college.

Bill was super excited to be hiking and searching for the perfect tree.

We found our "Charlie Brown" tree...Chad had just cut it down.

Who knew that THREE trees would fit in the back of our little truck. Okay, they barely fit, but they fit!

It's Turkey Time!

This year Chad and I made our first Thanksgiving dinner. My family, including my grandparents came into town for a couple of days. It was great to spend the time together with everyone. Dinner was a big hit!

Believe it or not, I made my first two pies this Thanksgiving. I made a pumpkin pie (super easy) and a strawberry, blackberry pie. I was really excited for my berry pie! It didn't last long so my guess is it tasted good too!

My grandparents came for Thanksgiving and it was great to spend some time with them. Mom, Granny and I shared good laughs shopping the day after Thanksgiving. It was crazy, but fun!

Happy Halloween!

Here's my coworker, Kuldip, and I on Halloween. I was the statue of Liberty and she was a doctor. We had a lot of fun with our kids that day.

Camping with Troop 2438

For the weekend I joined a junior Girl Scout troop to go camping at Camp Lyle McLeod near Belfair. The weekend was filled with fun...the ferry ride, stopping at McDonald's for dinner, outdoor cooking, campfires, hiking around the like, singing songs and telling jokes, layers of clothing to try to keep warm, dutch oven blackberry cobbler (Yum!), and no boys or showers for 3 days! Here's a picture of the girls on the ferry. Some of them were so excited because they had never been on a ferry before. It was a great weekend!

Here's a picture of Hanna and I on the ferry leaving Seattle. It was sunny, but cold that day.

I love this picture of the girls on the ferry....looking through the window as we leave the city behind.

Reece and Sarah had packed their coats in their bags, so they had to borrow mine. They sat together on the ferry to try to stay warm.

Jill and Lauren were trying to stay warm while drinking hot chocolate.

Sammy, Caitlin, Sarah, and Kinsey are cooking biscuits on a stick over the campfire.

Reece, Sarah, Maxine, and Jill washing dishes. This was one of the girls' least favorite jobs to do.

We took a hike around a lake, near to where we were camping.

The lake's reflection.

As we continued on our hike around the lake we came to "Totem's Landing". Here's a shot of all the girls, plus myself and one of the other troop leaders, Karen.

As we were hiking around the lake we found an "arena" where other Girl Scouts put on skits. The arena was called Robin's Nest!

This is a view of the lake from the "Hilltop". It was a beautiful day!

Here's what we stayed in...a yurt. It had 6 bunk beds and was very spacious. It was so cold inside because yurts do not absorb body heat. We froze to death!

Weekend Away On Orcas Island

We spent a weekend on Orcas Island. There we stayed at Moran State Park in a cabin with some friends. Here we are on the ferry ride over.

We took a hike up to an old lookout tower that was built to be used during war, but it was also used as a fire lookout. The stones used to build it, made the tower look like an old castle.

We are at the top of the lookout tower. It was incredibly cold and very foggy, so the view from above wasn't the best.

The visibility was so poor at the lookout tower that we stopped at this other vista. Group shot moment...Laura, Charlie, Ryan, Molly, the two of us, Todd, Amanda.

On our drive down from the lookout tower we crossed this old bridge...perfect photo opportunity.

Near the cabin where we stayed, there was a field with a few apple trees and the deer were everywhere. They walked right up to us and ate out of our hands.

During the late morning we walked down to the lake and all went canoeing. It was so beautiful.

Chad is multi-talented...he can act as Christopher Robin, drink a PBR and canoe all at the same time.

Molly and I resting for a picture together.

Chad, Ryan and Todd taking a break from canoeing.

U of I Homecoming

Friday night when we got into Moscow we picked mom up and took her to the pep rally and bonfire. The three of us had a great time and enjoyed sharing our Vandal Pride!

Before the parade we went to the firehouse for their pancake breakfast. It was nice to get to spend some time together with Justin, Mom and Eric.

Mom and Eric at the firehouse pancake feed.

Justin was really excited to see us watching him in the parade marching with Moscow High. He did a really good job.

We ran into Rob and Gina and their kids during the parade. It was so great to see them!

We stopped by the Tri Delta house to see all the great changes and remodeling. The house looked great and it was so nice to see some old friends and share old stories.

Chad, Coleman and Kaely watching the Vandal marching band and clapping to the Vandal Fight Song. Coleman is already a Vandal fan.

Kaely and I are enjoying the football game together. She's an amazing sister-in-law. I love that girl a lot!

We are still Vandal fans after the devastating loss. The loss might have turned Chad into a cheerleader. Go Vandals!

Hydroplane Adventures at Lake Chelan

"Put me in coach, I'm ready to play!" Bob's all suited up for his hydroplane ride.

Oh, Boy! Oh, Bob! The ride of his lifetime in the Oh, Boy Oberto Hydroplane.

Lake Chelan Camping

A great start to any camping trip is a drink in hand. Chad and Dad made sure the "bar" was set up before the fun began.

Dad and I are ready to play Apples to Apples. It was great to get to spend some time with Dad and Debbie at Lake Chelan.

Debbie and Chad ready for a game of Apples to Apples.

I love sharing hugs with Teagan!

Teagan cooking dinner and Chad taste testing to make sure his sister's cooking is up to par.

Seattle City Skyline

We love living in Seattle! This picture was taken from the top level of the Seahawk stadium.

Go Seahawks!

What a great Sunday we had spending it at a Seahawks game!

Weekend Get Away to Port Townsend

We spent some time in Port Townsend on the Olympic Penninsula. While we were there the town was hosting a wooden boat show. From the waterfront we got to see a schooner race, which was a lot of fun!

We also spent some time at Fort Warden and did some hiking along the beach near the Strait of Juan de Fuca.