Christmas week

We had a great Christmas with Dane and Kirsten at home with us. But first we spent Christmas Eve with Kydon and Shanna in Atlanta. We had our traditional Jerusalem supper and then enjoyed a little Christmas family night with the children. They were excited and ready for bed early so Santa could come. After that we played games, watched TV and had lots of treats before leaving to pick up Kirsten at midnight at the airport. We drove home and got to bed at 3 a.m. It was really OK, since we got to sleep late on Christmas morning We opened gifts and had friends over for Christmas dinner. The weather was perfect. Warm and nice outside so we enjoyed that too. Kydon, Shanna and kids came the next day, and also Laura flew in from Texas, so we had a chance to get to know her at a little "engagement party" we threw for them and also at a picnic at Flat Rock Park. Sunday Dane got nabbed to give a talk in Sacrament Mtg and the ward enjoyed getting to know them both and congratulate them on their engagement. Monday we all headed back to Atlanta for a day at Upatoi State park and Helen, Georgia. The hike up to Ana Ruby Falls was spectatcular. With all the recent rains the water was higher than its been in a long time. It was a cool, crispy day but still warm enough for us to have a picnic before we hiked. After we enjoyed some shopping around the Bavarian shops of scenic Helen. It was a fun and memorable time to share with Dane and Laura as they are now officially engaged and working towards plans for a wedding. 2009 promises to be a great year!!
(This blog was successfully completed due to help from Kirstens camera, Kydon and Shanna's computer and willingness to help, and Terry's kind and patient tutoring to help me with computer skills. Thanks everyone!! There is hope for me, and "help" is one of my favorite words.

Visiting Portland

Here we are at the Oregon coast. The beach is firm and smooth and easy to walk and run on this time of year. We had lunch at Mo's which is famous for their clam chowder and home made bread. Then we ventured out on Cannon Beach which has this big rock that is really awesome. Rachel said it is the most photographed spot in Oregon. There were all kinds of sealife living on the rocks. We explored and found lots of bright orange and purple starfish that had sparkly looking drops on their backs that looked like silver beads. Also many barnacles, sea anemone, and hermit crabs, as well as other things that we didn't know the names of. It was all fascinating and different than anything I had ever seen before! We stayed at Seaside in a really nice resort with a view of the ocean from the deck. (Thanks to Rachels' parents the Bells who were so nice to let us use time share.) It was chilly and crisp like holiday winter should be, but no rain and wind while we were there, so was a great time for us to go. Erik cooked steaks on the grill that night too, so we were really treated with the best of everything! It was a fun time for us, and we hope to make it a tradition to come to the coast of Oregon.