Snow!

So, last week winter came to Washington... and is amazingly still here! I feel like we rarely get real snow and, when we do, it tends to disappear quickly. Snow measuring at minimum of 8-10 inches is pretty incredible! We have definitely had fun in it, because we've had the whole week off before Christmas! Talk about good timing! We've been able to enjoy the snow rather than stress about how to get to work. We celebrated Chet's birthday (x3 days) and even built a snow igloo.

On Chet's birthday, we headed over to Leavenworth for our annual engagement trip. There was snow all the way from our house to the door of the hotel... pretty spectacular scenery. We found our new yearly ornament at the ornament shop (this year it is a tractor in honor of my farming grandpa!), ate dinner at the Alley Cafe (an Italian restaurant that is really in the alley), and relaxed at the Enzian (our favorite hotel there thus far). It was a fun relaxing time to just be together and marvel at the beautiful scenery. Leavenworth is so beautiful with snow and lights!

After a night in Leavenworth (and a delicious breakfast), we headed up to Steven's Pass for a little snowboarding! Amazingly, it was only the second day of the season so it was pretty busy and only three lifts were open. We had a great time though. We do love snowboarding!

On Saturday, we celebrated Chet's birthday with my side of the family. Then on Sunday, we had friends over for a holiday party (also to celebrate Chet's birthday)... lots of celebrating, eh? On Sunday, church was cancelled so we spent the day playing in the snow. We went on a walk to find a snow shovel (to no avail) and then came back and made an igloo! I don't know where Chet got the idea for it but it was genius. The snow was perfect and we spent the afternoon packing snow into containers to make blocks. Then, along with our neighbors, Jesse and Deborah, we put together a real igloo. About 2-3 people can sit up in it and it feels pretty solid. We'll have to see how long it lasts this winter... who knows... maybe it will be until March. :) We also sat in the hot tub that night with friends, so overall it was a fun, memorable day!

On Monday, Judy and Skip came out! They spent the night in our house and we celebrated our Christmas together. It was so nice to spend a quiet evening with them. The next day we spent visiting grandparents and had dinner at Chet's aunt and uncle's house! Family gatherings are always so joyful! Lots of food, laughter, family and conversation.

Tonight, on Christmas Eve, despite having a cold and Chet having to go back to work, we had a nice evening with my family. After a traditional Gessaman family Christmas Eve dinner of clam chowder and rolls, we opening presents. One of the best presents was definitely Chet's little helicopter... he still is learning how to fly it though so beware! After Chet had to go to work, the rest of us played Killer Bunnies... what is better than figuring out how to kill bunnies and win magical carrots!?! It was great fun. Now, is the time to catch a little sleep for brunch with the family tomorrow.

Here are some pictures of our holiday adventures!

Thanksgiving!

Out to Montana we went for the long Thanksgiving weekend! We were so happy to get some time off together and to get to spend time with family. With finals looming for Brianne, time in Montana provided an excellent procrastination tool... what is better than getting distracted by hanging out with people we don't see often!

Travel back and forth was excellent... no snow to slow us down and we were able to make the trip in the normal 8 hours. The only concerning thing is that, though it was nice to have good roads, we didn't even seen a hint of snow, which definitely doesn't help the snowboarding prospects anytime soon! Hopefully soon as Chet has a season's pass coming and Brianne wants to use her free time over the break from school making some runs in the mountains.

Back to Thanksgiving... we spent Thanksgiving Day in a cozy cabin with the majority of extended Owings side of the family. Lots of food, lots of people and one very warm wood stove! Our little nephew, Logan, was the center of attention of course with his sweet smiles and cuddly nature. He is sure a precious boy! The only problem was trying to get a chance to hold him. Chet didn't actually get to hold him until the last day of our vacation (which speaks to how popular Logan was!).

Back in Missoula, we spent time with friends catching up and just hanging out. Every time we leave Missoula, we wish we could take our friends Neil & Ember and John with us. It is just so relaxing and fun to hang out with them... it would be nice to see them more often. We will have to try to go out more often now that Neil and Ember are going to have a little one next June!!! Yay!!! We had one hilarious night of playing Wii Fit where we used the new balance board and all looked ridiculous. Not to mention the fun of practicing soccer headers by dodging panda heads and soccer cleats! :)

We also were able to go to a U of M Griz game... something that Chet's wanted to do together since we met! He was so excited! It was a bit drizzly (a bit like Washington, ironically) but it was fun. The Griz won the game and are headed on to the next round of the playoffs. It was also fun because the fans are so excited about their team... lots of cheering and fun fan involvement! Oh, and Brianne enjoyed all the cute kids in Griz clothing...

We included a couple pictures down below of our weekend for viewing pleasure.

Chet and Brianne

Us at the Griz game!

A misty day win for the Griz!"

We were dressed in fall colors for the occasion!

Gram and our nephew Logan!

Time passes quickly...

Wow... I am amazed that the holiday season is already here. This fall has flown by and, now, here we are at the weekend before Thanksgiving. The air is cool, the leaves are on the ground and we are spending much more time in front of the fireplace. It has also hit the busy season of the quarter with projects, finals and other such fun things. Today I am trying to start a paper that is due at the end of the quarter... but as you can tell, I am procrastinating as well.

This week we will head to Montana for Thanksgiving. Luckily, we both got the weekend off so we'll be able to have a few days there before heading home. I am looking forward to the time spent with Chet. Even car rides are a nice time just to be together and talk, something we don't always have time to do with our schedules. I picked out a little bit of new Christmas music today so as we are driving over the snowy passes, we will be able to get in the holiday spirit.

Chet is enjoying his new motorcycle. He is progressively getting it to run better and I have to admit that he looks awfully sharp on it. It is just so much newer appearing and a cooler style of motorcycle than his old one. I know that he is enjoying it and can't wait to ride it more when he gets it licensed.

I'd best get back to studying and writing my paper. It will definitely prevent some stress in the coming weeks to get it started now.

Brianne

Fall... recent happenings

I should be working on a paper that is due next week, but I feel like I should update our blog after a month long hiatus. :) It is important to keep track of life, right? School and work has been keeping me busy and Chet has been hunting twice in the last month and has been busy with work and church stuff. Definitely all wonderful things to be doing, but it definitely leads to a lack of time to blog. I just downloaded pictures from the camera so I was inspired to put a little entry into our blog.

Some fun things are that Carie and Ryan came to visit from Montana with their little boy, James. We had lots of fun hanging out in Seattle, showing them around and playing with James. They were here for a week which was wonderful and they had the honor of being the first guests to stay in our house! I think that it worked okay for them... luckily James is a good sleeper. We went and did many Seattle things including the sights around Seattle, taking the ferry to Vashon Island (there is a wonderful coffee shop there that we love!) and just enjoying time with good friends. Here is a picture our three wonderful guests...

Chet played softball with the guys from church. This always turns into a fun fall affair as it seems like just a fun gathering every week. If the games are early enough, all the "fans" come out (kids, spouses, friends) and we all talk in the stands while the guys play. They did okay... but sometimes, with a city league, teams don't show up and things like that. They always enjoy getting out and playing though! The last game they had was hilarious, as evidenced by the picture below... it was Mark Giles appreciation night! The history behind it is that Mark always wore jeans (specifically Levi 501s) to every game when he played. He wasn't playing this year so quite a few of the guys wore jeans in his honor for the last game! You can tell that Chet had fun from the pictures! His pants were definitely the dirtiest out of the bunch! (I think that he slide into bases just to get them dirty!)

So, as for other life happenings, Chet went hunting two weekends in October, one in eastern Washington and one at in Montana with family. He was able to shoot something in Montana... and actually came upon a whole group of bucks as they went up and over a hill! In eastern Washington, they only saw one buck the whole time. But, I suppose, they didn't know the area as well and it was their first time there. He had a great time with the friends he went with and enjoyed the beautiful area. I'm so glad that he loves the outdoors and is refreshed by time spent in the woods!

Hmm... what other news... I am enjoying school (except for the busy schedule and lack of sleep) and am excited that my clinicals will probably be up in Everett next quarter! That means Mom and Dad will get to feed me once a week!!! :) Also, it sounds like a good clinic. I'm sure I'll be nervous because I don't know exactly what to do yet, but I'm excited to start this new role. I am also very glad that I have such great classmates. They are such a fun group of girls and enjoy hanging out both in and out of class. It is so nice to share the struggles and joys of schools with people who understand.

Oh! I almost forgot because I don't have a picture to post. Yesterday, Chet picked up the motorcycle he is buying from a friend. He has been riding a 1982 Honda Nighthawk... this motorcycle now earns the place as newest vehicle in our household by being a 2002 Suzuki Katana. It is bright yellow and looks quite sporty! I'm excited because he will be more visible to traffic... he is excited that it is "cool" looking. The deal is that he fixes it up (it has been sitting for a few years without being ridden) and his friend will take off whatever costs (plus time) off the price. This is nice for us because we can pay it off over a period of time instead of one lump sum. Also, he found another friend to sell his old motorcycle to! It is just one big shuffle of motorcycles among friends! I'm so excited for Chet... he spent last night cleaning the garage so he could have room to work on the motorcycle. He loves a project to work on, especially when it involves a motorcycle!

Other than that, life is good. Thanks to my mom and dad, we are enjoying our cozy home so much (the fireplace remote is amazing!) as the fall weather storms outside. Don't we all love Washington rain!?!

-Brianne

Visitors!

For the last week, we had the pleasure of having our first visitors in our new home! Carie and Ryan and their baby, James, came for a visit, staying a full week! We weren't sure how it would be to have people in our other bedroom but we managed to make a nice bed (out of the daybed setup plus an air mattress on top) and fit a Pack-N-Play in there for James too! It was a little bit on the crowded side but they managed for 6-7 days so it must not have been too bad.

Chet was lucky to have the whole week off and spent time driving them around to see the sights of downtown Seattle and Brianne joined in as much as her schedule would allow (it was the first week of school plus some work was involved). Everyone made a ferry trip over to Vashon Island in the rain to explore beaches and hang out at a local coffee shop. We all found lots of shells and took many pictures of the misty Puget Sound. Overall, they had a good time and it was nice for us to get out and about around the city.

We also both enjoyed little James. He is just about the most good natured, sweet baby ever. He had huge smiles and handled being in a new place and traveling really well. He won both of us over and it was hard to see him go. If we could have such a sweet easy baby guaranteed, we would definitely have a little one right now!

Now our visitors are on their way home and it is back to normal life. It is definitely starting to feel like fall and we are thankful that we got so many house projects done and out of the way. Brianne is getting busy with school but is excited to learn A LOT this quarter. The air has a fall feel to it and Brianne ushered in fall by making pumpkin bread last night. It always feels more like fall with spice-filled pumpkin bread cooking.

Until later...

Home!

We got back from a wonderful trip to Montana last night... it was so nice to get away! We were able to meet our precious new nephew, Logan; see lots of friends; attend a fun wedding; go to a concert (a favorite of Chet's); and just generally visit with lots and lots of people. We are definitely tired from all the happenings and visiting (I don't think we've talked that much for awhile) but we came home very happy that we had a chance to go.

So, we came home so that Chet could play in a softball game with all the guys from church... but unfortunately, though we had a full team there (for probably the first time in the last couple years), no one from the other team showed up at all!!! And, the guys were suppose to play this team twice last night. That was pretty disappointing but we couldn't complain because they still practiced and it was a beautiful night to sit outside. While Chet played, there were all the women for Brianne to visit with and all the kids to play with! It was kind of like a mini church party... I think that one family didn't even have a dad playing but came anyway so that the kids could all play. :) Once the dad's were done, all the kids lined up to hit the ball and run around the bases. Can we say, once again, that we enjoy our church family? We just can't help but think we are very blessed by all these wonderful people and the community.

Anyways, we are off to go do some house projects today... painting, gutter repair, etc. Yay!

Blackberry Jam, Take 2!

So, last week Chet and I went to Discovery Park and picked blackberries after church. It was, as usual, a pokey adventure but unfortunately it didn't yield as many blackberries as I had desired. Yet, determined to make something useful from them, I found that there was enough to make some jam. I had some pectin in my cupboard and, while I was on the phone with my friend, Debbie, I attempted to make jam using the recipe on the box. I usually have used the less sugar pectin and so hadn't done this recipe before... and so the combination of combining massive amounts of sugar, Karo syrup and fruit while talking on the phone with Debbie failed to yield actual jam. I think I put the ingredients in in the wrong order... and as a result I have some delicious blackberry syrup if anyone is interested!

Yummy blackberries all ready to be made into jam!

So, feeling somewhat annoyed, I vowed to make a good batch! Yesterday, while on call for work, I hung around our neighborhood picking blackberries. I actually went and got the less sugar pectin, which, not only has less sugar but seems to work better overall. Also, it doesn't disgust me as much to make as I don't have to put 4 cups of sugar plus a cup of Karo syrup in to make it work!

Sure enough, success! The blackberry jam is beautifully set up this morning, looking wonderfully tempting and begging me not to put it in the freezer. I have to say that for a weed out here, blackberries sure produce such beautiful dark rich jam... no to mention tasty as well!

Oh so pretty sitting in its containers all ready to be eaten!

Because I have gotten in the habit of taking pictures of food I have either picked from my garden (which I am really excited about) or gotten from nature for free, I have included a couple pictures of my SUCCESSFUL jam making operation.

~Brianne

Our Camping Adventure

The end of this last week, we went camping over at Lake Wenatchee. Sadly, though it was the end of August, it was the first time that we had gone camping all summer! Between a trip to Montana, work schedules that didn't quite line up and Brianne's summer class, it just didn't work. This was wonderful... very relaxing and a nice way to spend the days leading up to Labor Day weekend. We had a great spot, right on the lake, and we set up a fun little home-away-from-home. :)

We had running water... of the Camelbak sort!

The weather varied between cloudy and 60's to sunny and 60's. There were a few sprinklings of rain but nothing that affected the fun we had. Mostly, we just relaxed... Chet had gotten sick his last day of work before we left so there was quite a bit of sleeping, reading and sitting around by the campfire to be had by all. It definitely was pleasant to be without anything to do and to just focus on relaxing. During one of Chet's naps though (to help him feel better, of course), Brianne almost didn't know what to do with herself! She went wandering through the woods to try to find a trail she saw earlier... only to be eaten by mosquitoes! She probably will have some welts for awhile.

Yum! Camp food!

We must say that we (in our opinions), we created some tasty camp food on this trip. We had burgers grilled over the open fire, blueberry pancakes, foil dinners with red potatoes, chicken and carrots, and yummy breakfast sandwiches. The griddle that we got for our wedding was definitely put to good use as we cooked over our Coleman stove. The pancakes may look better than some actually created at home. Thank you Krusteaz and camping griddle... you saved the day!

Other than that reading, eating, playing with the fire and eating, we went on a short hike up to Hidden Lake. It was a nice nature walk, not at all strenuous, but very appropriate for a husband with a cold. We enjoyed the little lake and dangled our feet in the water for awhile. We also created small rafts our of lake grass and wood and raced them in the lake. It was fun to be like little kids and come up with our own games!

Us up at Hidden Lake

Overall, it was nice to get away, build small rafts, cook over a camp stove and play with the campfire. Too bad summer is pretty much wrapping up and school starts in another three weeks. Yet, we have such a wonderful life to go on fun adventures like this! There are so many places to see and explore in this world and we are so glad that we can make the most of them!

We are headed to Montana this weekend for various events... visiting family, going to a concert for Chet, hanging out with friends and more. It will definitely be fun!

Just a first post...

Chet created a blog earlier this month and I decided that I want to follow in suit. I had blogged back in high school and college but had gotten too much spam and decided that it wasn't quite worth the assault of crazy comments. Yet, now it appears that there are some methods to protect against such things so maybe it will be fun to start up again. Also, as we get back into the busy season of life, it will probably be a good way to keep in touch with our parents (probably our prime reading audience). :) We'll see how this goes.