Sunriver

After our time at the Blue Mountain Lodge we headed to Sunriver, OR to spend a few days with just my immediate family. Like mentioned previous, we used to spend Christmas here every year until we outgrew the space, but I haven't been back for like 10 years.

While there we enjoyed lots of things, such as:

• Reading "the Lost Symbol" by Dan Brown
• playing games
• watching movies (and I DO NOT recommend the movie "Land of the Lost")
• working out
• having the wonderful lodge's brunch
  
• reinstating the tradition of CRAZY DINNERS... it was a MAJOR success. Let me explain. When we were younger we would sometimes on vacations have a night where everyone would get one dollar and got to spend it on whatever they wanted to and then contribute to make up the dinner. We would end up with everything from cheetos, tic tacs, to fish sticks. Let's just say it was defiantly not the healthiest meal, but that was not the point. Well, due to inflation we raise the monetary amount to 5 dollars and to ensure a bit more of a balanced meal we assigned categories. We ended up with actually a pretty tasty dinner. We had mac and cheese with hotdogs (courtesy of Brandon and Heidi), Fruit parfaits (from us) and then some cheese cake and ice cream (from parentals and Paydan)
• Watching Crazy Raccoons. See... we did not have a freezer or much fridge space in our condo so we placed our crazy dinner cheese cake left overs in a covered pan outside to keep it chilled. Well later we heard some noise outside and saw that we had unexpected dessert guests. There were 3 raccoons who had pushed the lid of the pan and were going to town on the cheesecake. We watched them for quite a while and even watched the raccoons' hierarchy system as one alpha male? pushed other ones away. In about 30 minutes they had licked the pan CLEAN!
  
• Going for walks in the FRESH 6 inches of snow
  
  
  Chris holding our new toy.. the FLIP
  
  
  
  
  In front of the Lodge
  
  
  
  
  My cute, sassy Mama!
  
  
  
  
  I LOVE fresh snow, especially kicking, playing or walking in it!
  
  
  
  
Paydan and I racing to the end of the bridge

• Skiing at Mt. Bachelor

Blue Mountain Lodge- 2009

So here is a quick recap of our time spent up at the Blue Mountain Lodge. I had sooo many pictures, hence the collages to fit more in!

Here's a little history: In my side of the family Christmas is always been spent... AWAY (Gasp!) from home. I have only spent like two Christmases at home that I can remember and they were kind of weird for me. We usually pack up all our stuff and head out to a cabin with my mom's whole extended family. I love it since it has always been TRADITION, although to most it seems very strange. Let's just say it is an adventure to pack all the Christmas things in a car and ride for hours. So for the past years (since we outgrew the first cabin in Sunriver, OR) we have spent time at the Blue Mountain Lodge, out in the BOONDOCKS of NW Oregon.

We had lots of relaxing fun being with family and enjoying the snow, holiday and food. Since there is no internet, much phone service, or even a grocery store near by we make our own fun by:

• Cooking and Enjoying food
• Watching lots of movies
• Playing Games (like our new favorite... Up the River, Down the River)
• Going for daily walks in the WINTER WONDERLAND
  

• Sledding on our usually sledding hill (but we wished we would have gotten some nice fresh snow)
  

• And of course celebrating Christmas (more in a later post)

Christmas Break....a longer than expected break, pre-christmas, and the airport of DOOOM!

So I was going to try and blog throughout break... but yeah, that didn't happen!
I will attempt to recap all of our break through a few different posts.

Christmas Break came early for Mrs. Jones-
That is right folks, if you didn't hear Seattle got... well dumped on, with snow that is. Thus Wednesday Dec. 17th I got the early morning call that school was canceled and these same calls came the two following days also! Seattle-ites are not equip for snow like those Utah-ians or back-easter are so we freak out when there is snow, thus canceling school!

It was weird not to get to say good-bye to my kiddo's before break and we didn't get to have our holiday party either. I am just hoping that if students were planning on bringing me in some homemade holiday treats before break that they just ate themselves and do not bring them in after break! But Chris and I just hung out and lounge around for those three days before.

( a little what it was like...)

Christmas with the Bussey's-
I felt like those kids who celebrate Chunnukah and Christmas, since I got to have almost two Christmases this year. We celebrated Christmas with my family before we left the friday before. We went out to Chinese and then the rest of the family watch Chris and I open our Christmas gifts. Then we got to pick up my Grandma from the Airport and then hung out for a bit longer. It was a good time, but it was weird for me not to spend the traditional christmas with them for the first time this year.

Feeling like we were homeless!-
LEt me explain... Chris and I were supposed to fly out Saturday about 4 pm. Well out plane got delayed coming as we slowly watched another snow storm start rolling in! However, we still got on our plane... but we WAITED and WAITED to be de-iced. Then we Waited to taxi out and then as we did so we turned right around becuase of the darn BLUSTERY winds. OUr flight was CANCELLED. However we sat for an additional hour on the plane. They told us it was becuae the terminal thing-y was frozen... but we all know they did it to give themselves prep time to get ready for the hoards of angry passagers!

All this time the snow and wind continued to come... we frantically booked another flight... had my dad start driving in a blizzard only to turn around.... fount out our new flight was "cancelled".... called my mom crying asking her to help! Well my mom was able to book us on another airline (which was good becuase the lines were wrapped around and around the whole checking places). We slept (or tried to) on the cold concrete airport floors for a couple of hours with the thousands of other passangers stranded at the airport (i wish I would have taken a picutre). We ate ritz crackers and cheetos for dinner. Finally at 3:30 AM they let us check-in for our flight. That part went smoothly and we were able to move into the warmer gate where we not had CHAIRS to sleep on.

(here is a picture I found on the web... just imagine this scenario repeated in every nook and cranny of the airport)

Our flight that next morning was delayed and we sat on the plane for about three hours. I thought my husband my literally go crazy on someone! But finally, our plane not only taxied out but also TOOK OFF! WE MADE IT TO PALM SPRINGS ABOUT 24 CRAZY HOURS LATER THAN WE HAD PLANNED BUT WE MADE IT!!!!!!!!

(to be continued...)

December Update...

So I really got my wish fulfilled... it has snowed quite a BIT here!

So much that I have had Wednesday, Thursday, and today off of school. (However, if you are used to Utah you are probably imagining mounds of snow would be needed to cancel school, however here in Washington we do not get snow often enough to justify the purchasing of tons of snow ploys and other things to clear the snow off. So basically things shut down around here even with just like 1 to 2 inches of snow).

It has been nice to have the days off but bittersweet at the same time since I didn't really get to say goodbye to my students before break and we missed our class party and we have to now make up all these days in JUNE!

Anyway here are somethings we have been doing this holiday season...

• pseudo-decorated our house for the holidays, we just don't have a ton of decorations (chris is very picky about what we put up in the house). However we did at least put up our tiny christmas tree.
• we visited the Bellevue Botanical Gardens one past BLUSTERY night to see their grounds or lit up with small lights to look like flowers and other greenery. We went with out friends, the Ashby's in our ward, and then played games together too.
• we went to see the play 7 brides for 7 brothers at 5th ave. The play was WONDERFUL, but it was especially good becuase my father, yes BIG PHIL as we call him, was in the play. Now, no my father is not an aspiring actor. His company sponsered this play so they allow one of the execs to be a ensamble member in the play on night. So my dad had the full blown star treatment for the night... costume fittings, his own fitting rooms, autographs from the whole cast, lots of photo ops and most of all his FIVE MINUTES OF FAME. He got to come out on stage at the beginning as a towns memeber. All I know is the TONY awards better watch out... PHIL BUSSEY is on the scene now!
• 
• we have gone to many a sunday dinners at the Fam's and one time my grandparents were there and we got to help decorate the family tree.
• took the annual Bussey family christmas card. I helped the family design it this year. But many of you may not know tha backgournd but my family DOES NOT do the traditional christmas card. Each year we do a "comical" one. I wish I had copies of all the other ones of my computer. We have even been in the Seattle times for our kooky cards!
• 

We are very excited to leave tomorrow to spend our WHOLE christmas break down with the Jones' in CA! I am sure there will be more posts on that!

A wish come true

So on my last post I wished for a "winter wonderland" full of snow...
Well I got my wish and I think I might be asking for a reversal!

We didn't get a ton of snow... at least yet (but more is supposedly coming). However the temperature is SOOOOO low. I feel so bad for my kiddos that have to line up and go out in in, they all come in rosy-cheeked and runny-nosed.

Also, the tables have turned. As a student you PRAY for school delays for snow... but as a teacher you hope the don't happen... because you know you have to make them up and then it just throws a wrench in you wonderfully thought out weekly plan. We have not had a delay or cancelation yet, but I believe it will probably come.

So... can I please ask for take backs??

...

I am hoping this new blog header and design inspires the LOCAL weatherman to predict snow.

I just feel like it isn't WINTER/Christmas without it!