Spontaneous

This winter has been crazy already. I remember as a kid I loved the snow and wanted it to snow all the time. Well, the past year I made up for all of the snow I missed as a kid by moving to La Grande. It was a bad winter last year and I thought it couldn't get any worse. Boy was I wrong! On Thursday Audrey and I went to watch my sister's kids for a birthday get away for Kevin. The drive was slow, but we were able to get to our destination safely. Justin returned home to La Grande to work for a few more days.
Originally our plan was to drive to Portland on Saturday morning. Well, at around 10:30 at night (Friday night) I was saying goodnight to Justin on the phone. While we were on the phone Justin's mom called with great worries about the weather. She just heard a report that gorge was going to get up to 3 feet of snow in the next day and advised us to get on the road pronto. Being young and lively we decided to start our journey to Portland at 12am. Mind you the drive from Boardman is about 2 and a half hours away from Portland. We told Kim about our change of plans and the three of us stayed up until Justin arrived in Boardman at 2am. It was enjoyable and good sister bonding time. Even Cedar decided to join us wide awake at 1:30am. We watched a movie and talked and just enjoyed the time together.
We left Boardman optimistic and excited for our journey. About 30 minutes into the drive we saw hazard lights flashing and a white pickup truck that was spun out and in the ditch. Justin being the good man that he is pulled over and stopped. Turned out it was two men who were from Africa who recently moved here from Florida . Justin said they were very nice and very willing to do anything in the freezing weather to help improve their situation. We were anxious to get back on the road. Especially Justin.
As the trip continued we FINALLY arrived in The Dalles to get gas. As we were pulling away from the gas station Audrey had turned around and noticed the gas attendant flagging us down. Much to our dismay we had a flat tire. Justin put some air in with high hopes that we would be able to make it to Portland with little trouble. Unfortunately, Justin had to brave the wind and snow again and changed the tire. Keep in mind our trunk was full and the spare was under all of our stuff. 20 minutes later we were back on the road. I'm so grateful that Justin is so handy. I would have died if I had to change a tire with the weather it was. We got on the road again only going about 25mph. It was very slow going but we finally rolled into Portland at 7am exhausted, hungry, and relieved.
It was a very exciting experience and we are grateful we came when we did because the weather has gotten worse. The wind is blowing, snow is falling, and we are offically tired of snow. We feel blessed that we arrived safely and that we were all able to stay awake and keep one another company for our spontaneous trip.

Snow.. . snow. . . snow and the Polar Express

Ethan looking so grown up!

Trying to stay warm. You'd think the Polar Express would have been warm!
Looking out the window
All smiles!
The Train
The View
Justin and I
Justin and I freezing our toes off!

Today we had the opportunity to go on a train ride (aka "Polar Express") with Kim and Kevin and the kids. It was a lot of fun! The ride was slow and cold but the company and view was great. The weather happened to change so snow covered the area.

So Excited!

The first of four pieces of Pumpkin Pie . . My weakness
Justin didn't get his after Thanksgiving meal nap. . so he's a little sleepy
The guilty ones. . You better watch your glass or else.
The full dinner table
Being protective of our glasses of water.
Unfortunately, not protective enough. Notice the colorful glob in my glass.
The Final product!!! It only took FOREVER because we had to wait until Monday to buy a new tree stand because in our anxious attempt to set the tree up on Sunday we broke the tree stand.
SO. . . . this little tree had to be a substitute for the night. :)
In Justin's words "That looks sick"
Snowmen taking over the entertainment center.

Take two. . .
Our first Christmas tree. . . Can't you tell we're excited!?
Again Justin's words "I did that". . I'm so proud!


Making sure it is the right sizeNotice anything missing. . .it's my stocking. . unfortunately it is in Philomath with Mom and Dad. :(


This Thanksgiving Justin and I went to Portland for our Dinner. We sat at a very long table that was full of food and family. It was a new experience for me not being home with my immediate family, but still a very enjoyable experience. I don't think I have seen so many rolls chucked across the table and jello in the water. After dinner Justin and James went to set up Nonnie's Christmas tree. I don't think everything was even cleared from the table.

The day after Thanksgiving we decided to stay in bed longer instead of doing the early shopping routine. After we got going, Justin and I went with his family and got our first Christmas tree as a married couple. It was a lot of fun and brought back fond memories of cutting down our family Christmas tree on the farm when I was young. We brought our tree 260 miles to La Grande and set it up in our apartment. Justin and I both love Christmas so we pulled out all of our decorations and put them on as many surfaces we could find in our apartment. We are so excited for Christmas!