We decided to spend Christmas 2019 with our family in Vancouver. We opted for a road trip and left Boise on the afternoon of the 20th. The first day's drive to Richland, WA, was uneventful and we made it there in time for dinner at Hubby's. On the morning of the 21st it was 60 degrees in Richland and it did not feel like winter at all! With the mild conditions, finishing the drive to Vancouver was no problem.
Our week in Vancouver was a whirlwind! We watched a Canucks game the night we arrived. It was a great time and the Canucks won handily. The girls got to spend lots of time with their cousins, including their first time ice skating! We continued our standard traditions, such as the Christmas Eve church service, Christmas Day brunch, Christmas turkey dinner, and the wacky gift exchange.
After a busy week, we headed home on the 28th. We again stayed the night in Richland and ate dinner at Barley's Brew Pub, a nice restaurant which was once visited by Guy Fieri. It was great to see many of our Vancouver family & friends - we had a wonderful (too short!) visit!
Christmas 2019 Pictures!
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas. Show all posts
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Playing Catch-up (Part 2)
When we last left you, our loyal readers, we had just finished up a great visit from Nana & Papa Vickery, back in October. Since then, there have been a few notable happenings, including Claire's first time Trick or Treating on Halloween, as well as (American) Thanksgiving & Christmas.
Claire was a dinosaur for Halloween (a blue & green one - there's a picture or two of the Claire-osaurus Rex in the Picture link at the end of this post). She loved shaking her butt to wag the tail of the costume, which was pretty entertaining! We decided she was old enough to sort of understand the idea of Halloween, so while Zach gave out candy at our house, Claire & I went to about 10 houses in our neighbourhood to Trick or Treat. Every time we walked up to a house, I asked her "What do we say when they open the door?" and she was very good at saying "Twick or Tweat!"...but as soon as the door opened, she was mute! She did manage to say "Thank you" after she got candy, but it was a little overwhelming, I think! That being said, she did tell us that it was the "Best Halloween...EVAHHHH!" multiple times that night (and since then!), so she clearly had a good time! She also got to give out candy with Zach when we got home, and loved saying "Happy Halloween!" to the Trick or Treaters!
For American Thanksgiving this year, we were lucky enough to be invited to dinner at Gary & Bonnie's, where we had a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixings. Not only did Claire get to hear Uncle Gary play the guitar, but she was also entertained by Bonnie & Gary's two Dachshunds, Maggie & Cudjo - they were a little worried about her, since they aren't used to a crazy toddler running around, and she was fascinated by their barking - they'd bark at her & she'd laugh in their faces! Poor dogs! Thanks again for a delicious dinner, Bonnie & Gary!
This year's Christmas was different from past years, since we didn't travel anywhere. We stayed home (I couldn't fly & wasn't comfortable driving 11+ hours each way to/from Vancouver in potentially nasty weather, especially at 8 months pregnant!) We went to a Christmas Eve church service at Southminster Presbyterian - they had a good mix of traditional carols & hymns, a candlelight portion at the end of the service, and some more contemporary aspects like a puppet show (Claire loved them - they sang "Bethlehemian Rhapsody" - a nativity song to the tune of, you guessed, Bohemian Rhapsody!). The minister's sermon also included this Youtube video of Extreme Sheepherding!
On Christmas morning, we opened our stockings & Claire opened her present from us - the dollhouse that my Grandpa made for Megan & I when we were kids (which Claire's cousin Emily also played with). We did some renovating, repainting & re-wallpapering/carpeting, since the 30+ year old flooring & wallpaper was starting to peel & show it's age. I also found some cute dollhouse furniture & a family of four...Claire seems to really like the dollhouse!
Bonnie & Gary came over for Christmas morning brunch, which included eggs, home made cinnamon buns, fruit, some different cheeses & bacon. We loved having Bonnie & Gary over, it was great to sit & chat. After Gary & Bonnie headed home, we opened presents (it was a wrapping paper explosion in our living room!) - Claire loved this part, it's amazing what a difference a year makes when it comes to Christmas present unwrapping! She was excited about all her gifts & I promise Thank You cards are coming shortly! We loved our gifts, too - it was a great year & we were all spoiled!
Our New Years was also quiet - no partying for us! Now that 2014 is here, we're in the throes of getting things ready for Baby #2, as well as painting our guest room (which will become Claire's new room in a few months). Everything's going well on the baby front - only 2ish weeks to go until my due date of January 31st, so...wow! My mom will be flying down a few days before my due date, which will be MUCH appreciated! Then Jan will be coming out to visit & meet the new tyke once she's fully recovered from her knee surgery (which was December 18th) - she's doing great on her recovery!
So, I think we're all caught up now! As always, sorry for the lengthy novel...there was a lot to talk about! Here are a whole bunch of pictures & videos for your viewing pleasure. Next time we'll try not to wait so long, and we'll be sure to post a quick update when the new baby arrives!
Claire New Years Update Pictures
Climbing at Gordon Harris Park Video
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Video
Uncle Gary Plays the Guitar Video
Claire in the Snow Video
Snowstorm Video
JumpTime Video
I Want a Hug Video
On the Rings Video
Claire Dancing Video
Christmas Morning Video
Claire Opens Lego From Grandma Video
Claire Opens an Ornament From Nana and Papa Video
Claire Opens Her Doctor Kit From the Aprims Video
Claire at Chickalay Video
Claire Plays With Markers Video
Claire was a dinosaur for Halloween (a blue & green one - there's a picture or two of the Claire-osaurus Rex in the Picture link at the end of this post). She loved shaking her butt to wag the tail of the costume, which was pretty entertaining! We decided she was old enough to sort of understand the idea of Halloween, so while Zach gave out candy at our house, Claire & I went to about 10 houses in our neighbourhood to Trick or Treat. Every time we walked up to a house, I asked her "What do we say when they open the door?" and she was very good at saying "Twick or Tweat!"...but as soon as the door opened, she was mute! She did manage to say "Thank you" after she got candy, but it was a little overwhelming, I think! That being said, she did tell us that it was the "Best Halloween...EVAHHHH!" multiple times that night (and since then!), so she clearly had a good time! She also got to give out candy with Zach when we got home, and loved saying "Happy Halloween!" to the Trick or Treaters!
For American Thanksgiving this year, we were lucky enough to be invited to dinner at Gary & Bonnie's, where we had a delicious turkey dinner with all the fixings. Not only did Claire get to hear Uncle Gary play the guitar, but she was also entertained by Bonnie & Gary's two Dachshunds, Maggie & Cudjo - they were a little worried about her, since they aren't used to a crazy toddler running around, and she was fascinated by their barking - they'd bark at her & she'd laugh in their faces! Poor dogs! Thanks again for a delicious dinner, Bonnie & Gary!
This year's Christmas was different from past years, since we didn't travel anywhere. We stayed home (I couldn't fly & wasn't comfortable driving 11+ hours each way to/from Vancouver in potentially nasty weather, especially at 8 months pregnant!) We went to a Christmas Eve church service at Southminster Presbyterian - they had a good mix of traditional carols & hymns, a candlelight portion at the end of the service, and some more contemporary aspects like a puppet show (Claire loved them - they sang "Bethlehemian Rhapsody" - a nativity song to the tune of, you guessed, Bohemian Rhapsody!). The minister's sermon also included this Youtube video of Extreme Sheepherding!
On Christmas morning, we opened our stockings & Claire opened her present from us - the dollhouse that my Grandpa made for Megan & I when we were kids (which Claire's cousin Emily also played with). We did some renovating, repainting & re-wallpapering/carpeting, since the 30+ year old flooring & wallpaper was starting to peel & show it's age. I also found some cute dollhouse furniture & a family of four...Claire seems to really like the dollhouse!
Bonnie & Gary came over for Christmas morning brunch, which included eggs, home made cinnamon buns, fruit, some different cheeses & bacon. We loved having Bonnie & Gary over, it was great to sit & chat. After Gary & Bonnie headed home, we opened presents (it was a wrapping paper explosion in our living room!) - Claire loved this part, it's amazing what a difference a year makes when it comes to Christmas present unwrapping! She was excited about all her gifts & I promise Thank You cards are coming shortly! We loved our gifts, too - it was a great year & we were all spoiled!
Our New Years was also quiet - no partying for us! Now that 2014 is here, we're in the throes of getting things ready for Baby #2, as well as painting our guest room (which will become Claire's new room in a few months). Everything's going well on the baby front - only 2ish weeks to go until my due date of January 31st, so...wow! My mom will be flying down a few days before my due date, which will be MUCH appreciated! Then Jan will be coming out to visit & meet the new tyke once she's fully recovered from her knee surgery (which was December 18th) - she's doing great on her recovery!
So, I think we're all caught up now! As always, sorry for the lengthy novel...there was a lot to talk about! Here are a whole bunch of pictures & videos for your viewing pleasure. Next time we'll try not to wait so long, and we'll be sure to post a quick update when the new baby arrives!
Claire New Years Update Pictures
Climbing at Gordon Harris Park Video
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Video
Uncle Gary Plays the Guitar Video
Claire in the Snow Video
Snowstorm Video
JumpTime Video
I Want a Hug Video
On the Rings Video
Claire Dancing Video
Christmas Morning Video
Claire Opens Lego From Grandma Video
Claire Opens an Ornament From Nana and Papa Video
Claire Opens Her Doctor Kit From the Aprims Video
Claire at Chickalay Video
Claire Plays With Markers Video
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Christmas in Boise 2012
Hi Everyone!
Two posts in one week?! Shocking, I know...this is what happens when we don't post for a while, and then the holidays are over & we have copious amounts of photos, videos & news to share that it won't all fit into one post. Lucky you!
As I'm sure most (if not all) of our readers know, this year for Christmas we were very lucky to have visitors stay with us for a week! My Mom, one of my brothers & my Mom's best friend (my "Aunt") Margaret made the (long) drive down on the Saturday before Christmas, along with the two family dogs, Cassie & Sydney. They hit a 10 minute stretch of very heavy snowfall while coming through Oregon, but other than that they had a pretty smooth ride. We had shredded beef tacos for dinner & had a quiet night after their long journey.
Claire was initially a little freaked out by the dogs, but by day two she was much more comfortable around them & by day three she was waking up in the morning & asking for the "woof woofs". It was great to see her interact with them and they were very patient with her pointing at their noses/eyes/ears & patting them - she was very gentle with them (for the most part!).
We spent Sunday morning at brunch with Zach's Uncle Gary & Aunt Bonnie at a local brunch spot - The Griddle - it was great to see them! Apart from Dave getting hot coffee spilled onto him, it was a lovely meal. Claire did lots of unassisted walking while we were there, and kept up the walking practice the whole time my family was here. She's slowly getting more adept & looking less & less like a zombie baby (although that's pretty cute, too!).
We spent the rest of Sunday & Monday shopping & prepping for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve night we followed the Shepherd tradition of going to a church service - I found a local Presbyterian church & we went to check it out. It was definitely more contemporary than the traditional services we're used to, but it was interesting...Claire's favourite part was definitely the singing puppets (yep, puppets!). After our Christmas Eve church service, we again followed tradition & Zach, Dave & I wrapped presents while having a few drinks with Mom & Auntie Margaret.
Christmas Day was one long present-opening extravaganza! It was an all-day event! We started with brunch (eggs, bacon, cinnamon buns from Great Harvest bakery, a cheese plate & a fruit plate...yum!) then moved on to opening our stockings...lots of chocolate & other fun stuff! Then we took a break so Claire could have a nap...and once her nap was over we spent the afternoon opening presents...Wow, what a lucky group we were! We had a wonderful Christmas dinner - the star of the show was definitely Bernard the turkey (yes...we name our turkeys...doesn't everyone?!) - Dave was responsible for him & made a brine with oranges & cinnamon & all sorts of goodies - talk about moist & delicious turkey! Along with that, Mom & Margaret made lots of fantastic side dishes including sweet potatoes with pecans, mashed potatoes, turnip puff (basically very light & fluffy mashed turnip with breadcrumbs on top), gingery steamed carrots & green beans with shallots. Oh, and cranberry sauce, stuffing & gravy...all of it was SO good!! For dessert, Mom & I made a Buche de Noel - a traditional French dessert called a Yule Log in the US. It was a thin chocolate cake filled with espresso cream cheese & rolled into a log shape...then frosted with a dark chocolate ganache & made to resemble a log. It was quite tasty (especially the filling!) and I'd love to try some different cake/filling combos. Many thanks to my Mom for being a huge help (and moral support!).
It was a really great Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, but we definitely missed everyone who wasn't there...if only we could spend Christmas with everyone we love!
The rest of the family visit was spent checking out some local restaurants & doing some shopping. Zach also took the visitors on a tour of the city one night while I put Claire to bed. Mom, Margaret, Claire & I also went for lunch with Bonnie one day, which was very nice! The gang packed up on Friday night & headed out early Saturday morning in a VERY full car! It sounds like their drive was pretty uneventful, and I'm sure they were all exhausted upon arrival home.
It was so wonderful to have Dave, Mom, Margaret & the pups here to visit! I know that Claire absolutely LOVED spending time with everyone & getting to know the dogs, and Zach & I both had a great time. Again, we really missed all the family members on both sides who couldn't be there, but we know that you all had great Christmases whether you were celebrating in Tennessee, Manitoba or Vancouver.
Here's to a happy, healthy & safe 2013...we love you all!!
Enjoy the pictures & videos!
Love,
Katie, Zach & Claire
Christmas 2012 Pictures!
Claire Toddles Video
Christmas at the Vickerys Video
Claire Talking Dog Video
Claire Animal Sounds Video
Claire Walking Video
Two posts in one week?! Shocking, I know...this is what happens when we don't post for a while, and then the holidays are over & we have copious amounts of photos, videos & news to share that it won't all fit into one post. Lucky you!
As I'm sure most (if not all) of our readers know, this year for Christmas we were very lucky to have visitors stay with us for a week! My Mom, one of my brothers & my Mom's best friend (my "Aunt") Margaret made the (long) drive down on the Saturday before Christmas, along with the two family dogs, Cassie & Sydney. They hit a 10 minute stretch of very heavy snowfall while coming through Oregon, but other than that they had a pretty smooth ride. We had shredded beef tacos for dinner & had a quiet night after their long journey.
Claire was initially a little freaked out by the dogs, but by day two she was much more comfortable around them & by day three she was waking up in the morning & asking for the "woof woofs". It was great to see her interact with them and they were very patient with her pointing at their noses/eyes/ears & patting them - she was very gentle with them (for the most part!).
We spent Sunday morning at brunch with Zach's Uncle Gary & Aunt Bonnie at a local brunch spot - The Griddle - it was great to see them! Apart from Dave getting hot coffee spilled onto him, it was a lovely meal. Claire did lots of unassisted walking while we were there, and kept up the walking practice the whole time my family was here. She's slowly getting more adept & looking less & less like a zombie baby (although that's pretty cute, too!).
We spent the rest of Sunday & Monday shopping & prepping for Christmas Day. On Christmas Eve night we followed the Shepherd tradition of going to a church service - I found a local Presbyterian church & we went to check it out. It was definitely more contemporary than the traditional services we're used to, but it was interesting...Claire's favourite part was definitely the singing puppets (yep, puppets!). After our Christmas Eve church service, we again followed tradition & Zach, Dave & I wrapped presents while having a few drinks with Mom & Auntie Margaret.
Christmas Day was one long present-opening extravaganza! It was an all-day event! We started with brunch (eggs, bacon, cinnamon buns from Great Harvest bakery, a cheese plate & a fruit plate...yum!) then moved on to opening our stockings...lots of chocolate & other fun stuff! Then we took a break so Claire could have a nap...and once her nap was over we spent the afternoon opening presents...Wow, what a lucky group we were! We had a wonderful Christmas dinner - the star of the show was definitely Bernard the turkey (yes...we name our turkeys...doesn't everyone?!) - Dave was responsible for him & made a brine with oranges & cinnamon & all sorts of goodies - talk about moist & delicious turkey! Along with that, Mom & Margaret made lots of fantastic side dishes including sweet potatoes with pecans, mashed potatoes, turnip puff (basically very light & fluffy mashed turnip with breadcrumbs on top), gingery steamed carrots & green beans with shallots. Oh, and cranberry sauce, stuffing & gravy...all of it was SO good!! For dessert, Mom & I made a Buche de Noel - a traditional French dessert called a Yule Log in the US. It was a thin chocolate cake filled with espresso cream cheese & rolled into a log shape...then frosted with a dark chocolate ganache & made to resemble a log. It was quite tasty (especially the filling!) and I'd love to try some different cake/filling combos. Many thanks to my Mom for being a huge help (and moral support!).
It was a really great Christmas Eve & Christmas Day, but we definitely missed everyone who wasn't there...if only we could spend Christmas with everyone we love!
The rest of the family visit was spent checking out some local restaurants & doing some shopping. Zach also took the visitors on a tour of the city one night while I put Claire to bed. Mom, Margaret, Claire & I also went for lunch with Bonnie one day, which was very nice! The gang packed up on Friday night & headed out early Saturday morning in a VERY full car! It sounds like their drive was pretty uneventful, and I'm sure they were all exhausted upon arrival home.
It was so wonderful to have Dave, Mom, Margaret & the pups here to visit! I know that Claire absolutely LOVED spending time with everyone & getting to know the dogs, and Zach & I both had a great time. Again, we really missed all the family members on both sides who couldn't be there, but we know that you all had great Christmases whether you were celebrating in Tennessee, Manitoba or Vancouver.
Here's to a happy, healthy & safe 2013...we love you all!!
Enjoy the pictures & videos!
Love,
Katie, Zach & Claire
Christmas 2012 Pictures!
Claire Toddles Video
Christmas at the Vickerys Video
Claire Talking Dog Video
Claire Animal Sounds Video
Claire Walking Video
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Christmas 2011
Once again we traveled to Vancouver for Christmas. This time we were traveling with Claire, which gave us some concern ahead of time but turned out to be a non-issue. Claire was a great traveler, either sleeping or being quiet on all four legs of our journey! Someone in the Bellingham airport even called her the perfect baby! Megan picked us up late Wednesday evening after we arrived in Bellingham. Other than Claire crying in the border lineup, our trip to Vancouver went very smoothly.
In Vancouver, we went to the Festival of Lights at VanDusen Gardens for the first time. It features 1.4 million lights on display in a garden. It was much bigger and brighter than the display at the Idaho Botanical Garden but way more crowded. I think I like the Idaho experience better - less crowded, more spaced out, and it has LED trees! Dave works at the garden and was very helpful in arranging our visit - thank you Dave!
Our visit to Vancouver was dampened by a stomach flu bug that was being passed around. Dave, Greg, Liz, Megan, and Emily were all affected but somehow all three of us managed to escape. Despite at least one person being sick for much of the visit, we did a little bit of shopping, attended the Christmas Eve service at Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church, and were there for the Christmas brunch and Christmas dinner at the Shepherd house. We had lots of good times with family and had a great time giving and receiving presents! Of course Claire had a big haul, consisting of books, toys, clothes (thank you Dave for the Santa suit!), and other items. Everyone was excited to meet Claire and we were very happy that she behaved well during her first trip away from home.
Our return trip was also uneventful (thank you Claire!) and was highlighted by a quick stop at Trader Joe's in Bellingham where we got a few things to cram into our already stuffed suitcases and some food to eat in the Bellingham airport. We got home late in the evening on Tuesday and I had to look forward to two days of work.
We hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Christmas 2011 Pictures!
Christmas 2011 Video
Present Opening Video
In Vancouver, we went to the Festival of Lights at VanDusen Gardens for the first time. It features 1.4 million lights on display in a garden. It was much bigger and brighter than the display at the Idaho Botanical Garden but way more crowded. I think I like the Idaho experience better - less crowded, more spaced out, and it has LED trees! Dave works at the garden and was very helpful in arranging our visit - thank you Dave!
Our visit to Vancouver was dampened by a stomach flu bug that was being passed around. Dave, Greg, Liz, Megan, and Emily were all affected but somehow all three of us managed to escape. Despite at least one person being sick for much of the visit, we did a little bit of shopping, attended the Christmas Eve service at Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church, and were there for the Christmas brunch and Christmas dinner at the Shepherd house. We had lots of good times with family and had a great time giving and receiving presents! Of course Claire had a big haul, consisting of books, toys, clothes (thank you Dave for the Santa suit!), and other items. Everyone was excited to meet Claire and we were very happy that she behaved well during her first trip away from home.
Our return trip was also uneventful (thank you Claire!) and was highlighted by a quick stop at Trader Joe's in Bellingham where we got a few things to cram into our already stuffed suitcases and some food to eat in the Bellingham airport. We got home late in the evening on Tuesday and I had to look forward to two days of work.
We hope everyone had a great Christmas!
Christmas 2011 Pictures!
Christmas 2011 Video
Present Opening Video
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Christmas Decorations
Usually we don't do much in the way of decoration, but this year we decided to up the ante a bit. Besides the usual tree and train, we put lights on the house, car, and my desk at work. I got the idea for putting lights on the car from Ian and it has proven very popular here!
Christmas 2011 Decorations Pictures!
Train Video
Christmas 2011 Decorations Pictures!
Train Video
Monday, January 3, 2011
Christmas 2010
For the fourth consecutive year, we went to Vancouver for Christmas. We flew into Bellingham on the morning of the 23rd where Dave and Megan were eagerly awaiting us. After they picked us up, we proceeded to visit the various shopping spots in Bellingham - Trader Joe's, the Community Food Co-op, and Target - before grabbing lunch at the Boundary Bay Brewery. The lunch was pretty good and after that we were headed up to Vancouver. The border crossing was quick and we were at the Shepherd house around 2:30pm.
We socialized the afternoon of the 23rd and afterward Katie met a friend for dinner while I went to White Spot with Liz before watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at the Aprim house. On Christmas Eve, Katie and I went with Dave to Shota Sushi where we had a very yummy meal! After eating, the three of us helped Dave complete his cleaning duties at the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church in advance of the Christmas Eve ceremony, which we all attended that evening. After church, we ended up eating Little Caesar's pizza (it was the only thing open!) before wrapping presents.
Christmas Day consisted of the traditional brunch and present opening following by a turkey dinner. As always, we all had a great time seeing what everyone got and socializing. We love all of our gifts and thank everyone for thinking of us!!
On Boxing Day we slept in before attending another lovely dinner with family and friends. The 27th was a quiet day where Katie met up with one of her friends and I went on a long walk to attempt to burn off some of what I ate!
We departed on the 28th. Liz's cousin Rob arrived at the Shepherd house on the 27th and we went for brunch at IHOP before Megan and Greg drove us down to Bellingham. Since we got there a little early, Greg and I ended up getting dragged around the Bellis Fair Mall while Megan and Katie went shopping. We did the smart thing this year and booked an evening flight rather than an early morning one! The flight home was uneventful and we were home at 11:30pm ready to go to work the next day!
Christmas 2010 Pictures!
We socialized the afternoon of the 23rd and afterward Katie met a friend for dinner while I went to White Spot with Liz before watching Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers at the Aprim house. On Christmas Eve, Katie and I went with Dave to Shota Sushi where we had a very yummy meal! After eating, the three of us helped Dave complete his cleaning duties at the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church in advance of the Christmas Eve ceremony, which we all attended that evening. After church, we ended up eating Little Caesar's pizza (it was the only thing open!) before wrapping presents.
Christmas Day consisted of the traditional brunch and present opening following by a turkey dinner. As always, we all had a great time seeing what everyone got and socializing. We love all of our gifts and thank everyone for thinking of us!!
On Boxing Day we slept in before attending another lovely dinner with family and friends. The 27th was a quiet day where Katie met up with one of her friends and I went on a long walk to attempt to burn off some of what I ate!
We departed on the 28th. Liz's cousin Rob arrived at the Shepherd house on the 27th and we went for brunch at IHOP before Megan and Greg drove us down to Bellingham. Since we got there a little early, Greg and I ended up getting dragged around the Bellis Fair Mall while Megan and Katie went shopping. We did the smart thing this year and booked an evening flight rather than an early morning one! The flight home was uneventful and we were home at 11:30pm ready to go to work the next day!
Christmas 2010 Pictures!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Christmas 2009
For the third consecutive year, Katie and I traveled to Vancouver for Christmas. After getting up at 5am MST on Christmas Eve, we arrived in Bellingham about 9am and met Megan and Dave at the airport. We proceeded to do some shopping before grabbing lunch at Jack in the Box. Sadly our quest for See's Chocolates was aborted... they had run out of chocolates! By the time we got to Vancouver it was mid-afternoon...which meant it was time for my nap! After Panago pizza for dinner, we attended the Christmas Eve service at Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church. After the service, we socialized at the Trant household for a couple of hours. It was good to meet more of the Trant family, puzzle over whatsits, and drink some nice scotch. Upon returning to the Shepherd house, we wrapped presents and performed other preparations for Christmas Day.
On Christmas Day we had the traditional brunch and present opening followed by the evening dinner. It was great getting to catch up with everyone and of course the food was amazing! Also, I opened several nice gifts and a well-stuffed stocking. Thank you everyone for your generosity!
Boxing Day (12/26) was pretty uneventful... about all we did was meet Greg and Carmina for lunch at Dave's restaurant, Cravings. My omelet was awesome - thanks Dave!
On Sunday we all attended a service at the church where the last of Ian's ashes were placed in the memorial garden which he established and maintained. It was the strongest of many reminders that it was the first Christmas since his passing. We all miss you Ian!
Monday we awoke at 4am to return to Boise. The idea was to get to Boise at 9am and then go to work that day. Sadly, we got to the airport less than 30 minutes before departure and the evil airline (Horizon) had given away our tickets to standby passengers. Katie was able to board standby but I had to wait in the Bellingham terminal for another flight five hours later. I spent a little bit of time with Dave and Greg (who had driven us to Bellingham) but sadly there is little to do in "The City of Subdued Excitement" at 5am. After stops in Seattle and Portland (and some beer), I arrived in Boise at 5:30pm. Katie worked all day and picked me up at the airport. Fortunately I only had to work one day that week - I got the 30th, 31st, and 1st off!
Christmas 2009 Pictures!
On Christmas Day we had the traditional brunch and present opening followed by the evening dinner. It was great getting to catch up with everyone and of course the food was amazing! Also, I opened several nice gifts and a well-stuffed stocking. Thank you everyone for your generosity!
Boxing Day (12/26) was pretty uneventful... about all we did was meet Greg and Carmina for lunch at Dave's restaurant, Cravings. My omelet was awesome - thanks Dave!
On Sunday we all attended a service at the church where the last of Ian's ashes were placed in the memorial garden which he established and maintained. It was the strongest of many reminders that it was the first Christmas since his passing. We all miss you Ian!
Monday we awoke at 4am to return to Boise. The idea was to get to Boise at 9am and then go to work that day. Sadly, we got to the airport less than 30 minutes before departure and the evil airline (Horizon) had given away our tickets to standby passengers. Katie was able to board standby but I had to wait in the Bellingham terminal for another flight five hours later. I spent a little bit of time with Dave and Greg (who had driven us to Bellingham) but sadly there is little to do in "The City of Subdued Excitement" at 5am. After stops in Seattle and Portland (and some beer), I arrived in Boise at 5:30pm. Katie worked all day and picked me up at the airport. Fortunately I only had to work one day that week - I got the 30th, 31st, and 1st off!
Christmas 2009 Pictures!
Monday, December 14, 2009
Christmas Tree
For the second time in three years, we set up our (fake) Christmas tree complete with my shockingly large ornament collection. I also set up the Lionel Pennsylvania train that my parents gave us a few years ago. Note the beautiful stockings made by Grandma Savage!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Merry Christmas everyone!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Christmas and New Years
For Christmas, we visited the Shepherd family in Vancouver. For financial reasons, we opted for a driving trip. We left around 1pm on December 23rd, which happened to be perfect timing between northwest snowstorms which have been very common this winter. We had a uneventful trip on dry roads the whole way. We stopped for dinner in Yakima, which was kind of amusing as they were out of pretty much everything. I think it took us four tries to find something on the menu they actually had in stock. Nonetheless, we made it to Vancouver around 11:30pm. As we were arriving in town, the snow started falling.
When we woke up on Christmas Eve, there was over a foot of fresh snow on the ground (see pictures below). Needless to say, this complicated Christmas Eve plans since the roads around town were treacherous and pretty much required a high-clearance, preferably 4wd vehicle. We managed to get the Escape stuck in snow at one point! Despite the conditions, we had a nice lunch with Dave and managed to do a little last-minute shopping.
For Christmas Eve we went to the Shepherd family church, the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church, for their Christmas Eve service. It is a very nice church and the service was very well done. Afterwards, we finished wrapping Christmas presents and quaffed a few tasty beverages.
On Christmas Day, the snow continued to fall. Despite this, we had a morning family brunch followed by present opening. Later in the evening we had a family Christmas Day dinner. On Boxing Day (aka December 26th), the snow resumed, dropping another foot or so. We had a pretty quiet day followed by another family dinner. Our ability to do much was pretty limited though due to the huge amount of snow around.
Due to questionable road conditions, we determined we needed to leave Saturday the 27th to ensure plenty of time to make it home for work on Monday. So we left Saturday afternoon after a nice lunch at Wing Nuts. Just parking at the restaurant was an ordeal due to the huge amount of snow around.. up to 3 feet in places. It was unreal!
Our drive home was fortunately uneventful as we again managed to sneak between storms. We spent the night at a Holiday Inn Express in Richland, roughly halfway between Vancouver and Boise.
We both had a fairly quiet New Year's Eve. We had a few drinks and watched a movie. Does that make us boring??
Christmas in Vancouver Pictures!
When we woke up on Christmas Eve, there was over a foot of fresh snow on the ground (see pictures below). Needless to say, this complicated Christmas Eve plans since the roads around town were treacherous and pretty much required a high-clearance, preferably 4wd vehicle. We managed to get the Escape stuck in snow at one point! Despite the conditions, we had a nice lunch with Dave and managed to do a little last-minute shopping.
For Christmas Eve we went to the Shepherd family church, the Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church, for their Christmas Eve service. It is a very nice church and the service was very well done. Afterwards, we finished wrapping Christmas presents and quaffed a few tasty beverages.
On Christmas Day, the snow continued to fall. Despite this, we had a morning family brunch followed by present opening. Later in the evening we had a family Christmas Day dinner. On Boxing Day (aka December 26th), the snow resumed, dropping another foot or so. We had a pretty quiet day followed by another family dinner. Our ability to do much was pretty limited though due to the huge amount of snow around.
Due to questionable road conditions, we determined we needed to leave Saturday the 27th to ensure plenty of time to make it home for work on Monday. So we left Saturday afternoon after a nice lunch at Wing Nuts. Just parking at the restaurant was an ordeal due to the huge amount of snow around.. up to 3 feet in places. It was unreal!
Our drive home was fortunately uneventful as we again managed to sneak between storms. We spent the night at a Holiday Inn Express in Richland, roughly halfway between Vancouver and Boise.
We both had a fairly quiet New Year's Eve. We had a few drinks and watched a movie. Does that make us boring??
Christmas in Vancouver Pictures!
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