The Cross Country Ski Adventure

Visions of sugar plums danced in my head.  I strapped on my skis thinking I got this.  It's been 20ish years since I had been on cross country skis but it's like riding a bike, right?  You just get back on the skis and it would be just like years ago.  Boy, was I wrong.  Both Mariane and I had been on cross country skis in the past and both of us forgot everything.  Well, not everything!  I knew you could use the groom tracks, you had to go forward, and it was different than downhill skiing.  The most critical thing we both forgot was how to stop. That's really important.  The snow plow technique didn't seem to work the same as downhill skiing.  Some nice people saw our struggles and helped us with our crashes and gave us some tips.  They spent a good amount of time with us trying to get us up on our skis and doing that moving forward thing.  After they left the struggle was still real.  The conditions were icy. That complicated everything. Not a good day to start!  We took our skis off and started back down the trail.  Were we done?  NO WAY.

We were still in fantasy land here!

This was my crash on the first trail.  I am not kidding, the camera somehow took a picture without me.  It was around my neck and I felt it bounce around. When I looked at the pictures later I couldn't believe it.  Well, now my crash has been documented whether I wanted it to be or not.

We found a trail that wasn't as icy.  With some back and forth practice the skills started coming back.  The snow plow does work when you want to stop.  My skis don't have metal edges so you really have to move your knees in and get the edges of the skis up on the snow.  I got it.

We continued to venture farther down the trail and then come back.  The slightest downhill was an issue at first.  We mastered the stop and got those slight downhills conquered.  Next step will be a real hill.

 I love snow! I love snow!!!

 Winter is my favorite!!

 A nice little Christmas tree standing out from the crowd.

 The Selkirk lodge.

When we got our map at the beginning of the day the nice man said there were no really challenging trails on this hill.  Well, that is a matter of opinion! We ended this adventure with smiles on our faces and ready to go again.  It feels good when you master or should I say begin to master something that was difficult.  Now I have another way to play in the snow!!!   We are both excited to go again.  

Celebrating the Birth of our Savior 2019

For years our Christmas morning traditional breakfast was scrambled eggs and cinnamon rolls.  It had been years since I actually ate one of the cinnamon rolls.  I just decided to change it up.  I told Mike I would like to change the cinnamon rolls to Kodiak pancakes.  He was all for it.  So was Katie.  Turns out we were all doing the cinnamon rolls because of the tradition and none of us really wanted to eat those sugary things.  Ha! Bacon, pancakes and scrambled eggs.  Let the new tradition begin.  

 The stockings were hung by the chimney with care.  They were too heavy to hang on anything.

This is what it is all about.  A Child is born and His birth is celebrated this day.  It is really incomprehensible how God sent his son to be born into this world so we could live a new creations in Him.  He did and we are new creations in Christ!  What a sacrifice.  So much unconditional love.

 So good to have Katie home for Christmas.

 Everyone needs a years supply of soft toothbrushes!!

 The Instant Pot!

 We got this funny flying monkey that screams at a white elephant gift exchange.  Murphy wanted tit but didn't know quite what to do with it. He just carried it around.

 No white Christmas in Spokane but a few miles up the road there was a dusting of snow.  We went to Deer Park to visit the grandkids and their parents.

We took the flying monkey.  You can see it on the top of the picture between the closed door and the open door.  We were told we couldn't leave it with the Lathrop family.

 Layne is in there somewhere.  Her new chair.

 Trying out the monkey.  It was a hit for awhile.

 More monkey business.

 Mike found a comfy chair!

 Layne

 Lucy

 Before we left we all played Jenga.  So fun.

 Mike had the first crash.  He actually got the block out but hit the tower with his elbow.

 Lucy loves soft stuff.

Here comes crash number two!  Lucy got the block out but while setting it on top it collapsed. 

 It was so good to spend a couple of hours with Justin, Kristin, Layne and Lucy on this Christmas Day.

 We are so blessed with a wonderful family, all of them!!!!  I couldn't be more proud!!!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!