Over the Mountains and Through the Woods to Grandkids House We Go...

Yesterday we headed over the mountains once again to spend Thanksgiving with our kids and extended family. The trip over was uneventful, although we did encounter some falling snow on the way home.

On our trip over and back we always make a stop at Indian John Hill at about the half way mark.

It's our all time favorite rest stop and we've posted a little history about it here for you.


Anyway, we did arrive in plenty of time for the Thanksgiving festivities to begin. Our daughter-in-law's parents hosted it at their house this year. There were 16 of us included 5 children ages 7 and under. It was wonderful, as always. The only thing missing, once again, was Mark, but he'll be here for Christmas - it's not too long now. We can hardly wait to see him again and for us to get moved over there. Hopefully, we'll be settled in by this time next year and we can be the hosts.

We'll keep you posted on our plans to move at they progress.

Family Week-End

We had another great week-end with the 'kids'. Drew and family came over for a visit and the November weather was unusually cooperative. We trekked through the woods, climbed (fake) rocks, went to a park, played games, did some art projects, and generally had a great time. Drew and Sarah got out for an evening by themselves and we got to have the children to ourselves.
Many times this week-end I wished I had brought my camera, but didn't, so there are no pictures to show this time.

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

It has been a very rainy November with lots of flooding in this area. The rivers are swollen and overflowing, blocking several roads around here. We are wet, but not flooded or even leaking. This is pretty typical for November. The month probably won't end without a wind storm that brings down lots of branches and a few trees. That seems to be the pattern for November in the Pacific Northwest. I recently put a small weather and time widget on this blog right under the map. It shows the current temperature, time, and weather indicated by the picture background.

On a brighter note, Drew has been on a job assignment in Sweden for the past two weeks and is returning home today. He has a 4-hour layover at the airport before catching the last leg of his flight home, so John and I will be going to the airport later today to have dinner with him while he waits for his connecting flight. It's also Sarah's birthday today, so he is getting home just in time. The children were wonderful and remembered her birthday on their own. JJ set his own alarm so he could get up and make breakfast for his mom. Hannah had made a necklace for her mom which she presented to her first thing this morning. We really do have the BEST grandkids!

What Happened to Halloween?

We never do get very many trick-or-treaters, but this year was the lowest we'd ever had in 30 years of living in this house. The doorbell rang only once and the two children from next door were there. That was it for the night - bummer. Is this a national trend? I love seeing all the kids come by with their costumes and trying to figure out who they are.

On the bright side.... there's all that candy left over for us to enjoy - Mark.... if you're out there, we'll be sending some of it your way if I can get it packed and sent before Dad eats it.

The past few weeks have been very productive. We had all the carpet replaced upstairs and got the living and dining rooms painted - what a chore. Glad it's done and it looks great!! Now to get everything back in place - ugh.