Safe and sound

We made it home yesterday. The roads were great; we picked the PERFECT day to travel. B was such a good girl, too. She sat in her seat the entire way to Pendleton, played like mad at McDonalds, then slept most of the way from there. We were amazed and SO PROUD. We are all glad to be home and happy to have one more week of family time before Craig heads back to school and work.

Let's concentrate on the good news, shall we?

Some good news: my fever is gone, and the radiologist says that my pneumonia is cleared up! I've have 3 iron infusions now, and I am feeling some results. So, yay for that!

It's going to be a while

Well, the roads are terrible and they are going to stay that way for a while. The only hope for decent travel is to go on Friday or Saturday, so we are going to meet Dan & family in Pendleton and caravan over the Blues together. Craig had been thinking along those lines but hadn't mentioned it yet, and then Dan called and offered to caravan with us. So when the spiritual leader and another very trusted preisthood holder have the same idea independently of eachother, I take that as the way to go. I would be really sad but for the fact that Mom is having such a great time having B all to herself, and B is having such a wonderful time being there.

We are going to keep checking the road reports and see which day will be the best, then plan from there. Another possibility that I'm trying not to dwell on is that the roads will still be terrible, and we will have to wait until the next two storms pass and go NEXT Tuesday or Wednesday. In the meantime, Craig and I will concentrate on this time we have to hang out just the two of us.

We miss our B :(

The original plan was to leave yesterday, but that didn't work out because of the weather and waiting for some correspondence from my Dr. in Yakima. We didn't leave today because of the weather; when I checked this morning, the road conditions said "severe weather hazard" the whole way. Then just a few minutes ago I ran into our old branch president at Fred Meyer and he said that they actually closed the Freeway from Pendleton to La Grande because there were so many accidents on Cabbage Hill. So we are hoping we can leave tomorrow, but it looks pretty iffy.

The good news is that B is having a marvelous time with Mom. They went to the mall yesterday and ate at the food court which she thought was great fun, and of course just looking at all of the beautiful decorations they put up at Christmas gave her plenty to do. Mom also said that they got stopped by dozens of people who commented on how cute and friendly she was. So in addition to just having a good time, Mom felt really good because just by being there and seeing B, they made hundreds of people happy.

She has been playing with a Santa doll and kissing it over and over again, so when they saw that Santa was there, they got in line and when it was B's turn, Mom told Santa that if he held out his arms B would probably run right to him. Sure enough, she did! How cute. Mom got some pictures too, and I am excited to see them.

I have 4 gallon-sized bags filled to the brim with cookies to take home, so today I think I will keep myself busy with pumpkin bars and scrapbooking, which I am dreadfully behind in. So it will be a productive day. I still would rather see my B though.

Funny girl

Carolyn is doing some of the cutest things right now! She is very into giving kisses to her toys and "nice-ing" them (she hugs them under the side of her chin and says "nahhhh"). She is a very affectionate girl. She recently started wrapping her arms around our necks while giving hugs, and sometimes she just likes me to hold her and she rests her cheek against mine. Such a tender heart. She keeps us laughing too! She mimmicks me on the phone by walking around with it propped against her shoulder and since she has been at mom's she has been saying variations on "hello" while she walks around with it. Another thing she does that just melt everyone's heart is reaching up with both arms while rapidly opening and closing her hands. Sometimes she reaches so hard it looks like she might dislocate her shoulder! The really funny thing is that she does it not only to us, but to the grocers and the bank tellers and the nurses and yeah, pretty much everyone we see! She is just so fearless and knows that everyone in the world is her friend. So sweet. If only she could stay that innocent and optimistic! Sniff, sniff. She loves haning out in her cave, and she also LOVES finding Craig's shirts in the laundry basket when I am (trying) to fold them and wear them as capes.

Christmas questions

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Both - depends on the shape and stuff

2. Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial, and flocked :)

3. When do you put up the tree?
As soon after Thanksgiving as I can!

4. Do you like eggnog?
Oh yeah! It's a little rich for me though, so I like to thin it out with 1% milk

5. Favorite gift received as a child?
My mom always made Christmas magical and invented money somehow, so each year I was surprised and each year was memorable for various reasons. My siblings also did some really neat things. One year Lisa and Amy, both starving students at BYU, saved their money to eat at Pizza Hut a couple of times so that they could get me the "Beauty and the Beast" hand puppets. There was also a year when I was 8 and Dan was 12 and I had been eyeing a doll at the mall. I checked on her every week, and one week she was gone and I was devastated. Dan had already bought her and snuck her out to the car without me seeing :).

There have been some very memorable gift as an adult, too. David, knowing what a jazz nut I am, bought me the soundtrack to "A Charlie Brown Christmas". The really funny thing was that I had never actually seen it! Lisa knew what the gift was and made sure that we rented it. Of course I commented on how great the music was. As for Darren, a couple of years ago he sent everyone a card game that he taugt everyone when I was a kid. That was really fun and special because playing cards with "the big kids" when they were home, which was rare, was pretty much my favorite thing in life. He also sent out a compilation cd of the Christmas music we grew up with. As for Craig, my favorite is my rubber duck with the earr muffs and coat. He bought me a rubber duck on our honeymoon and it has kind of become a tradition. Also one year he picked out a pair of gorgeous earrings for me totally by himself. Gotta love a man who knows your taste in jewelry. Another random but very thoughtful gift he gave me was a book of cheeses - different kinds, their characteristics, where they originate, etc.

6. Hardest person to buy for?
Craig

7. Easiest person to buy for?
Mom usually

8. Do you have a nativity scene?
I have a few :)

9. Mail or email Christmas cards?
Mail

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
Can't really think of anything

11. Favorite Christmas Movie?
A Charlie Brown Christmas

12. When do you start shopping?
December 26th!

13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
No

14. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
My signature Christmas cookies!

15. Lights on the tree?
Yeah lots! Just not the multi-colored ones. I never have liked those

16. Favorite Christmas song?
Can't decide. Here are my favorite albums, though: Darren's compilation, Lisa's addition, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Osmonds, Old Navy Holiday 2000, and of course Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis. They are my favorite. Those two make me homesick though, so I have to be kind of careful about when I listen to them. And I usually call Mom right after :)

17. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Travel to Mom's

18. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Yeah, but I don't feel like typing them now

19. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Either one. I grew up with an angel though, so that would be my preference if I could find one that wasn't too cheesy looking

20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
Christmas morning! We open them one at a time, each person taking a turn starting with the youngest and going to the oldest. It makes the gift-opening last for hours and really fosters the concept of being more excited about what you are giving than what you are getting.

21. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
"Holiday trees" and all of the other PC crap!

22. Favorite ornament theme or color?
The theme for my tree is music-themed ornaments and purple bulbs. Craig's tree is mostly red and gold/silver.

23. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
We always order pizza for Christmas Eve. Christmas day varies, but my Mom always works hard to make a nice meal and it is always good

24. What do you want for Christmas this year?
A cast iron pan

News about Tad!!!

Tad was the best man at our wedding and has been Craig's best friend for years. Many of you will remember him. We have lamented for a long time about his single status. Well, no longer! He took an interest in a gal named Brianna early on in the quarter and took her as his date to his annual birthday dinner (October 16th). They have been hanging out since then and recently had a chat and yeah, Tad is no longer single! We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO excited. Now we just have to distract him from the sting of her leaving for Christmas - she will be gone for 3 weeks. Poor Tad. And Carolyn isn't even here to love on him. Hopefully though the excitement of new and very long-awaited romance will ease the ache :).