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!