HallmarcDotNet

Thu, 23 Dec 2010

December has been such a busy month! I went to California to help my mom after her knee surgery. The flight was a bit frustrating since my original flight was canceled, and I had to fly to Fresno via Minneapolis and Portland. The plus side of this was that I got to see my aunt Marilyn and uncle Mike for a brief visit in the Portland airport. That was very nice. The week in Fresno was really just a week to visit, since my mom was doing so well. I had fun cooking all week. It is sure nice to cook for someone who is appreciative and will eat whatever is put on the table…(hint, hint, to my family… Anyway, I got to visit with Wayne and Katie as well as my mom, so it was a good week. 

The weather in Fresno was warm with beautiful blue skies all week. No Fresno fog, what's up with that?  I flew home to COLD and ice. Here's a picture taken during my absence that shows Bryan clearing the driveway. Look closer and you see that he has bare feet. I didn't even want to ask about the horrendous things that went on around here in my absence

In fact we've had snow and ice several times so far in December. The first time was a bit scary, since freezing rain was falling as people were driving home at night.  Marc said he drove off the road to avoid hitting a truck on his way and so I was worried about Bryan who was also at work. He made it home safely and I was struck by what a good feeling it is to have your family safe at home around you.

I took two of the scouts with my family out for a "winter survival" activity. Thomas and Sam built a survival shelter and so did Bryan and Melody. It was cold but fun.

With all this cold weather, I thought a white Christmas was assured this year, but a couple of days ago it got warm and the snow melted. There is snow predicted for tomorrow though, so we'll see.

But, we don't plan to stick around to enjoy much of the snow if it falls. We're leaving Christmas night to drive to New Orleans. There we will board the Norwegian Spirit to cruise to the Caribbean. The cruise was kind of a last minute vacation idea, but we plan to have a great time, sitting on the beaches, snorkeling, and visiting Mayan ruins. I'll post pictures when we get back. 

Meanwhile, I plan to get a Christmas letter written and catch up on my cookie baking (well, maybe do a little packing). Merry Christmas!