Christmas Dinner

Christmas dinner this year was great! There was plenty of eating, goofing around and watching the championship poker tourney on tv. That was my first time ever 'getting into it'. Just a little addictive. But even better was spending time with the boys in Dave's comfy basement tv room.

Surprise Grandma!! You are sitting on me!

A $2.99 felt cowboy hat from Winco helped Will celebrate Christmas Y'All!

Three blonde boys- looking very happy!

A blast as always!

Almost a white Christmas

On Christmas day at about 1pm it started snowing heavily in Federal Way, Washington. At first I wasn't terribly excited since I have been frequenting environments with several feet of snow on a weekly basis. Then I realized that it was Christmas Day and it wasn't stopping! It started to stick and at that point it was clear what needed to happen-- I had to take the dog for a walk! So I hurriedly put on my winter coat (atop my pajama bottoms, how cold could it be?), put on Baby's special winter reflective jacket and we were off to the Weyerhauser nature trail, just like the good ol' days.

The snow was wet, but it felt good. We walked for about 20 minutes until the snow tapered off. It wasn't exactly like the Christmas storm of 1990 (woke up to 2+ feet on Christmas morning), but it was enough to make me smile. Baby seemed to enjoy it too once she got over the fact that her petite little paws were going to be cold and wet. She loves to chase those birds!

Dinner and a movie

I arrived in Seattle at 2pm on Christmas Eve and spent a few hours running errands and taking care of non-Christmas-like business. After taking some stuff to the goodwill and purchasing some craigslist snowboard boots, I went shopping for X-mas Eve dinner makings. About a month ago, I stayed in the swedish stuga (see earlier post) and a new friend was nice enough to share her tasty soup recipe. Basically the soup has sauteed garlic and onions, Leeks, Low-sodium fat-free chicken broth, turkey bratwurst, cheese tortellini and fresh Kale. Along with fresh crusty bread and a hard cider, this cozy soup made Christmas Eve extra special!


Mom and I had a warm dinner and then managed to find one of the few open movie theatres in the area. After we exchanged gifts, we went to see "I am Legend". It was definitely a thrilling movie. There was a wilsonesque quality to Will Smith's desperately lonely character; herds of animals running through the empty streets of NYC; a great dog and man story; and a lot of those moments when you unexpectedly get the $%&*# scared out of you. It was great! Then home to bed to wait for Santa.

my saturdays.....

My life is good....

I have been spending every Saturday at Mt. Hood and have consistently been boarding in at least 3 to 6 inches of fresh powder! My luck has been amazing- and my weekly trips have really made this winter enjoyable. The good news.... once January 7th arrives, I will have two free weekdays to head to the mountain. Again, My life is good.

The picture below is a snapshot of a trail that opens up to a bit of a lip or a small cliff. I LOVED launching off this lip and catching what felt like stories of air, but in reality was likely much less than that... but it felt great!!



Heather and myself in all our cheesy glory. I think we are related--

Did I mention that we got a flat tire in Sandy and still managed to get to the mt? Yeah... we're hardcore. Well, I'm leaving out the part where we got the flat tire in front of a Ford dealership. Lucky or Good Karma? don't know, just happy to have hit the slopes.

Getting into the Christmas spirit.....

So-- I wasn't too excited about the seasonal festivities until I hit the toy aisle. Buying presents for my little family members has been an absolute blast this year. Unfortunately Christian is too big to buy toys for, so he has graduated the the boring, but cool, quintessential, adolescent guy, black hoody. I found a 'paint yourself' birdhouse for Will that I think his Mom might enjoy doing with him; a multi-colored, vibrating, a-b-c singing plush pup for the newest and smallest addition, Mathew; and the coolest present EVER for Megan! If found a bargain of a deal on the Adventure Girlz Deluxe Sleepover Tent that comes equipped with a built in sleeping bag and foot pump blow-up air mattress. This fantastic creation can be used both outside and inside for the 'fort' feel. Why didn't they make these things when I was a little girl? LOVE IT! Oh yes, and everyone gets a book too! Happy Holidays Little Ones!!!

I made a trip home to go to the dentist, wish Mom a happy birthday, pick up the dog, and hold the newest-most perfect- edition the the Chamberlin family. Baby Mathew made me melt. His various facial expressions, long fingers, sleeping twitches, just everything about him made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.... I held him for 2 of the best hours I have had in a long time. There is truly much to be thankful for this holiday season- A healthy Baby Boy!!

Made with Love

What to get my Mom for her birthday? This year, I decided she needed a soft, cozy scarf to keep her warm. And of course some healthy, made with love, chocolate-peanut butter cake!

Sangria, Pictionary, "Jackie" the tree and the Amazing Race.....

I admit to not being especially excited about the holidays this year...... But lucky for me, I have friends that insist that I attend the seasonal Merry activities. Leave it to Heather to put a smile on my face. Eventhough we really only had lights and some really bad garland, we managed to drink, eat and be Merry during this holiday season. Oh... and play a mean game of pictionary too!

What would a girl do without her family?

Even during the toughest of times, a family is there to help you when you are down and celebrate when life is good. The holiday season brings plenty of opportunities to see family, old and new. YES!! Soon I will have picture of my new nephew Mathew David Chamberlin! A healthy baby boy. Until then, a picture of my Mom and I depicts the love we share and I feel so fortunate to have.

the perfect getaway....

Sometimes we meet people and instantly click. This is how I felt about my new friend Laurie. In celebration of her birthday, she rented a cabin for all of her friends to enjoy. What a great gal!
This authentic Swedish Stuga(small country home) sits on 24 wooded acres. It was stunning! We enjoyed good food, drink and great company. The snowboarding was pretty phenomenal too!