Instead....this was reality!! (Minus the baby!)
As you can imagine--the week prior to vacation is always a whirlwind. You need to get ready to go yourself (packing, making sure you have everything), if you are driving you need to make sure that your vehicle is ready (thanks to Bill & "John's" in Corvallis--along with Les Schwab), you need to make sure that things are taken care of at home--with Three BIG dogs, two cats and two goldfish, we needed to find someone to stay here with them (thanks to Robert who will hang out & house sit for us), and lastly--with it being Christmas--there are cards to mail, gifts to wrap, out of town packages to send...phew. PLUS--working from home, I need to keep caught up on that too!! Year end is a busy time for me anyway...thankfully, I can work after everyone goes to bed, whether I'm here or in GA! Have I painted you a picture of our week??!! Thankfully, the kids worked hard at school last week--so I gave them the rest of the year off! They did have some things to do for home school group this week, but regular classes here at home were cancelled, due to "teacher overload"!! Ryan & Kristin have been great at helping out where they can. Bill has been busy making sure that we are safe as well as have good sound on the way (he installed my birthday gift of stereo--and my Christmas gift-speakers!).
SO--in a nut shell...the packages went last Thursday, the rest of them today--the cards went out on Tuesday, and we even got some baking done--and now have extra due to home school group being cancelled on Monday (due to snow..yep, snow!). I have 4 dozen gingerbread to take to Georgia with us! I fear two weeks are too long to leave them...and it will actually be almost three before we are back to classes. Oh, too bad for us!!
Last week we were fortunate enough to get together with good friends Nate & Katie...and of course the "star", Audrie. She was enthralled with all my snowmen...and pretty unsure of one of the dancing ones! We enjoyed dinner together, and of course the kids exchanged gifts. We got Audrie a really cool police car from Fisher Price. Everyone had fun playing with it...especially her Daddy! Speaking of her Daddy...he is now a "Star" too...and giving autographs on request! If you need some winter driving advice..click here for the video, or here for the article. It was some great advice (although we'd never admit it to Nate--and I'm pretty sure he doesn't read this--no telling Katie!)
We were supposed to get together with the O'Hara's--but once again, the bug has gotten them....SO..we exchanged gifts via car pool guys (Bill & Sean) this week....enjoying our treasures to one another.
We depart on Friday--once Bill gets home from work. He needs to put in 4 hours...and they are having a breakfast. If it's anything like this week has been....he will be up earlier than usual and in before normal time....hopefully making our departure by noonish. Presents are wrapped, and ready to be loaded in the truck, laundry is "almost" finished and waiting to be packed in the suitcase, truck is packed with "travel stuff" for the kids, and snacks for the LOOOONGGGGG trip! Keep us in your prayers for safe travel, and GOOD weather. We are in the middle of a winter storm alert/warning...calling for lots of snow. We are praying it blows right over, and that it becomes balmy and nice for driving. (although I did get a lesson today at Les Schwab on how to put the chains on!)
Here is Kristin tonight--roasting marshmallows by the wood stove!! You know she's desperate for a campfire when she resorts to the living room! She & the marshmallow got pretty toasty!!
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