We just got back the other night from 9 days in California! I'm a little tired, and I've been slowly unpacking everything from our trip (I did all our laundry the night before we left. It's so nice to just be able to hang it all up without trying to wash everything here first!)
But I figured I could take a break and do an update!
This was my very first Christmas ever away from my family. I was a little sad, but I was also really excited to see Bryant's family, and spend some time at one of my favorite places, Mt. Shasta! The town, the trees, the mountain, everything is so beautiful! If you like the outdoors, small towns and friendly people, this is the place to go!
(The Mountain)
(The cutest little bookstore!)
The first few days we were there, it snowed like crazy! There was probably close to 4ft by the time it stopped snowing. I woke up one morning, and looked out the window, only to realize that the snow was up to the window, and the window was at my chest! Bryant, his brother Tyler, his mom Robyn and dad Ed had to snow blow and shovel the driveway several times a day. (I just cozied up to the fire with Savannah. What a load of help I am!) Ed and Robyn both work at schools and their schools were canceled last Friday, and church was canceled on Sunday due to snow!
(I took this after the first night it snowed. The poor guy was completely covered by that night!)
(The view from the back porch, also taken the first day it snowed.)
(This was taken on Christmas Eve, after all the snow had been plowed off the streets. This is in front of a supermarket. To give you a sense of scale, I'm standing right next to this, and had to angle my camera up... It was probably 10 feet high!)
(The view from the back porch, also taken the first day it snowed.)
I had to chuckle when I checked my facebook, and all my friends here in Utah were talking about all the snow they got here and how crazy it was, and then I would see the pictures with 6 inches, then look out the window in California and see 4 feet! I've never had a winter like that, so it was actually kind of fun to be snowed in!
Over the weekend, we drove down with everyone to Sacramento for the night, to visit Bryan't Brother Jacob, his wife Sally, and their 2 kids. I was really happy to see them, because they are my only niece and nephew, and Savannah's only cousins at the moment. I hadn't even met their 2nd child yet and he's almost a year old! They all had fun playing together, (except Savannah really needs to learn how to share!) and it was also my first time in Sacramento, so that's one last place to check off my list!
(Cousins!)
(All ready for bed!)
(I was sitting on the air mattress reading the news on my phone, waiting for the shower to be available, and my niece and nephew both walked in a sat on my lap. It was nice to get to spend a few moments with just me and them! I miss them already!)
(Sorry this photo is blurry, but I thought it was so sweet that they gave each other hugs goodbye!)
The drive down was really crazy. It had been snowing, and even through the roads weren't too bad, it was slow-going. People were only going about 25-30 mph, and we were stopped to make sure that we either had chains or 4-wheel drive. The road going back towards Mt. Shasta ended up being closed completely, until they could get in and clear the roads. We were worried we would have to spend an extra couple of days in Sacramento (I had packed extra clothes for all of us, just in case...) but by the next afternoon, we got word that the roads were completely clear, so we were able to make it back!
Christmas Eve, Bryant took me out to the main street and we did a bit of shopping and walking around while Ed and Robyn babysat for us. We then grabbed some lunch, then headed home to pick Savannah up, and then we went out to go visit some people from the ward. I'm not exaggerating when I say the people in Mt. Shasta are the nicest people ever! It was really fun getting to visit with everyone!
That night, we had ribs and pasta for dinner, then played a few games. Afterwords, we went down the street to where one of their neighbors had put up a ton of lights, and several wood cut-outs of different people, like Disney characters, a nativity, Santa, etc. I was impressed that they had taken the time to go out and dig all of them out! It must have taken them hours! Afterwords, we came home and watched "It's a Wonderful Life", and of course, I was crying by the end of the movie!
(Mr. and Mrs. Clause were still up to their waists in snow!)
Christmas morning was so much fun! We actually had to wake Savannah up, because everyone else was up and ready to go! When we woke her up, we said "Savannah, Santa came to visit!" and she bolted straight up yelling "Yay! Yay! Santa! Yay!" and she ran straight into the living room!
(This rocking horse is the first thing she saw. She loved petting and kissing him, but was terrified to ride him! I'm happy to report, that now she requests several times a day to ride!)
She was pretty excited to open her presents, but after opening a few, she just wanted to stop and play with all of them. I had to open her last 3 for her, because she was done. Christmas is so much fun when you have your own kids! I can't wait until next Christmas when she will be almost 3, and this next baby will be 6 months old!
We had breakfast casserole for Breakfast after we opened presents, and then Ed and Robyn babysat again while Bryant, Tyler and I went to go see Les Miserables. Which of course, I cried about 5 times during it.
(Baking cookies with grandma! With her cheesy grin she gets from her daddy!)
Afterwords, we came home, played some more games, and decided to just do leftovers instead of making another big dinner.
Our drive back didn't go quite as smoothly as the drive out there. Even though we didn't hit any bad weather, Savannah was not happy to be back in the car and was pretty mad for most of the trip. We had to make A LOT of extra stops to keep her happy. But we made it safe and sound, and that's all that matters!
We had so much fun in Mt. Shasta. It was exactly what I needed after a crazy last couple of weeks at school. I got to just sit and relax, and Savannah got to spend a lot of time with her Grandparents and Uncle, and got to see her cousins!
We really missed Chantel, who is in Florida, and I hope that someday, we will get to spend a Christmas with all the Stokes, and all the grandkids!
I hope everyone had a Christmas as amazing as we did!
I hope everyone had a Christmas as amazing as we did!
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